KENDRIVE

Sunday Best: (Noun) A person's best clothes, worn to church or on special occasions.

Does anyone still have "Sunday Best" clothes. I don't expect you do - just favourites.

In my youth, we always wore our 'best clothes' on Sundays - but when I went to church a little while ago, I was the only man wearing a tie.

This couple chose to dress like this when they went to church .

"Miley Cyrus brought her new guy, underwear model and and aspiring country singer Justin Gaston to church with her in Pasadena this weekend."

This is how it used to be:

My mother dressed like that, complete with a fox around her neck, fastened by its mouth, which frightened us kids. The one in the picture, however, looks more like a badger. Ugh!

A face-painter is appealing for mums-to-be to offer their pregnant bumps as blank canvasses for artwork.

Mari Williams - who is expecting her second child on 12 March - went to try it out.

She is quoted as saying: "Apparently, pregnant body painting, or bump-art as the professionals call it, is increasing in popularity.

That's why, three weeks before my due date, I found myself in a lounge on a suburban estate in Flintshire, offering my pale, very big bump as a blank canvas to a complete stranger.

The package includes the painting itself - which normally takes around two hours - and a professional photoshoot.

The process itself is very relaxing, even soothing, and I didn't feel self-conscious at all.

And baby obviously enjoyed the tickles of the brush strokes too, judging by the way the "canvas" suddenly started moving."

(From the BBC)

My concern is that the paints may affect the baby but, as they are body paints, I suppose they are non-toxic.

We are used to seeing young girls displaying their bare midriffs in summer and winter. Can we now expect to see the painted 'bumps' of mothers-to-be exposed on the streets for our admiration?

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (Gen 3:7)

Ever since those Biblical days fig leaves have been off and on - or in this case olive branches.

Masaccio - 'The expulsion of Adam and Eve''

Of course attitudes to nudity have changed over the years, depending on current standards of decency. In ancient Greece the genitals were never covered.

In Rome centuries ago one of the Popes decided they were offensive so he had fig leaves attached to cover them. Later attempts to remove the fig leaves often removed more than just the fig leaf, so the decision was made to leave the fig leaves on the remaining statues. They felt it was better than removing everything.

It happened again in 1932 : TIME MAGAZINE Monday, Nov. 14, 1932

"Surly Roman stonemasons spent the week in "dressing" with colossal fig leaves 70 nude statues of young men, each in an athletic attitude and all some 25 ft. tall. Pope Pius XI was said by Fascist officials to have suggested the fig leaves, since the 70 virile statues adorn the upper rim of a new Roman Stadium which will be used not only by Italian sportsmen but also by Italian sportswomen. "

And also in America at the 1984 Olympic Games:

LOS ANGELES TIMES

The Atlanta (Ga.) Committee for the Olympic Games asked Los Angeles Coliseum officials to cover up two nude statues of Olympic athletes for the start of the Olympic torch relay because television viewers might glimpse the statues and find them “indecent”. The Atlanta Committee changed its mind after an outcry — and a firm refusal from the Coliseum. The 25-foot statues were modeled after male and female Olympians in the 1984 L.A. games, and have stood at the Coliseum since. “The Greek athletes started out nude in the Olympics,” noted Robert Graham, who sculpted the figures. “It’s nothing I invented.”

We have had similar problems in the UK.

In the Victoria and Albert Museum in London there is a cast of Michel Angelo's statue of David.

The 5.17 meter (17 ft) marble statue portrays the Biblical King in the nude, at the moment that he decides to battle with Goliath.

The story goes that on her first encounter with the statue at the Museum, Queen Victoria was so shocked by the nudity that a proportionally accurate fig leaf was commissioned.

It was then kept in readiness for any royal visits, when it was hung on the figure using two strategically placed hooks. The fig leaf is half a metre high,

Nowadays, the fig leaf is no longer displayed on the David. Instead, it is housed in its own case on the back of the plinth of the figure, ready for attaching when the prudes are around.

In reply to a recent comment I wrote about censorship in art and how successive generations have differing ideas on what is indecent or offensive.

I was interested, therefore, to find this article on a blog site.

The golden ages for conservatives don't appear to be 300 years ago or 1000 years ago or 2000 years ago, it was just the world of several decades ago as seen through the gloss of memory and its ability to diminish the actual nasty bits of the past."

Big Time Patriot: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/17/214222.php)

Of course the writer had his/her tongue very much in cheek.

However, there is no doubt that in America the right-wing conservatives are taking a strong stand to uphold moral attitudes.

You can tell me whether that is a good thing or not. Is there a case for censorship in art? Should we lift the fig leaf, or glue more on?

(The debate continues here tomorrow)

My grandparents are now long dead, but when I was a boy I called my maternal grandmother "Grandma" and my paternal one "Nanna".

Years later, when I moved south, I found that many children were calling their grandmther "Nan".

It has become widespread and now seems to be the universally preferred word in this part of the country.

