Protesting pensioners

We hear a lot about Britain's youth and how bad they are for society but perhaps the problem doesn't lie with them at all. Perhaps old people aren't what they used to be.

Where once old people were kindly and sat quietly on park benches minding their own business, now we have a generation of busy-bodies, constantly moaning about the state of Britain and bragging about how lucky they will be to drop dead before it gets any worse.

Thanks to the property boom, the house they bought for next to nothing back in the Sixties is now worth a fortune and still they moan about how hard it is to make ends meet. They spent much of their working lives in Britain pre-Thatcher, leaving at 5pm on the dot and always enjoying a lunch break thanks to trade unions that have long since been neutered. Yet still they complain about poor quality services.

They received their education when degrees and A-levels meant something but all they use their superior knowledge for is complaining, rather than putting things right. Worst of all, they can't laugh at themselves.

Have you had enough of old people?

(Daily Telegraph)

KEN LIVINGSTONE PLANS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE TO STOP THEM EATING ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Transport for London is spending £1m on its latest campaign using films and posters to warn people away from anti-social behaviour.

The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, has unveiled an advertising campaign urging the capital's inhabitants to be better behaved on public transport that includes a mini-film created by Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis.

The 'Together for London' campaign targets people who listen to loud music, talk on mobile phones or eat food while on London's trains and tubes. It features a three-minute film that will be shown in around 800 cinemas across the capital from Friday.

I have always found the eating of smelly food on trains and buses to be offensive.

But why just try to 'persuade' people not to do it? Bye-laws should be brought in to BAN it.

That is the position in Athens, where you are not allowed to consume food or drink in the subway system - and that means not even bottled water, a banana, or a chocolate bar - How would some Londoners cope with that?

There is also no advertising on the Greek Metro - either on the stations or trains. Can you imagine TFL giving up such a lucrative source of income?

And, by the way, the flat fare in Athens for any distance on the metro or buses is €1 (74p). Tell that to Mr Livingstone. The system must be very heavily subsidised though.

One bad thing - mobile phones work on the platforms and in the trains. There appears to be no prohibition on them.

To find out more about the Athens Metro, go to:

http://www.athensguide.com/newmetro.html

Finally, this is from the New York Times:

Officials eager to keep Miami's three-year-old commuter system spick-and-span have arrested a mother who allowed her children to eat canned sausages on a train after they missed dinner. The woman, 26-year-old Tobia Jinks, is to be arraigned next week on second-degree misdemeanor charges of eating on a train. ''The key is you don't let that start,'' said Sgt. John Carrel, head of Metrorail's police force. ''Otherwise it is New York - the toilet.''

The playwright Alan Bennett recently gave a talk
to 'Telegraph' readers.

Here is an excerpt:

When I went up to Cambridge to try for a scholarship in 1951, it was the first time I'd come across public schoolboys in the mass and I was appalled. They were loud, self-confident and shockingly greedy.

Unabashed by the imposing surroundings, they hogged the bread, slurped the soup and bolted whatever was put on their plates with medieval abandon. Public school they might be but they were louts.

What was more disturbing, though, was that it was plain that they had been taught much better and more intensively than I had. At the time I thought they were all much cleverer than I was, which many of them were. But a feeling took hold, which a lifetime has not altered, that this was unfair.

At that time in the '50s the preponderance of the public schools at Oxford and Cambridge seemed likely to change.

The representation of state schools was on the rise and it was expected that this would continue until state schools and public schools had a share of entries to Oxford and Cambridge in ratio to their numbers, with the state schools in the majority reflecting their preponderance in the country.

For various reasons this didn't happen and the trend was the other way, so that now there are fewer state school pupils getting into Oxford and Cambridge than there were when I went there. This must be because the public schools are unfairly advantaged and that candidates of equal ability from state schools are by the same token handicapped.

What was not fair in my day is still unfair today. It's why, sometimes I feel almost uniquely, I still believe in the abolition of private education. I do not know how it is to be accomplished without huge social disruption.

