How We See The World

Forget motorway congestion - this is a traffic jam Last updated at 11:43am on 5th January 2007 The M25, central London, the Autobahn...if you thought these roads were traffic-congested then take a look at this picture. Hundreds of cars queue aimlessly for the chance to actually get to their destination in Xiamen, south China. The country has experienced a massive increase this year in the sale of cars, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

An eight-year-old autistic boy with an obsession with postboxes is celebrating his own special delivery. Gareth Scott, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, has had a specially-adapted pillar box made by the firm which supplies Royal Mail. They met a request by Gareth's mother Denise by making him a smaller version of the official box, for easy reach, with personalised collection times. His grandfather Herbie Roberts said the gesture was "wonderful". Gareth's language is limited, but one of the words he can say is postbox, and his mother said his favourite trips out are to see his different examples. Stockport-based firm Romec made the box and delivered it t…

Black tape has been put on civil servants' desks to show them where to put their pens. The pilot exercise at National Insurance offices in Longbenton, North Tyneside, is part of a UK-drive to encourage staff to tidy their desks. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed the scheme was costing £7.4m nationally and branded it "demeaning" and "demoralising". HM Revenue and Customs said it was in line with workstation training. The exercise is part of the Lean programme, brought in by consultants Unipart, which has already seen public sector workers told to clear their desks of personal items. The customs spokesman said: "Part of the Lean proces…

All Easyjet flights scheduled to depart from Bristol International Airport on Friday morning have been cancelled. Fifteen flights have been affected after the budget airline raised concerns about skidding when landing in wet weather. Other flights are unaffected and BA, Ryanair or Air Lingus have not cancelled any departures. The airport said safety was paramount and that it is reviewing the situation on the status of the runway surface. A passenger has reported that a pilot announced to the cabin that they could not take off because the runway was unsafe and too slippery. And 10 planes were diverted to Cardiff Airport on 30 December after three planes ca…

The birds who prefer boats to flying DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 22:00pm on 4th January 2007 The slow way: But Fred (top) and Freda never miss their ride on the St Mawes ferry They have the most efficient personal transport system of all at their disposal. But two freeloading seabirds have decided a 20-minute ferry ride is a far more agreeable way to make the short daily trip to their feeding grounds. And just like human commuters, they are creatures of strict routine. Staff on the St Mawes Ferry, which traverses the Fal estuary between Falmouth and St Mawes in Cornwall four times an hour, have been astonished by the behavi…

After 500 years the Tower of London has its first female Beefeater by LAURA ROBERTS Last updated at 22:00pm on 4th January 2007 Moira Cameron: Tower of London's very first female Beefeater Smiling proudly in her Army uniform, this is the woman who will make history as the Tower of London's only female Beefeater. Moira Cameron will be the first woman to be appointed a Yeoman Warder in the 522 years since the guards were formed. She beat five male candidates to the coveted £24,000-a-year post and will replace a retiring Beefeater in September. As well as her salary she is eligible for a grace-and-favour apartment in the Tower, which she help…

Disastrous season for Next as shoppers stay away Last updated at 11:09am on 4th January 2007 Next claims it was hit by competition from discount retailers Britain's second-biggest clothing chain today reported a disastrous Christmas. Next revealed that shoppers stayed away from its stores in the six-week run up to the festive period. The firm is the first big name to reveal how the high street has fared in the Christmas shopping season. Results released today showed Next’s like-for-like sales figures were down by nearly seven per cent for the second part of 2006. Bosses said the chain had been hit by competition from discount retailers …

KEY TIPS No sudden movements Put hands in pockets Avoid eye contact Back away but do not run away Children can accidentally provoke a dog Never try to break up two fighting dogs A five-year-old girl in Merseyside has been killed by what police describe as a pit bull terrier type of dog. But what should people do when confronted by what they think is a dangerous dog? Ellie Lawrenson died of severe head and neck injuries after being mauled at her grandmother's house in St Helens. The exact circumstances of her death are unclear, but it would appear a small girl like her could do little to defend herself against a killer dog. However experts say if an i…

Two dead after M-way coach crash A man and a woman have died and 10 passengers are seriously ill after a coach crashed near Heathrow Airport. The London-to-Aberdeen National Express coach overturned, at 2345 GMT on Wednesday, on a slip road from the M4 to the M25 in west London. At least three of those hurt are children and some of the people taken to hospital have lost limbs. National Express said it was likely many of the 65 passengers were returning from holiday. Sixteen ambulances, four rapid response cars, a number of doctors, three patient transport vehicles and an equipment support vehicle from the London Ambulance Service attended the scene. Story…

CD and DVD retailer Music Zone has gone into administration. The chain, which has 104 stores across the UK and 1,100 staff, had been struggling against competition from online retailers and the supermarkets. Music Zone said it had no alternative to administration after its banks decided to recover debts without notice and with immediate effect. Administrators said they would continue trading at the firm while seeking a buyer to run it as a going concern. Market stall Music Zone was bought in a £12m management buy-out in 2005, backed by private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital. A company spokesman said the firm was not alone in experiencing "cha…

Dame Helen's Queen is up for more film gongs Last updated at 15:41pm on 4th January 2007 Oscar bound: Dame Helen Mirren has received high acclaim for her role as the Queen The British charge for Oscar glory won a fresh boost today after The Queen, starring Dame Helen Mirren, was nominated for best picture at a major American awards. The film, about the fallout within the royal family following the death of Princess Diana, has already secured four Golden Globe nominations and is the subject of feverish pre-Oscars speculation. Now the Producers Guild of America has nominated it for best film alongside Brad Pitt thriller Babel, Martin Scorsese's mob film…