However, an online dictionary says that "Nan" is British slang for Grandmother.

Synonyms:

baba (loanword from Eastern Europe)
gammy
gram
gramma
gran
grandma
grandmom
granny
mimi
nan (British slang)
nanna
nanny

What do you call your Nan?

'EVERY LITTLE HELPS' FOR TESCO IN CHINA

It's minus 12C in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning province in north-east China.

It's so cold my teeth hurt. An 11th century Mongol trading centre and the one-time capital of the Manchu's Qing dynasty, Shenyang is now an industrial city with a population of 4m.

Shenyang's frozen streets and endless grey high-rise housing blocks appear largely untouched by Western influence. However, over the past few years the city has unwittingly become the focal point of a hotly contested battle involving some of the West's largest companies.

Tesco, Wal-Mart and Carrefour, the three behemoths of the global retail industry, have all opened supermarkets in the city. As incongruous as it may sound, Shenyang is one of only a small number of cities in the world where these three retailers compete with each other. And given the lure of China as a revenue source for these chains, the battle is set to intensify across the country in the years ahead.

Despite current economic wobbles, disposable incomes in China have increased by 118pc over the past eight years and are projected to double in the next five. China is expected to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy by 2015.

As an urban society replaces a rural one, these retailers have massive growth plans in China.

Outside Tesco's Tie Xi store in Shenyang – one of five that it has in the city – Ken Towle, the president and chief executive of Tesco's Chinese operations, starts to explain some of the cultural differences between operating in the UK (population 60m) and operating in China (population 1.3bn but with lower consumer spending than the UK).

Mr Towle is interrupted by a noisy minibus pulling up in the snow next to him. The vehicle has a large Tesco logo down its side and is painted in the chain's familiar red, white and blue livery. Dozens of shoppers step out and march quickly into the store. Cultural difference number one: there are only two cars per 100 people in China, meaning that retailers have to lay on transport.

Cultural difference number two is apparent as soon as we step into the store; the product mix. Foodstuffs range from the obscure, such as coffee-flavoured tea, doughnuts covered in spicy shredded "pork floss", live fish and tortoises in tanks, and pig faces, to huge volumes of products more readily associated with China, such as rice and seaweed. There is also a large non-food offer.

The store's atmosphere and fragrance are more akin to a traditional wet market than a supermarket. Employees shout out about their products, "essentially hawking", says Mr Towle. Customers jostle around piles of fruit that are on promotion, squeezing the products and violently disregarding any items deemed substandard. Any packaging is ripped off – customers believe it adds to the weight and do not like paying extra for it.

The only familiar aspect of the store is the Tesco signage, although the "Shopping is pleasant and easy for you" slogan on the walls certainly lacks the pith of "Every Little Helps". The store, as in all supermarkets in China, is spread over two levels, starting on the first floor, mainly as space restrictions dictate that growth is upwards not outwards. The ground floor is occupied by third party retailers chosen by Tesco to complement its product offer.

Understanding the needs and motivations of Chinese consumers is the name of the game for Mr Towle, who has run Tesco China since 2005 and cut his teeth running Tesco's store on Warwick Way in London's smart Pimlico. A butcher chops up a pig carcass on a block. Mr Towle explains that shoppers in wet markets check whether meat is fresh by seeing how warm it is; if meat is warm, the pig has been recently slaughtered and is good. This is as close as Tesco comes to replicating that.
Chinese consumers are among the most demanding and strong-minded in the world. "People's instinct is to be suspicious of the quality," says Mr Towle.

Tesco has a "secret weapon" in its bid to conquer China, Mr Towle says. The chain has launched Membercard, the equivalent of its Clubcard, in the country. It already has 4.5m members (out of 6.5m total Tesco shoppers). As in the UK, their shopping patterns are collated to inform Tesco's buying decisions. Customers are also offered targeted money-off promotions. The Membercard data is crucial to Tesco's local management, allowing them to understand the "language" of shopping in a land where they can not speak the actual language.

In as stark an example as possible of Tesco grabbing the bull by the horns, it is launching a massive building project in China. Through a wholly-owned property subsidiary, five large Tesco malls are already under construction. A further 15 have been committed to, and there is a "very strong pipeline" of further malls, Mr Towle says. The developments will contain dining facilities on the fourth floors and entertainment areas on the fifth (possibly including cinemas). Tesco will also build residential areas, offices and maybe even hotels adjoining the malls.

The system will give Tesco total control, and also let it work with provincial Chinese governments in implementing their mind-bogglingly ambitious urban regeneration programmes. Developments will happen at an alarming rate. When land is bought in auctions, developments must start within two years. There is no "land-banking" in China.
Mr Towle denies that the building project will be overly intensive on capital at a time of economic slowdown. "For the price of a hypermarket in the UK we'll be able to build a shopping centre in China." .