But until it's done we will continue to be a divided nation, a nation that wastes its resources. Other nations don't. Not France. Not Germany. And it shows.

You can read the full article at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=SD20W1B4LXEEPQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/arts/2008/01/28/bthistoryboys128.xml&page=1

N.B. For American readers, 'Public' Schools in England are what you would call 'Private' Schools. Very confusing, isn't it?

An elderly couple are worried about their memory and they decide to start writing things down.

One evening the husband offers to get his wife some food.

"I'd like ice-cream and strawberries," she says. "Do you want to write that down?"

"Don't be ridiculous"," he replies and goes out to the kitchen.

He returns with bacon and eggs.

His wife looks at it in fury.

"I knew this would happen," she declares.

"I asked for toast!"

(Sandy Toksvig - "Seven")

Do you file your annual Tax Return online?

Several newspapers reported yesterday on the following:

The security of the online computer system used by more than three million people to file tax returns is in doubt after HM Revenue and Customs admitted it was not secure enough to be used by MPs, celebrities and the Royal Family.

Tax records contain bank details, national insurance numbers, salary and details on investments and savings - all valuable to fraudsters.

Thousands of "high profile" people have been secretly barred from using the online tax return system amid concerns that their confidential details would be put at risk.

This provoked anger from consumer groups and accountants who said the same levels of security should be offered to all taxpayers regardless of their perceived fame.

From this year, anyone wishing to file a self-assessment tax return after October will have to do so online or face stiff penalties.

(From the Daily Telegraph)

The dwarves hide themselves
and their loot in bags


DWARVES ZIPPED IN SUITCASES STEAL FROM SWEDES

Criminal gangs are using dwarves in a ruse to steal from the luggage holds of long-distance coaches, by hiding them inside suitcases, according to police.

The bizarre crime is on the rise in Sweden and officers say thieves have got away with thousands of pounds in cash, jewellery and other valuables in recent months.

Gangs are said to sneak the dwarves into the luggage hold, hidden inside baggage.

Then, once the journey has begun, the stowaways are free to rifle through the bags of other passengers without fear of being apprehended.

Before the coach arrives at its destination the dwarves take their loot back into their suitcase, zip themselves inside and wait to be collected by their partners in crime.

Swebus, which takes thousands of British tourists on holiday across Sweden, is among the coach firms targeted.

A spokesman said: “We have had reports about several thefts by dwarves on the stretch between Vasteras and Stockholm.

“We’re thinking of installing video cameras.”

Police in Stockholm have warned the scam is becoming a problem.

A spokesman said: “We are looking at our records to identify criminals of limited stature.”

(From the Daily Telegraph)

An idiot’s guide (you can say that again) explaining how to get on and off a bus has been produced by a transport company.

According to Stagecoach, which has created the step-by-step manual, a large proportion of Britain’s population are now so used to travelling by car that they have become scared of buses.

In order to encourage use of public transport, the firm has come up with the “Using the Bus” guide which sets out the most basic information possible.

The guide begins reassuringly with: “Using the bus could not be easier.”

It goes on to warn that passengers should “first of all decide on what bus you need” and once the right bus has been spotted, with the “number and destination on the front”, one should then “signal for the driver to stop.”

The guide continues: “Wait until the bus is stopped and the doors are fully opened and step on board.”

WOW! I wouldn't have thought of any of that - would you?

Perhaps this is better advice:

"Please remember you are not the only passenger on
the bus, it’s not very nice for people to have to listen to loud
music or ringtones, smell other people’s food or wade
through their litter. Keep the buses nice for everyone!"

(Abridged from The Daily Telegraph)

I don't know whether it is just me but, when I am watching the TV words and numbers game-show "Countdown", I often hear contestants saying "continent" instead of "consonant".

Perhaps it is my hearing and I wonder whether other viewers have noticed the same thing.

If you have, please add a comment.

EXPRESSO OR ESPRESSO?

Which is correct?