I LOVED the first film and I can't wait for Volume 2 to come out! Anyone else going to see it? --- April 16 :D :cool: :)

Fury as TV teenagers play house with REAL babies By Paul Sims & Michael Seamark Last updated at 22:19pm on 3rd January 2007 Parent class: The teenage cast of the BBC reality show The BBC has outraged child protection experts by producing a reality TV show where infants are handed over to live with teenage 'parents'. The Baby Borrowers charts the experiences of the teenagers as they struggle to cope with the demands of parenthood. Five couples - aged between 16 and 19 - were filmed attempting to care for tiny babies and young children. Local authority officials were so concerned about the 'very real risk' of physical and psychologica…

Little Chef enters administration Roadside restaurant chain Little Chef has called in the administrators after failing to find a buyer or refinance the business. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was called in to wind up the business after it suffered "significant losses". PwC announced it had sold 196 of the group's 235 restaurant sites to private equity company RCapital, saving "the majority" of its 4,000 jobs. PwC added it was reviewing the future of the rest of the business. PwC joint administrator Ian Green said that while it was "disappointing" that efforts to save the group failed he was "delighted" recent negotiations would see almost 200 Little Chef resta…

Could a tin talk you into having beans for tea? By JULIE WHELDON Last updated at 22:00pm on 3rd January 2007 If piped music and bleeping scanners get on your nerves at the supermarket, things could be about to get a whole lot worse. Tins of food could soon be calling out to you from the shelves. Scientists working on silicon chip technology have developed a tiny plastic screen which could be wrapped around tins, flashing up special offers as shoppers walk past. If combined with a speaker and mini processor, tins could even call out recipe suggestions. Baked beans could recommend serving them up with sausages while tinned peaches might sug…

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life. The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk. Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley's parents also opted for surgery to block breast growth and had her uterus and appendix removed. They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life. Ashley's parents, Seattle residents who have not given their names, went public over their daughter's treatment in a blog launched on 1 January. Their decision came after information about Ashley's case was…

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okay, this is probably the billionth thread about how to rip a video stream, but how is it supposed to work when the video does not have a specific link?

Kuriculam vitay's that spell trouble for jobseekers By BECKY BARROW Last updated at 22:00pm on 3rd January 2007 There are ways to impress your future employer Job-seekers are ruining their chances by submitting CVs riddled with poor spelling and bad grammar, research revealed yesterday. Nearly half of the recruitment agencies questioned said the majority of CVs they receive contain grammatical errors. For many job-seekers, the mistakes start before they have even begun to chronicle their careers and achievements. At the top of their CV they write "Curriculum Vitae" - the Latin for "course of life" - but get the spelling wrong. One applicant…

UN Child Sex Slave Scandals Continue Wave after wave of child abuse reports pour forward from all over the globe Steve Watson Wednesday, January 3, 2007 The UN is to investigate itself again after it was revealed by the London Telegraph today that more than twenty different cases of child sex slavery involving UN staff have been reported in southern Sudan. The Telegraph reports that it has learned of dozens of victims’ accounts claiming that some peacekeeping and civilian staff based in the town are regularly picking up young children in their UN vehicles and forcing them to have sex. The Telegraph states that it is thought that hundreds of children may have …

This show was one of the first for teenagers, One Tree Hill, Everwood or the OC wouldn't exist if it weren't for it. I know it's been over for 4 years but I've been watching re-runs and they're too good to miss. I don't actually like James Van der Beek or Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson was IMO the star of the show and Pacey & Joey (:heart:) was the best couple ever

Where will we dump five million TVs? by SEAN POULTER Last updated at 09:30am on 3rd January 2007 Cold mountain: Discarded fridges in Manchester in 2004 Mountains of discarded TVs, toasters and other electrical items could pile up in unlicensed dumps as a result of new EU recycling rules, it's been claimed. Under a Brussels directive, householders will be expected to send their old electrical items to council recycling centres. The unwanted or broken televisions, toys, toasters and mobile phones will then be taken away and dismantled. But councils say they do not have enough money to cope with the expected influx of 93million items a ye…

any fans? I love this show.

The birth of 10 baby rays at the start of 2007 is being celebrated at the Sea Life Centre in Brighton, East Sussex. The newborn undulate rays hatched out of their eggs over the course of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Currently measuring 8cm to 10cm (between 3in and 4in), the babies are being housed in a nursery display at the Sea Life Centre. "We are really excited... the baby rays are healthy and thriving," said curator Peter Jones. The new arrivals will only be placed with their parents and other adults once they have grown, but they are already showing the defensive behaviour common to undulate rays. Mr Jones said: "Even though they are only a fe…

Girl guides to 'get wise' about sex Last updated at 12:28pm on 3rd January 2007 The Get Wise peer education scheme for 14 to 25-year-olds will cover issues such as teenage pregnancy, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases Girl Guides are to teach each other about binge-drinking, eating disorders and sex. The Get Wise peer education scheme for 14 to 25-year-olds will cover issues such as teenage pregnancy, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. Girlguiding UK said girls had chosen the topics themselves in an effort to help young women understand sensitive issues that are not handled well in school. Denise King, chief execut…