Despite Tesco's ambitious plans, China has been hit hard by the credit crisis. However, Mr Towle believes the slowdown might not last that long, and says the company will invest its way through the downturn. Perhaps the retailer is mindful that the Chinese word "crisis" is often translated to mean "danger and opportunity".

(From an article in the Daily Telegraph)

The identity of Ireland's most notorious motorist has been uncovered, after Police realised they were recording Prawo Jazdy – the Polish term for driving licence – instead of the offender's name for more than 50 different Poles.

Prawo Jazdy was presumed to be one man who had somehow managed to evade the law while repeatedly speeding and clocking up parking fines across the Republic.

However, when police took a closer look, they realised that the "name" was actually Polish for driving licence.

The term had been mistaken as the name of the driver by dozens of officers.

It led police to believe that they had a serial offender on their hands who had managed to keep reoffending.

In fact, Prawo Jazdy was not one man, but the name given to many different Polish drivers after the police blunder.

An internal police memo printed in Irish papers on Thursday said officers taking details of Polish traffic offenders had been mistakenly using "Prawo Jazdy", printed in the top right corner of the driving licence, as the holder's name.

The memo, dated June 2007, said: "Prawo Jazdy is actually the Polish for driving licence and not the first and surname on the licence. It is quite embarrassing to see the system has created Prawo Jazdy as a person with over 50 identities."

A police spokesman declined to comment on the reports.

About 200,000 Polish people flocked to Ireland during the boom years of its "Celtic Tiger" economy but a poll in November indicated a third of them planned to leave due to recession.

(Daily Telgraph)

This story features in many of today's newpapers.

This is from "The Times", South Africa:

"Yesterday the New York Post published this cartoon by Sean Delonas.

It likens the author of the stimulus bill, most probably President Barack Obama, with a rabid chimpanzee.

What on earth was the editor thinking? It is hard not to interpret the cartoon as racist and violent.

The two police officers are holding guns and looking over the dead and bleeding chimpanzee that attacked a woman in Connecticut earlier this week.

New York Post editor-in-chief Col Allen responded to the criticism:

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut…It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy."

Could he really not have been aware that this cartoon would be interpreted as racist considering the history of monkey name-calling in racist attacks on black Americans?"

"A yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia."

Here is one in Mongolia:

There are modern commercial versions that can be erected for you in two or three days and many of them are very luxurious.

Alternatively, you can make one for yourself - but don't expect it to be easily accepted:

ECO-FRIENDLY MONGOLIAN-STYLE YURT TO BE 'TORN DOWN AS TOO FAR FROM SHOPS'

The owners of an eco-friendly Mongolian-style yurt, which lies hidden away in a remote valley, face being forced to take it down because it is too far from the shops and there is not enough parking

Ray Spice, a builder, moved into the portable hut with his partner Sarah two and a half years ago and say they have been living a happy, self-sustainable lifestyle since then.

However, they have now been refused retrospective planning permission for the yurt and could be forced to return to living in a normal house.

Mr Spice said: "We wanted to live a better, less wasteful way of living. We've lived in peace here for two and a half years, but 18 months ago we were told we had to have planning permission."

He added: "Among other things, the council have claimed we are unsustainable because we live more than 600 yards from a shop, and they feel we may be polluting the river with our toilet, but we were visited by environmental health officers, and we've got confirmation that we're not.

"They've also said parking is an issue, in that we don't have adequate parking spaces, but we've only got one car, and I've got a 13ft by 24ft space, which still allows the farmer to get his tractor into the field."

The farmer who owns the field, along with the nearest neighbours are all in support of the yurt.

To bring some mod-cons to his yurt, which is situated near Combe Martin, Devon, Mr Spice uses solar energy and a hand-crafted water turbine to power a car stereo, two caravan lights, a portable DVD player and a mobile phone charger. North Devon District Council refused planning permission on the grounds the "development" is on a greenfield site in an "unsustainable location".

Andrew Jay, the couple's closest neighbour, said: "Firstly, there is no development, there is nothing fixed to the ground, all you'd have to do is take the tent down and by next spring the grass would be green again.

"I think this is a marvellous example to us all, but I'm worried we're in danger of letting small-minded bureaucrats spoil what is essentially an excellent experiment."

A spokesperson for North Devon Council said: "The yurt is in a heavily protected landscape, which comprises an area of outstanding natural beauty, where there are very strong policies against any form of development."

A decision on the application will now be made by an inspector on behalf of the Secretary of State.

(Daily Telegraph)

TWINNED WITH PARIS

As you drive along the A606 in the East Midlands of England, you may notice a rather unusual road sign. It's one of two, one either side of the road, as you approach the village of Whitwell in the tiny county of Rutland. The one on the right announces 'Whitwell - Please drive carefully through the village', but the one on the left somewhat enigmatically reads 'Whitwell - Twinned with Paris'.

Twinned with Where?

It's a proper, official-looking county-council-installed sign, all right. It's been there since 1980 and the Paris it refers to is indeed the capital of the glorious République Française. So how could a fairly nondescript English village have pulled off such a coup?