I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I always say "Espresso"

There is a website which I find very useful in these situations:

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

This comments on "Espresso" as follows:

I’ve read several explanations of the origin of this word: the coffee is made expressly for you upon your order, or the steam is expressed through the grounds, or (as most people suppose—and certainly wrongly) the coffee is made at express speed. One thing is certain: the word is “espresso,” not “expresso.”

While you’re at an espresso stand, you might muse on the fact that both “biscotti” and “panini” are plural forms, but you’re likely to baffle the barista if you ask in correct Italian for a biscotto or a panino.

Now if you take a close look at the illustration at the top of this page you will notice a third version of the spelling - "Espesso"

The following explains what it is:

Espesso, a clever play on "spesso," the Italian adjective meaning "thick," is a mousse-like creation that embodies the flavor and aroma of Lavazza's renowned espresso, yet it is solid and, therefore, eatable!

Using a mobile phone in bed, or shortly before retiring, can damage your health, according to a major study.

It claims that radiation from the handset can cause insomnia and headaches as well as cutting the time spent in deep sleep.

Failing to get enough sleep can lead to depression, lack of concentration and personality changes.

In teenagers and young children, lack of sleep can result in attention disorders and poor academic performance.

The research, carried out by scientists funded by handset manufacturers, will add to the health fears surrounding radiation emitted by the devices.

The results showed that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them.

Deep sleep is essential as it is the time when the body rejuvenates cells and repairs damage suffered during the day.

Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: "There is now more than sufficient evidence from a large number of reputable investigators who are finding that mobile phone exposure an hour before sleep adversely affects deep sleep."

In the study scientists examined the sleep patterns of 36 women and 35 men aged 18 to 45.

Some were exposed to radiation that mimicked what a person receives when using a mobile phone. The others received none.

The first group took longer to enter the first of the deeper stages of sleep and spent less time in the deepest one.

The scientists concluded: "The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals components of sleep believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear are adversely affected."

The findings will shock many parents whose children routinely chat to friends on their mobiles before sleep.

The study, by scientists from the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden and from Wayne State University in Michigan, is thought to be the most comprehensive of its kind.

The research was published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum.

That group claimed the results were inconclusive and that scientists did not claim handsets caused sleep disturbance.

But Professor Bengt Arnetz, who led the study, said: "We did find an effect from mobile phones from exposure scenarios that were realistic. This suggests that they have measurable effects on the brain."

He believes the radiation may activate the brain's stress system, making people more alert and less able to fall asleep.

(The Daily Mail)

Metal detectors are to be installed at hundreds of schools in England as part of a drive to reduce knife crime.

The measure is included in a government plan to be announced next month to deal with violent behaviour.

The airport-style search arches may be introduced at the some of the country's toughest secondary schools in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

The plan is reported to have the backing of senior police officers, head teachers and parent-teacher groups.

They are said to have told Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that the efficiency of the detectors in dealing with knife crime in the worst affected areas outweighed any concerns regarding pupil privacy.

(BBC)

PENSIONER WHO SHOUTED AT YOBS ENDS UP IN CELLS

A pensioner who stepped in to stop youths throwing stones at ducks on a canal was arrested by police.

Bill Marshall was expecting officers to investigate his complaints about being repeatedly taunted by the gang. Instead the 73-year-old great-grandfather was taken to a cell and accused of attacking the teenagers.

Mr Marshall, who has a heart condition and diabetes, was left distressed and angered by the arrest.

The retired miner said that he thought the police had been responding to his complaints about anti-social behaviour by some local youths.

"I was quite happy to invite the officer in but then he said I was being arrested and taken to the station accused of assault," Mr Marshall said.

"I thought it was a joke at first but then I realised he was perfectly serious.

"The officer ordered me to take the laces out my shoes as I was being arrested for common assault. I didn't know what to think. One of the yobs said I had hit him and so they took his word against mine. I might have lost my temper and shouted at them, but I did not hit anybody.

"I just lost my temper - I think any normal human being would have done after being spoken to like that.

