Only 16% of Britons say they are “very happy” with life, down from 19% in 2008. 63% say they are “rather happy”, 18% “not very happy”, and 2% “not happy at all”
Universities have had to ask prospective students to stop aping the egotistical hyperbole of The Apprentice. Southampton University warned applicants that grand boasts – such as "my achievements at school were vast", or "I tackle the tasks presented to me with wisdom and sincerity" –might work on the BBC show, but wouldn't wash with admissions tutors. It cited one drama applicant who wrote that the first time he or she had been on stage was "inside my mother's womb".
"I must apologise to the Germans. They are about to suffer an avalanche of often
sickening Great War memorabilia, often at their expense. The centenary of the War
is already flooding the TV schedules before the date of its outbreak. History bestseller
lists focus on little else: there are no fewer than 8,000 titles on the subject.
War magazines cram newsstands. There are war poems, war propaganda, war nurses and
war horses everywhere. And there are still four years of it to come... The essence
of the outbreak of the Great War is that no one thought it was the start of anything.
It was a sabre-
Simon Jenkins in The Guardian
Today's teenagers are not the feckless wasters they are often made out to be. That,
at least, is the conclusion of a new report by the well-
To their proponents, flood defences are some of the best things that public money can buy. According to the Committee on Climate Change, the independent scientific body that advises the Government and Parliament on the likely impact of climate change, every El spent on flood prevention is likely to save £8 in the future. When hydrologists are trying everything from waterproof paints to plastic doors to natural interventions such as widened ditches and "bunds" – mounds of earth, designed to soak water away – there is no shortage of options. But there is also a danger in believing that technology and drainage can keep back the waters forever. Building on hillsides, which inevitably entails interrupting unspoilt views, is one unpopular but effective way of making sure that floodplains can do their job – and stay as floodplains.
MPs voted last week in favour of a ban on smoking in cars in which children are present,
it was billed as a clash between child protection and civil liberties. In reality,
says Zoe Williams, the row was just a distraction from "more pressing concerns".
Exposing children to smoke in the confines of a car is, of course, a terrible idea,
but it's odd to make such a fuss over this issue when the health of poor children
is compromised in so many other ways. What about the health risks of living in squalid
b&bs or damp flats? Mould, like second-
Crocodiles climb trees
If you're being chased by a crocodile, don't assume you can escape it by scrambling up a
tree. Researchers at the University of Tennessee have discovered that some species of reptiles are surprisingly agile climbers, quite capable of getting themselves into high branches, reports The Huffington Post. One crocodile was seen climbing four metres (13ft) up the tree, and five metres (16.5ft) along a branch. Another was observed trying to scale a chain link fence. But it does not appear that the reptiles were in pursuit of prey, human or otherwise. The biologists, who monitored crocodiles in North America, Africa and Australia, noted that they become "skittish" in trees, and fall or jump into the water below when approached. This led them to theorise that the creatures climb trees to survey their territory for potential threats and prey. They may also use them to regulate their body temperature: if there is nowhere to bask on the ground, they'll hop onto a branch.
A team of British scientists believe they may have solved the problem of peanut allergies,
reports the Daily Mail. For the STOP II trial, 99 children aged seven to 16 were
given tiny doses of peanut protein every day, which were gradually increased over
four to six months. By the end, 84% to 91% of the participants could safely tolerate
800mg of peanut protein, equivalent to five peanuts. "Children and their parents
would check every food label and avoid eating out in restaurants," said study leader
Dr Andrew Clark, of Cambridge University Hospitals. "Now most can safely eat at least
five whole peanuts. The families involved in this study say it has changed their
lives dramatically." However, the researcher said the findings needed to be tested
further -
Shiver yourself thin
It could be the world's easiest weight-
Be glad that your child isn't a genius
I'm sorry to break it to you like this, says Alex Proud, but your child probably
isn't a genius. And no amount of special schooling is going to turn him or her into
one. That's a heretical thing to say, I know, in an age when everyone talks as if
the purpose of school is to unleash the inner Einstein in every child in Britain.
We fret about the reading levels of our pre-
Wit &Wisdom
"Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government programme."
Milton Friedman, quoted
in the New Statesman
"Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them
to become
politicians in the process."
John E Kennedy, quoted on OutlookIndia.com
"Any fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple."
Pete
Seeger, quoted in The Times