There's nothing unusual about twinning, of course. There are hundreds of cities, towns and villages in the UK, and thousands worldwide, which have fostered links with others abroad.

Councillors will tell you it's an opportunity to promote goodwill and understanding between the townsfolk, form an association of friendship, and share both ideas and hospitality through fact-finding visits.

Council tax-payers will tell you it's a shocking waste of public money, as the representatives they elected to formulate local government policy take all-expenses-paid foreign holidays on club-class tickets to indulge in lavish junkets.

The truth is probably somewhere in between the two, but you don't necessarily need a twin town for an excuse to live the high life – remember Doncaster in 1997?

With few exceptions, twin towns are of a similar size and exhibit some sort of demographic, cultural or historical similarities.

London is twinned with New York City, Torquay with the once rat-infested Hamelin, and Aberdeen with, naturally, Bulawayo.

Paris and Whitwell, however, are not so closely matched, let it be said. Paris, 'the City of Light', is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. It boasts many beautiful and historic landmarks, romantic vistas, world-class museums, some of the finest hotels, best cuisine and most fashionable boutiques in the world, and unrivalled nightlife. It is also a vast metropolis, home to around 11 million people. Whitwell has a pub, a hotel and 42 residents1.

It all happened in the pub, you see.

You know how it is: people sit around and have a few drinks and someone cracks this 'wouldn't it be funny if...' joke. In thousands of other pubs across the land that would be the end of it, but the chairman of the parish council and landlord of the Noel Arms, Sam Healey, thought it was worth a try.

Declaring himself head of the newly formed Twinning Committee, he wrote to his equivalent number in Paris, one Jacques Chirac, suggesting the tie-up. Chirac, to his credit, replied diplomatically, but wasn't too keen. He thought he might only be able to legally pair up with foreign capitals, as Paris had done with Rome, and he'd never heard of Whitwell.

Well, that sounded fairly positive to the Noel Arms regulars. They drafted another letter, asking whether they could know for sure by a certain date, about five weeks hence, as they were planning a celebration. If they didn't hear anything, they would assume he approved. The local schoolmaster translated it, and it was sent back to Chirac. Then came the important bit: the deadline passed without a reply. They were twinned!

They don't remember a lot about the day of the ceremony. English beer and French wine flowed. English Morris men performed alongside a troupe of can-can dancers specially shipped in from Melton Mowbray. A fine time was had by all; Healey woke up the next day in the coal shed.

(BBC)

I am sorry if I offend anyone with my treatment of this tragic story.

Perhaps it is in bad taste and, if so, I apologise.

BOY'S BODY FOUND IN CROCODILE

The remains of a five-year-old Australian boy have been found in the stomach of a crocodile, police say.

Jeremy Doble was last seen on 8 February playing near his family's home beside a flooded mangrove swamp in northern Queensland.

Police now say he was attacked and eaten by a 14ft (4.3m) crocodile who was then trapped in a flooder river.

The announcement came after police examined the crocodile, using non-lethal surgical procedure.

"The family have requested that media respect their privacy at this time," police said in a statement.

Queensland officials say the animal will now be sent to a crocodile farm or zoo.

The victim's parents have reportedly asked authorities not to kill the crocodile.

(BBC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnlOS5cnavY

Do we sometimes need protecting from ourselves?

This man obviously thinks so.

When ex-grammar schoolboy Nabeel Chowdery earned £8,000 organising club nights at university, he didn't blow the proceeds on fast cars or high living. Instead, he bought a terrace house, refurbished it and rented it out.

By 2000, he owned 100 houses and by last year, thanks to soaring property prices, the entrepreneur was officially a self-made tycoon. He owned flagship developments in the North of England, had assets of £145million and had made it into the Rich List.

But with the collapse of the housing market, Nabeel, 34, whose family hail from Pakistan, is unlikely to make this year's gazette of the super wealthy.

Worse still, he faces a High Court action after going gambling at the Ritz Casino in London and losing £160,000 within a couple of hours at the roulette tables.

The businessman paid for £60,000 worth of chips using a debit card, but his cheque for another £100,000 drawn on Coutts bank bounced, according to lawyers for the casino, which is based in the former ballroom at the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly.

However, Nabeel - once a star student at Manchester University - has launched his own attack on the casino. 'I am defending this case,' he tells me.

'I didn't bounce a cheque. I stopped the cheque. The casino behaved irresponsibly. They gave me £100,000 worth of chips after I had already lost £60,000 in only an hour using my bank card.

'They said they had checked me out and that they knew I was worth the money. Of course, I took the chips because I was hoping I would recoup my losses.'

Instead, he lost the lot and insists: 'What they should have done was told me to go home and come back another day. It was the first time I had gambled.'