"There's a different mentality out there these days and you have to be so careful what you say. There is no respect these days, particularly for older people. It took 73 years for an idiot to put me in jail. All I did was try to stop these louts throwing rocks at the ducks on the canal.

"I felt degraded spending time in that cell. I can't believe I ended up in jail at my age. I've never seen the inside of a cell before and I don't want to see it again. The police seemed to automatically assume I was guilty instead of talking to me first."

Mr Marshall of Worksop, Notts, had complained to police that he and his wife, Margaret, 72, had been targeted by the gang in recent months. He said: "It started for us with kids ringing the doorbell. When my wife opened the door one of the boys was making really lewd gestures."

Mr Marshall's brush with the law began a week before Christmas, when he spotted the group of teenage boys throwing bricks at the ducks as he walked along the banks of the Chesterfield Canal.

He shouted at them to stop. He said he received abuse from the gang and shouted back in anger but did not touch or hit any of them.

When police arrived at his home two weeks later he assumed it was in response to complaints he had made about anti-social behaviour in the village.

He was shocked to be arrested and taken off to the police cells. After waiting two hours for a duty solicitor to arrive, Mr Marshall was interviewed by officers who later released him pending further inquiries.

Now police have dropped any charges and apologised.

Chief Insp Glenn Harper of Nottinghamshire Police said the arresting officer acted correctly but added: "I will ensure the necessary training needs are addressed.

(The Daily Telegraph)

DANGEROUS WEAPONS

If you're in the Cornish village of Carnon Downs and encounter a blood-thristy band of sword-wielding pirates, don't worry. The police know all about them.

For while the pirates are only amateur actors from the local panto, they have been ordered to alert the police that they are using weapons - even though the swords are made of nothing more deadly than plastic.

Not only that, but because of health and safety regulations they have had to promise to keep the pretend cutlasses under lock and key when they are not being used.

Carnon Downs Drama Group has also had to promise that it has made adequate safety arrangements for the toy swords and that the person named to the police as being responsible for the 'weapons' accompanies them whenever they are moved.

The swords must be kept in a secure case and stored in a locked room with restricted access.

Elaine Gummow, co-director of the group's annual pantomime, said yesterday that the situation was absurd.

"Our production this year is Robinson Crusoe, or Cornwall's answer To Pirates Of The Caribbean," she said.

"It would be impossible not to stage it without the use of a few swords and cutlasses, as well as the traditional pop-gun which emits nothing more than a flag which says bang.

"It all seems a bit absurd but it is perhaps a sign of the times that health and safety is everywhere.

"All of us see there's a serious side to this, but I really don't think we pose a threat!"

Avast!: A scene from the performance of Robinson Crusoe,
complete with plastic swords

(Daily Mail)

Junk: Fast food and ready meals
lack the nutrients of meals
typically cooked by people
from older generations

TWENTY AND THIRTY SOMETHINGS AREN'T AS HEALTHY AS THEIR PARENTS

They should be in the prime of their lives. But instead, those in their twenties and thirties are in worse health than their parents, a survey has found.

Binge drinking, ready meals and a lack of exercise all take their toll.

As a result, the young are more likely to have migraines, catch a cold or become stressed than the over-55s.

According to the research, those aged between 18 and 34 are three times more likely to have a cold or flu than the older generation.

Nearly a quarter of the young regularly have headaches or migraines, compared to just 14 per cent of over-55s.

And they are almost twice as likely to have high stress levels.

The elderly also tend to eat more healthily. More than four in ten eat five or more portions of fruit or vegetables a day, double the number of young men and women.

And when it comes to alcohol, 20 per cent of the over-55s don't indulge, while just 10 per cent of those aged 18-34 abstain.

Six in ten of the elderly make fresh meals every day, compared to less than a third of the young.

And while three-quarters of over-55s say they eat a balanced diet, just half of the younger generation does so.

Less than a third of them regularly cook with fresh ingredients, compared to almost two-thirds of the older people.

What is more, almost 10 per cent of them admit to eating ready meals for every meal - and two per cent say they only eat at restaurants.

