Post by Taxigirl on Nov 28, 2003 10:06:33 GMT
this time last week.
It's easy to lose track of the news. So at the end of the week, it's good to keep an eye on some of those things which shouldn't go unnoticed.
If you spot something you think should be included next week, send it to us using the form at the bottom of the page.
1. Only 3% of Britons are naturally blonde; yet one in three women in the UK sport fair locks. Two percent of people in England and Wales are redheads, compared to 8% in Scotland and Ireland. Scientists say the number of ginger folk will fall with increased migration and mixing of races.
2. The first edition of the Daily Mirror, which was published 100 years ago, included a free gift of a gilt and enamel hand mirror. The paper's name was chosen to appeal to women.
3. Meanwhile the Queen's favourite newspapers are, in descending order of preference, the Racing Post, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, the Daily Telegraph, the Times and the Independent. The Mirror, which broke the news, does not figure in the list.
4. It takes 5,000 saffron flowers to make one ounce of the colouring, according to an overheard conversation on the Archers.
5. The human body is designed to exhale as the foot hits the ground when walking, to help protect the spine from sudden jolts. This is why talking on mobile phones as you are walking, could be bad for your back.
More details
6. Back to royalty. The Queen Mother used to be known by her friends as "Buffy" because she would constantly buff her nails, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Nicknames published this week.
7. Gulls can eat enough rotten scraps from a landfill site in 23 minutes to last them the whole day, the country's first conference on tackling problems caused by urban gulls has heard.
8. The Queen also likes to watch Kirsty's Home Videos, and will ask her servants to tape it if she's busy.
9. Modern rugby balls have dimples all over them, like golf balls, to enable them to be kicked further.
10. But what is Jonny Wilkinson thinking about as he prepares to kick the ball? He is, he says, "focusing from the inside, slowing down the breathing, relaxation, 'centring', which is a way of channelling my power and energy from my core, just behind my navel, down my left leg and into my left foot to get that explosive power". The strange hand grasp he has is a symptom of this. "Look at pictures from 1998," he says, "and you will see my hands are further apart. Each year they have gradually got closer. For whatever reason, it has become a very strong position for me."
It's easy to lose track of the news. So at the end of the week, it's good to keep an eye on some of those things which shouldn't go unnoticed.
If you spot something you think should be included next week, send it to us using the form at the bottom of the page.
1. Only 3% of Britons are naturally blonde; yet one in three women in the UK sport fair locks. Two percent of people in England and Wales are redheads, compared to 8% in Scotland and Ireland. Scientists say the number of ginger folk will fall with increased migration and mixing of races.
2. The first edition of the Daily Mirror, which was published 100 years ago, included a free gift of a gilt and enamel hand mirror. The paper's name was chosen to appeal to women.
3. Meanwhile the Queen's favourite newspapers are, in descending order of preference, the Racing Post, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, the Daily Telegraph, the Times and the Independent. The Mirror, which broke the news, does not figure in the list.
4. It takes 5,000 saffron flowers to make one ounce of the colouring, according to an overheard conversation on the Archers.
5. The human body is designed to exhale as the foot hits the ground when walking, to help protect the spine from sudden jolts. This is why talking on mobile phones as you are walking, could be bad for your back.
More details
6. Back to royalty. The Queen Mother used to be known by her friends as "Buffy" because she would constantly buff her nails, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Nicknames published this week.
7. Gulls can eat enough rotten scraps from a landfill site in 23 minutes to last them the whole day, the country's first conference on tackling problems caused by urban gulls has heard.
8. The Queen also likes to watch Kirsty's Home Videos, and will ask her servants to tape it if she's busy.
9. Modern rugby balls have dimples all over them, like golf balls, to enable them to be kicked further.
10. But what is Jonny Wilkinson thinking about as he prepares to kick the ball? He is, he says, "focusing from the inside, slowing down the breathing, relaxation, 'centring', which is a way of channelling my power and energy from my core, just behind my navel, down my left leg and into my left foot to get that explosive power". The strange hand grasp he has is a symptom of this. "Look at pictures from 1998," he says, "and you will see my hands are further apart. Each year they have gradually got closer. For whatever reason, it has become a very strong position for me."