His lawyer Susan Lewis adds: 'We have put in a defence under the 2005 Gambling Act, which requires casinos to behave responsibly. He is also counter-claiming for damages for the Ritz Casino's negligence arising out of the alleged breaches of these statutory duties.'

Meanwhile, Barclays has appointed a receiver to recover debts owed to it on five properties owned by Property Route, the firm Nabeel founded and from which he resigned as a director last year.

(Daily Mail)

P.S. I believe someone sued a pub for allowing him to drink too much.

Don't Bother

You can put your foot down

But you may shoot your arrows here

Even if you are invisible

Ooops!

Unless you have to

But YOU can go either way

(From the Daily Telegraph)

WOMAN WITH THE LONGEST FINGERNAILS IN THE WORLD BREAKS THEM ALL IN A CAR CRASH

A woman with record-breaking 3ft fingernails is recovering in hospital after surviving a car crash in which all ten were all broken off.

Grandmother Lee Redmond is said to be devastated at the loss of her nails, which had not been cut for 30 years.

She has been hospitalised with serious but not life-threatening injuries after she was ejected from the seat of an SUV in the crash.

The driver of the 4x4 in which she was a passenger is in a critical condition.

A friend said: 'Lee knows she's lucky to be alive but she's devastated.'

Redmond's nails hadn't been cut since 1979.

The Salt Lake City, Utah resident was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, which claimed her nails measured a total of more than 28 feet long in 2008.

The longest nail - on her right thumb - was a sickening 2 feet, 11 inches.

Mrs Redmond, who once turned down £60,000 to have them clipped on live TV, has now lost her claim to fame.

In 2006 she said she was ready to cut her nails so she could care for her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's.

However she changed her mind, insisting that the nails did not interfere with her husband's care - indeed, that they did not impact her daily life much at all.

She did have to care for the nails daily, soaking them in olive oil and cleaning them with a toothbrush. And when, in previous interviews, she was asked the inevitable question about how she goes uses the bathroom, she replied: 'Very carefully'.

Police lieutenant Don Hutson said Mrs Redmond was thrown into the road when her car hit another vehicle at a crossroads. Her nails were all snapped off near the fingers.

Lieutenant Hutson added: 'She is conscious and is heartbroken over the loss of her nails.'

(Daily Mail)

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS . . . . . FOR £2

A supermarket is selling roses for Valentine's Day at just £2 for a dozen, or 16p a stem.

The 'Sweetheart' blooms are not quite as fancy as the long-stemmed variety but are sure to be popular in the credit crunch.

Asda, which is selling the bouquets, says it is drastically undercutting rivals' prices of up to £1.99 a stem.

It believes that Britain's swains and sweethearts will spend a total of £50million on flowers for February 14, but that many are looking for a bargain.

An Asda spokesman said: 'Our research shows a staggering 39 per cent of shoppers will be looking to significantly cut back on the cost of Valentine's Day this year.'

The supermarket says it can offer a discount on top-end flowers as well, by selling a dozen longstemmed Grand Prix roses for a relatively modest £30.

Other stores are also stocking up on cheap bouquets.

Marks & Spencer is offering a dozen small long- stem roses for just £4.88. Eight large roses from its Autograph range are £9.77. Sainsbury's has a single gift-wrapped Fairtrade red rose for £1.99, while a bunch of 12 can be bought for £4.99. Tesco has a £6 bouquet.

Morrison's has a dozen red roses for £4.99, while Lidl is charging £9.99 and Somerfield £10.

Charities and environmental experts have raised concerns about the cut-price flowers, many of which come from Africa and particularly Kenya's Lake Naivasha region.

University of Leicester ecologist Dr David Harper said that the drive to sell blooms at bargain prices is contributing to the exploitation of the region.

He said: 'If you buy a T-shirt really cheaply, the chances are that it was child labour that made them.

'The same principle applies with flowers, you cannot get them cheap without a cost to the environment or people in a developing country.'

In terms of global environmental impact, the Government says it is better to bring flowers from Africa than to grow them in heated glasshouses in Holland and the UK.

Dr Adrian Williams, an agriculture expert from Cranfield University, in Bedfordshire, calculates that growing roses in Kenya produces-just 17 per cent as much carbon-dioxide as growing them in Holland.

An Asda spokesman said: 'The 12 Sweetheart roses are ethically sourced from farms in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.

'All the farms are visited throughout the year by Asda colleagues or their suppliers, and are regularly audited with full audit trails.

'Asda and its suppliers have entered into long-term partnerships with growers giving a yearround commitment which benefits both the growers and their local communities.'

Suppliers to Asda and other supermarkets say they pay a living wage of £35 a month.

This compares to £25 a month earned by a housekeeper in the capital Nairobi or £10 for a gardener.

Ten thousand tons of roses bought in Britain for Valentine's Day are imported from Lake Naivasha in Kenya.

They are sold at incredibly cheap prices - but stores insist that the growers are vetted by independent experts and that the staff are guaranteed a living wage and protected from working long hours.