The older generation is also more likely to take a healthy amount of exercise, with 12 per cent spending at least 30 minutes doing so each day.

They may appear fitter, but only nine per cent of the young do that.

Over-55s also try hardest to have at least six hours' sleep and plenty of fresh air, according to research done in the UK for fruit brand Florida Grapefruit.

Chris Steele, the resident doctor on ITV's This Morning programme, said: "I have seen a rise in young people suffering from illnesses such as colds, flu and headaches.

"Long working hours, high stress levels and lack of exercise lead to people getting run-down and ill.

"Young people need to ensure they get a minimum of five fruits and vegetables each day and take regular exercise to stay healthy."

Nutritionist Anita Bean said: "Older Britons' conventional meal pattern of meat and two veg is healthier than the younger generation's convenience foods.

"Convenience foods and high-fat snacks are devoid of vital nutrients, leaving people feeling tired, more prone to illness and less able to manage stress", she added.

(The Daily Mail)

Children are spending all of their free time glued either to TV or computer screens - or in some cases both.

British children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes in front of screens a day, a shock report has revealed.

The startling figures show youngsters are wasting more time watching TV than they were five years ago, when they were spending four hours and 40 minutes staring at screens.

Figures reveal the flickering of a screen is present when they eat their breakfast, return home from school, eat dinner and at night in their bedrooms.

Two thirds, particularly the youngest children, watch TV before school and 83 per cent turn it on when they get home. Fifty eight per cent watch television during their evening meal and almost two thirds of children do so in bed before going to sleep.

Worryingly the study also paints a picture of a generation of children who have attention spans so short they 'multitask' and leave the TV on while surfing the internet - flicking their eyes from laptop and back again.

Even if they do stay locked on to the television they are reluctant, boys in particular, to commit to one programme and, boys especially, just flick between shows.

The report from market research agency Childwise showed a revival in television watching along children after three years of decline.

It has been fuelled by more girls watching soaps like Eastenders and Hollyoaks.

Internet use is also continuing to grow and children are using social networking sites at ever younger ages.

It means British children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes in front of a screen each day, up from four hours and 40 minutes four years ago.

Boys spend 2.7 hours a day watching TV and 1.9 hours on-line. Girls spend 2.6 hours watching TV but more time on the internet - 2.1 hours a day.

Four out of five children have a TV set in their rooms.

The rise in internet and TV use may have come at the expense of reading books for pleasure.

While four in five children read books in their free time, only 53 per cent do so at least once a week and a quarter daily.

Rosemary Duff, Childwise research director, said television was now 'almost woven into children's lives' but added how they watch has changed too.

She said: "A lot of television viewing has lost the 'pay it attention' feel it used to have.

"It used to be less ubiquitous but much higher in its importance whereas now it is widespread but just part of the background, not just at home but wherever you go."

Ms Duff said children, boys in partiuclar, don't just watch one programme but flick between the two and 'watch both'.

She said: "They flick from one to another and cannot conceive that they should have to make a decision.

"They are puzzled that you should put them in a situation of having to make one or another choice."

The Childwise study has been conducted every year for the last 14 years however this year was the first time researchers asked when children watched TV.

It was based on interviews with 1,147 children in 60 schools in England, Scotland and Wales.

(Daily Mail)

There was a time when managers would get to know prospective staff before taking them on.

These days, they probe their lifestyles at their peril.

Employers are being warned they could fall foul of discrimination laws if they even ask a job applicant their age or marital status.

Many bosses are finding themselves stung by large fines for seeking information about an interviewee which falls outside the strict criteria of their ability to do the job.

The consumer organisation Which? has produced a handbook highlighting 'no go' questions for firms that want to stay on the right side of the law.

They include questions about an employee's sexual orientation and religious beliefs.

Handbook author Sue Tumelty said: "Long gone are the days when a nervous interviewee had to answer all sorts of questions about their lifestyle and their personal views.

"As employers can't judge a candidate's ability to do the job on their age, sex or religious views, for example, they've no business asking about these things."

