If you like a cup of hot chocolate then you could soon find you are paying a little bit more for it. That’s according to this article which claims the wholesale cost of cocoa powder has jumped by 32% over the past year. The price rise is largely down to failing crops earlier in the…
Month: December 2010
Christmas Pudding Tree
This interesting looking tree has been created in a garden in Somerset. it has taken the homeowners six years to prune the trees into the perfect Christmas pudding shape. It took them an additional two weeks to create the robin which sits on top. It certainly is impressive.
Product Placement Coming to UK TV
According to this article product placement could soon be coming to UK TV. The practice whereby shows can receive revenue for placing brands in the programme will be allowed on British TV shows from February 28th. Characters in shows will be able to refer to products by name and be seen eating, drinking and wearing…
Should we Block Porn?
I have been following with interest the argument that we should block pornography at the source. The argument appears to be that it would stop vulnerable children from coming into contact with porn if we were to block it at the source. I do wonder, however, whether it is such a good idea to start…
Listen to Bird Song to Beat those Winter Blues
If the recent bad weather is starting to get down then you might want to try listening to some bird song. Naturalists claim that listening to five minutes of bird song is just the thing to improve your mood and give you a much needed warm glow. Not only does it ease tension but it…
Could Ministers Ban Peat?
According to this article gardeners could soon be banned from using peat. Ministers want to force gardeners to use more environmentally friendly alternatives rather than taking more peat from bogs. The problem is that millions of tons of greenhouse gases are released from disturbed peat bogs each year. Rare plants and animals are also at…
33,000 Lives Could be Saved Each Year if the Nation Ate More Healthily
That’s according to research carried out by Oxford University. It found that if everyone ate five portions of fruit and vegetables a day it would prevent 15,000 early death. This would include an estimated 7,000 from coronary heart disease, 5,000 from cancer and 3,000 from stroke. Increasingly dietary fibre would save another 4,000 lives whilst…
Sales of British Blue Cheeses Outselling their French Counterparts
According to this article sales of British blue cheese have outsold their French counterparts for the first time. The figures are according to Britain’s biggest food retailer, Tesco and indicate that people are choosing to buy more British varieties. The supermarket has sold 16% more British blue cheese than French blue over the past 12…
Do you Still Read a Newspaper?
At a time when it is generally assumed that newspaper readership is declining this article makes an interesting read. It suggests that 12,681,472 people still buy a newspaper every day. The figures come from ABC figures and show that the 10 London based national titles sell an average of 9,540,993 a day. The 68 English…