The flowers from the region are transported by the growers in
refrigerated lorries the 60 miles to the capital Nairobi.

From there they are airfreighted-around the world. Vast quantities are flown the 4,200 miles to Stansted for distribution to supermarket warehouses and then stores in the UK.

Even bigger quantities are sent to Schiphol, in Holland, where they are sold by auction.

The War on Want charity claims that the cheap prices can only be achieved because employees on flower farms work long days for as little as 10p an hour.

But others suggest that supermarkets are making a loss on the flowers to get customers into their stores.

(Daily Mail)

WOOLWORTHS MANAGER REOPENS STORE AS 'WELLWORTHS'

Claire Robertson, the manager of a Woolworths store that was forced to close when the company collapsed is to re-open it herself under the name Wellworths.

Miss Robertson, 34, had been with the firm for 18 years since she worked as a Saturday girl, and couldn't bear for the job to end.

So she secured investment and is set to relaunch the popular and profitable shop in Dorchester, Dorset, and run it just like Woolworths.

She has promised to keep the famous Pick 'n' Mix and will also stock toys, home and kitchen items, textiles and seasonal products.

'Wellworths', which Miss Robertson believes will become known locally as 'Wellies', will employ 22 staff who previously worked there.

Miss Robertson had been manager of the Dorchester shop for five years and it was one of the last in the country to close on January 6.

Miss Robertson, who lives in Yeovil, Somerset, said: "I had been with Woolworths for 18 years and started as a Saturday girl.

"I trained as an assistant manager and worked in several stores and was manager at the Dorchester one for the last five years.

"When we heard the news that it was to close there were lots of tears.

"But I didn't see why the shop should close because it was profitable and was always popular.
'
"So I decided to open it myself and the name 'Wellworths cropped up.

"The more I thought about it the more it grew on me and that is what I decided to call it.

"The shop is in a fantastic location in the middle of Dorchester and it covers 6,500 square feet.

"We will sell basically the same things that Woolworths did but we won't be doing the entertainment side of things, the CDs and DVDs.

"And we won't be doing clothing, but we'll keep the Pick 'n' Mix and we'll sell home and kitchen things, textiles and seasonal items.

"I have got a buyer and we are expecting the first stock to arrive next week and we hope to have the store open by mid-March.

"I expect to retain 98 per cent of staff which will be about 20 or 22 people and I've kept in touch with everyone who I worked with.

"Woolworths leased the shop and I have got financial backing from the landlord and two other investors.

"I've been to Companies House and have the name so we are just getting everything ready for the opening."

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

If someone's intestines are protruding from an open abdominal wound, should you: A. Put them back in place; B. Do nothing; or, C. Cover them with some kind of container and fasten it around the body?

The above is not from a first-year medical school exam, but is one of the 100 questions that locals and foreigners alike could find on China's written driver's licence exam. (The answer, by the way, is C.)

Test candidates are given a booklet of 800 test questions, 100 of which appear on the actual exam. While the questions dealing with traffic signs are universally understood, others have singularly Chinese characteristics.

Sometimes two of the three answers could be equally right, or the answer that is considered right is obviously false.

Take the following example.

"What should a driver do when he needs to spit while driving? A. Spit through the window. B. Spit into a piece of waste paper, then put it into a garbage can. C. Spit on the floor of the vehicle."

Answer? B.

Once the written test is over, foreigners who have a driver's license in their home country are not required to take a practical test, unlike the Chinese.

But they do have to have their eyesight checked, and this seemingly simple exercise also holds its fair share of surprises.

At a nearby hospital, a nurse asked the latest candidates to read letters from a lighted panel, covering the left and the right eye in turn.

But they have to read the panel in a mirror. And the letters listed do not exist in any known alphabet.

A backwards E? One that is upside down? How do you pronounce that?

Somehow, the candidates passed the sight test, and most left the traffic management office a short time later with licences in hand.

But reality will soon set in.

At the entrance to the parking lot were two cars crumpled like accordions, and on the streets of Beijing, no one seems to pay attention to the rules of the road.

Drivers routinely overtake on the right, taxis breeze through red lights, cyclists ride against the traffic and pedestrians jaywalk.

Last year alone, 73,500 people were killed and 304,000 injured in traffic accidents in China.

Welcome to China's roads, among the most dangerous in the world.

(AFP)

LEVEL CROSSING RISKS AT FOUR YEAR HIGH

The number of cases of motorists taking dangerous and illegal risks at UK level crossings is at a four-year high.

Figures released by Network Rail show there were more than 3,400 cases of level crossing misuse last year, disrupting thousands of trains.

Watch the video at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7878211.stm

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER WHY AROMA OF CHIPS ARE SO DESIRABLE *

"A fine bouquet of butterscotch, cocoa and cheese - with a hint of ironing board on the nose."

No it is not the latest eccentric fine wine tasting but the aroma of chips, according to the latest research.