Employment law specialist Brian Palmer said many managers found it difficult to explore the personality of potential staff members in case they were accused of discrimination.

He said: "In years gone by, people have been keen to establish not only if a new worker could do the job, but also what type of person they are and if they will fit in with their company."

He warned some employers complained political correctness now meant they had no picture of the person they were trying to hire.

THE NO-GO AREAS:

* Are you married?

* What are your childcare arrangements?

* Are you gay?

* Are you planning to start a family?

* Are you a member of a trade union?

* What political party do you support?

* What is your religion?

* How old are you?

(Except if candidate is applying for a position in the Police or Armed Forces)

Daily Mail

£5 BOTTLE OF WINE REALLY DOES TASTE BETTER IF WE THINK IT COST £45.

Paying more for wine makes drinkers believe that it tastes better no matter what the quality of the vintage, a study shows.

Researchers said that higher prices somehow convinced the brain that the wine was more enjoyable. The more money spent, the more pleasure it experienced.

It was discovered that people given two identical red wines to drink said they got more enjoyment from the one they were told had cost more.

Brain scans confirmed that their pleasure centres were activated far more by the higher-priced wine.

Hugh Johnson, the doyen of wine writers, said: "The same thing happens if people see a designer label. The psychology is the same - it's not money; it's reputation. The prestige."

The research could explain why people will pay exorbitant prices for a bottle of wine.

SCHOOL 1958 vs. 2008

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up mates.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good caning by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normally, goes to University, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's Mum has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro gets extra tuition, passes English, goes to University.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. Class action lawsuit filed by anti discrimination commissioner against Education Dept and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers, puts them in a model aeroplane paint bottle, blows up an ants nest.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - Local police & AFP called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, parents investigated, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during morning tea and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in prison while Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

OXFORD BISHOP BACKS ISLAMIC CALL TO PRAYER

The Bishop of Oxford has supported plans to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer over part of the historic city.

Welcoming proposals from Oxford's Central Mosque to sound the call three times a day over East Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard said those opposed to the plan should "relax" and "enjoy community diversity".

The bishop also rejected claims by the Anglican Church's only Asian bishop that sounding the call in Britain represented an attempt to "impose an Islamic character" on some areas.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph the Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester sparked fierce debate when he criticised the amplified prayer call and suggested that some parts of the country were now too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter. Bishop Pritchard said: "I want to distance myself from what the Bishop of Rochester has said.

"There are no no-go areas in this country that we are aware of and in all parts of the country there are good interfaith relationships developing."

Dozens of East Oxford residents have urged the council to reject the plan by mosque leaders to issue the two-minute call to prayer up to three times a day.

They fear that it will turn the area into a "Muslim ghetto". However, Bishop Pritchard said he was "very happy" with the move.

"I believe we have good relationships with the Muslim community here in Oxford and I am personally very happy for the mosque to call the faithful to prayer in East Oxford," he said.

But he admitted there were practical issues that needed to be resolved, such as the number of times the call went out and its volume.

This is what what it may sound like:

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/ezan.wav

Children under seven should be banned from playing computer games because it could damage their attention span, it has been claimed.

The rapid pace of computer games is only stimulating basic "fight or flight" sections of the brain rather than parts responsible for higher reasoning, educational psychologist claims. As a result, she believes children's brains are now developing differently and that games can be linked to a rise in the diagnosis of attention-deficit disorder in children.

Jane Healy spoke of her fears at a seminar discussing the effect of technology on children held at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

She said most children should be kept away from computer games until they are at least seven and their brains have had time to develop.

"If you watch kids on a computer, most of them are just hitting keys or moving the mouse as fast as they can. It really reminds me of rats running in a maze," she said.

Researchers from the Joan Ganz Cooney Centre, which aims to investigate links between new technology and learning, said the average age that children in the United States had begun to use electronic gadgets has come down from just over eight to just over six and a half since 2005.