Scientists at Leeds University have analysed why the tantalising smell of a portion of chips is often enough to whet our appetites.

They have found that the appeal of their smell could actually be down to the range of different aromas chips contain.

Nine aromas including butterscotch, cocoa, onion, cheese and even …ironing boards, all combine to help make chips one of Britain's iconic dishes, it is said.

The research, which was carried out for National Chip Week 2009, was led by Dr Graham Clayton of the Department of Food Science using laboratory analysis as well as human focus groups to pinpoint the chips with the most tempting smell.

Scientists collected the aroma from cooked chips, then separated the different compounds for analysis by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry - a technique used to separate foods into their base elements.

Those that could be detected by the human nose were sniffed, and the type and strength of smell recorded.

The findings show that those chips that are cooked twice have more complex aromas comprising bitter cocoa, butterscotch, cheese, earthy potatoes, onions, and flowers

Dr Graham Clayton said: "Whether oven-cooked or fried, the humble chip doesn't smell of just chips – the aroma is much more complex and probably explains why chips are everyone's favourite.

Dr Clayton said: "Like a fine perfume, chips can be made up of different aroma combinations, so there is always something for everyone and every occasion.

"Lightly cooked or undercooked chips were found to contain three simple aromas including bitter cocoa. A little extra cooking was shown to produce a more complex aroma profile, with up to nine different aromatic notes."

Further research revealed that the perfect portion of chips is eaten with salt, vinegar or tomato sauce and fish and chips remain the perfect chip meal.

The favourite place for eating chips was at the seaside with four in ten claiming chips taste best there. Three quarters of those questioned also believed chips should be eaten with a fork, and one in five had eaten chips in bed.

(Abridged from an article in the Daily Telegraph)

Surely that headline should read: "Scientists uncover why aroma of chips IS so desirable" ?

I am surprised at the Telegraph getting it wrong.

It was only a week ago that I wrote here of the danger of young children playing with family dogs.

This is from a BBC report:

BABY BOY "KILLED BY FAMILY DOGS"

Jaden Mack, aged three-and-a-half-months, was declared dead in hospital

A baby boy has died after what is believed to be an attack by two family dogs.

Neighbours said three-and-a-half-month-old Jaden Mack was staying with his grandmother at the time.

Gwent Police say Jaden was taken in the early hours from the house in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly county, to hospital, where he was declared dead.

A Jack Russell and Staffordshire bull terrier are believed to have caused the injuries, and they have been put down.

A post-mortem examination was held on Saturday afternoon, and police say the exact cause of death has not yet been established.

Chief Insp Jim Baker of Gwent Police describes what happened

Officers were called to a house in Commercial Street at about 0015 GMT and Jaden was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr about 12 miles (20 km) away.

Police said the "adult female family member" who was caring for Jaden at the time was taken to hospital to be treated for shock. Jaden's parents were not at the address at the time.

Officers will speak to her later about the attack, which happened in the downstairs living area. No arrests have been made.

The dogs were taken from the home and police said the decision was taken in conjunction with the family to humanely destroy the animals.

This is an era on the edge of remembered history, a time when people wore suits to paddle in the sea and when no man would step outside without a hat.

As these enchanting pictures show, the England of yesteryear can seem almost to be a foreign land.

So it is perhaps fitting that they were taken by a German emigre, Hans Gohler, who fled the Nazis in 1933 and headed for Britain, changing his name to John Gay and setting up home in North London.

Between then and his death in 1999, Gay took some 40,000 photographs chronicling the life of our diverse nation, many taken in the Thirties and the post-war austerity years.

Now they have been gathered together for a new exhibition that brings that vanished England back to life in compelling detail.

"England Observed: John Gay" is published this month by English Heritage at £20. Visit www.english-heritageshop.org.uk to order a copy.

A free exhibition of John Gay's photographs runs at Kenwood House, Hampstead, London, until March 29.

Stop! A bobby directs traffic the old-fashioned way

Full steam ahead: The Edinburgh-bound Flying Scotsman leaves King's Cross, London, in 1948

Children enjoying life on the farm at Great Munden in Hertfordshire in 1954

Rise and shine: A City gent gets his shoes cleaned at Waterloo

Old hands: Members of the Highgate Society in North London playing cards

Seafood diet: Customers queue for oysters in Blackpool

Wet-look boots: A man shows off his sea legs in Blackpool

(Mail Online)

A few days ago I brought you pictures of unusual places to sleep overnight.

Now here is something far more comfortable than some of those.

The old Petworth Railway Station in Sussex can accommodate you in the station building or in a luxurious Pullman car,

How about this:

You even have your own private bathroom:

What a pity they are stationary and you can't travel like that.

For more pictures and details of how to book go to: http://www.old-station.co.uk/

Google has been accused of putting a spy in everyone's pocket by launching software which maps the location of mobile phone users anywhere in the world.