The researchers examined more than 300 products, including computer games, toys, virtual games for children and learning programmes to be run on home computers.

They found that too many left children sitting isolated in front of a screen. Other products made unsubstantiated claims about their educational benefits.

A survey for the computer giant Microsoft last month found more than three quarters of parents in the UK were concerned about the content in computer games, but most thought they had little influence or say over what kind of games their children played.

(The Daily Telegraph)

They gave the world budgie smugglers, sanger, arvo and barbie*, but Australians have shown themselves to be endlessly inventive, with a new collection of words and phrases added to the rich repository of Strine.

The country’s biggest online dictionary, Macquarie, has included the 85 words or phrases in its latest online edition and wants Australians to vote for the one they consider most influential or apposite.

They are grouped in 17 categories, from business to travel, and include ‘toad juice’ - a foul-smelling liquid fertiliser produced from pulverizing cane toads, pests which are devastating native wildlife as they hop their way across the continent’s tropical north.

It is said to be especially good on banana and papaya trees.

Here are some more from the list:

credit card tart noun Colloquial. A credit-card holder who moves from provider to provider, transferring a loan from one account to another at a similar low rate of interest when the agreed period of the first account is about to expire.

Also, card tart, rate tart.

man flu noun Colloquial (humorous). A minor cold contracted by a man who proceeds to exaggerate the symptoms enormously.

salad dodger noun Colloquial (derogatory). An overweight person.

tart fuel noun Colloquial. Wine coolers and alcopops, viewed by men as deceptively alcoholic drinks that will lower a woman's resistance to sexual advances.

green shoe brigade noun Colloquial. The group of people who stand to profit from dubious practices conducted in the name of environmental protection. [green (environmentally aware) + (white) shoe brigade]

arse antlers plural noun Colloquial. A tattoo just above the buttocks, having a central section and curving extensions on each side.

butt bra noun Colloquial. A garment worn as a support for the buttocks. [butt + bra]

boomeritis noun (humorous). The range of sports-related injuries incurred by baby boomers as they pursue health and physical fitness programs into their old age, such as bursitis, tendonitis, sprains, strains and stress fractures. [(baby) boomer + -itis]

Helengrad noun NZ Colloquial (humorous). Wellington, seen as controlled by the government of Prime Minister Helen Clark. [Helen Clark + -grad common Russian ending meaning `town']

kipper noun Colloquial. An adult child still living in the home of his or her parents, often as a result of pressure in the housing market. [singular backformation from the acronym KIPPERS (K(ids) I(n) P(arents') P(ockets) E(roding) R(etirement) S(avings)) perceived as a plural form]

slummy mummy noun Colloquial. A mother of young children who has abandoned all care for her personal appearance. See yummy mummy. [slum + -m- + -y + mummy]

lady garden noun Colloquial (euphemistic). A woman's pubic region.

traffic light party noun A party for which the partygoers adopt an appropriate colour, often displayed on a wrist band, with green for singles, red for couples, and amber for those who are unsure of whether they wish to engage with the other sex or not.

* swimming trunks, sausage, afternoon and barbecue

(The Daily Telegraph)

You will find a much longer list at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A20361827

"STOP GIVING ANTIBIOTICS FOR COLDS" - DOCTORS TOLD

Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, says it is time to end the unnecessary use of penicillin and other commonly-prescribed pills, which cost the NHS £1.7 billion a year.

Using antibiotics too liberally has led to bugs such as MRSA becoming resistant to treatment with the drugs. Most colds, coughs and flu are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated with antibiotics anyway, Mr Johnson points out.

Announcing a £270 million campaign against superbugs, to be launched next month, he says it is vital that doctors adopt "less of a knee-jerk reaction to prescribing".

The campaign, called Clean, Safe Care, will also include an extra £45 million for hospitals to spend on infection control nurses or antibiotic specialist pharmacists. All patients going into hospital will be screened for MRSA by 2009.

Staff have already been told they must be "bare below the elbows" to help prevent the spread of infection between patients and all hospitals should undergo a "deep