The internet giant is marketing its 'Latitude' download, which is released today, as a way for friends to keep in touch or for anxious parents to keep tabs on their children.

But critics fear it will evolve into a spying tool for employers who want to track their staff or suspicious partners who want to check up on their other halves.

Simon Davies, director of human rights group Privacy International, said: 'Many people will see this as a cool technology but the reality is it will be a privacy minefield.'

Latitude will be available in 27 countries and will work on most mobile phones and Blackberries, although not iPhones.

Users will have to sign up to the service and they can agree to give contacts their precise location, their city or no details.

Only the most recent location is given and none of the information is stored, Google says.

But Mr Davies said most people would join the network only through peer pressure.

Anyone who left their phone in a bar could be 'covertly opted in', he claimed.

'I would be concerned about any integrated use across Google services as their security is so poor and it's becoming the world most pervasive system,' said Mr Davies.

Unions said they would 'strongly oppose' any attempt to use the system as a way to track workers.

A spokesman for data watchdog, the information commissioner, said: 'Customers opting into the service should be made aware of how their information will be used. We will be monitoring the system closely.'

(Metro)

Foreigners sometimes sneer at our tradition and ceremony.

Here is something new to annoy them.

The Queen is about to take delivery of a new State Coach, which has been built at a cost of £620,000

But wait a moment - it has been donated by Australia, at no cost to the UK.

The carriage was commissioned by John Howard and has taken two years to complete. It was designed and built in Sydney by Jim Frecklington who learned his trade working in the Royal Mews. The project has been overseen by the Duke of Edinburgh, a renowned carriage driver.

The coach contains a time capsule containing elements of British history including material from a Lancaster bomber which once flew with the 617 Squadron -the Dambusters. There is metal from a musket ball from the Battle of Waterloo to symbolise the Army and wood from the Victory, representing the Royal Navy.'

There is also wood from cathedrals including St Paul's, Canterbury, Wells and York as well as segments from Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, the Mayflower, the Queen Mary and the former Royal Yacht Britannia.

The crystal for the coach's four lamps, each weighing 55lbs, was handblown and cut by Edinburgh Crystal.

The two door handles, made by, a specialist jeweller in New Zealand, are individually decorated with 24 diamonds and 130 sapphires.

The coach weighs 2.75 tons and is more than 20ft long and 11ft high.

If it is used by Prince William and his bride they will at least travel in relative comfort as the carriage has electric windows, hydraulic independent suspension and heating.

The interior is lined and upholstered with 22 yards of the silk brocade, incorporating the heraldic representations of the four home countries – the rose, the flax, the thistle and the leek.

The carriage is due to be transported from the workshop close to Sydney harbour to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace in the next few weeks.

Which of these unconventional 'hotels' would you stay in?

The Dog Bark Park Inn, Idaho, USA
Sleeping in the doghouse is no bad thing at this bed & breakfast, imaginatively set inside a 12ft beagle. Created by a pair of "chainsaw artists", the lodgings benefit from a cozy alcove in the dog's muzzle.

Das Park Hotel, Linz, Austria
Who would have thought concrete could be comfy? These renovated sewage pipes are, thankfully, clean and functional and sit on the banks of the Danube, making them a perfect post-industrial bolt hole.

Hostel Celica, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Travellers who want jailtime without compromising their sense of style should also check out the clean lines (well, there are lots of bars) at this converted prison in Slovenia.

Gruft - Propeller Island City Lodge, Berlin
Deep sleepers should perhaps avoid the Gothic beds at this unique hotel in Berlin – or just opt for a less terrifying bed in the "labyrinth" part of the room below.

Crane Hotel, Harlingen, Netherlands
When choosing a hotel conversion, a shipping crane is unlikely to be the first option that springs to mind...

Crane Hotel, Harlingen, Netherlands
But with a swish interior, rotating sea views and splendid sense of isolation, you can forgive this hotel's less-than-glamourous dockside location.

Also take a look at:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/where_to_stay/article5617988.ece

(Thanks Alan)

This was the cake that started it all off. The customer presumably said: "Write 'Best wishes Suzanne'. Underneath that: 'We will miss you'"

Well, it's what they asked for

"We'll wish you luck, but we don't have to be happy about it"

The mother-to-be was having triplets, so the customer ordered a cake with "congratulations" written on it three times

Sasha probably wasn't too happy when her colleagues gave her this

The strange brown pile on top of this cake leads one to wonder just what their "specialty" is

(From telegraph.co.uk)

WILDCAT STRIKES SPREAD OVER FOREIGN WORKERS SHIPPED INTO THE UK

Hundreds of employees staged unofficial walkouts across the UK over the use of foreign staff at a Lincolnshire refinery.

"Sympathy strikes" spread across the country after workers walked out at the Lindsey Oil Refinery when owner Total gave a £200m contract to Italian firm IREM.

Italian and Portuguese workers are being imported and they will be living in a 'hotel ship' based at Grimsby Docks and bussed in every day.