Jenjie

A drunken Australian man who took a nap between railway tracks has had a miraculous escape after he was run over by a freight train and received only minor injuries and a bump on the head. The 20-year-old, whose name was not released, fell asleep at a level crossing at Port Augusta, in South Australia state, when the train approached about 3.40 a.m., newspapers said this morning. The driver saw the man and slammed on the emergency brake, but the train, carrying 3000 tonnes of freight, was unable to stop in time and rolled over him, halting only after it had passed. The General Manager of the train company, Tony Aldridge, said railway tracks were "not the best place" to take a nap. "It was probably lucky he was lying in such a way that the train actually went over him rather than across him," he told The Australian newspaper, adding that the clearance under the train was only 30cm (11 inches). The man was taken to Port Augusta hospital with minor injuries. He apparently hit his head on the train while trying to sit up. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=507585&in_page_id=1811

Snow has fallen in Baghdad for the first time in living memory, bringing hopes that it is an omen of peace. Hassan Zahar, 60, said: "We've seen sleet before, but never snow. I looked at the faces of all the people - they were astonished. "A few minutes ago, I was covered with snowflakes. I invite all the people to enjoy peace, because the snow means peace." Traffic policeman Murtadha Fadhil, huddling under a balcony as temperatures hovered around freezing, declared the snow "a new sign of the new Iraq". He added: "It's a sign of hope. We hope Iraqis will purify their hearts and politicians will work for the prosperity of all Iraqis." The snow quickly melted into grey puddles on the largely deserted streets of the Iraqi capital. But Mohanned Rahim, a baker, said: "This will bring pleasure to the people of Iraq. It's beautiful!" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=507600&in_page_id=1811

Computer hackers may have been behind Hillary Clinton's dramatic win in the New Hampshire primary, it was claimed yesterday. One of her rivals in the race to be Democratic Party candidate in November's presidential election is demanding a recount. Mrs Clinton's victory in Tuesday's primary - one of a series of votes by individual states to pick each party's candidate - confounded the polls and revived her campaign. Dennis Kucinich, an outsider in the battle for the Democratic nomination, cited "serious and credible reports, allegations and rumours" about the integrity of the surprise result. Poll after poll predicted Mrs Clinton would be trounced by Barack Obama. Experts started questioning the count almost as soon as the votes began to roll in. "Something stinks in New Hampshire," a commentator posted on the popular site Americablog.com. "It's simply unprecedented for so many polls to have been so wrong," said Gary Langer, polling director at ABC News. "We need to know why." Pollsters accurately predicted John McCain's win over Mitt Romney in the Republican race. But more than a dozen surveys said Obama would win by as much as 13 points. But Mrs Clinton beat him by 39 per cent to 36 per cent. Kucinich, who won less than 2 per cent of the vote in New Hampshire, says he wants to ensure "100 per cent of the voters had 100 per cent of their votes counted". He pointed to online reports alleging disparities between hand- counted ballots, which favoured Obama, and those tallied by machines, which leaned more to Clinton. A TV documentary has claimed 81 per cent of New Hampshire votes were counted on machines that could be easily hacked into. The state's election officials insisted the count was accurate and can be checked against paper ballots. Others experts point to a less sinister reason behind the upset. Surveys showed 17 per cent of voters made up their minds on the day, many of them plumping for Mrs Clinton. She credited her win to showing a her softer side after being brought to the brink of tears during a campaign stop. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=507558&in_page_id=1811

A plot by Islamic terrorists to blow up the Eiffel Tower has been uncovered. A scrambled short-wave radio conversation exposing the planned attack on the world's most visited monument was picked up by Portuguese air traffic controllers and passed on to French spy chiefs. The 1,060ft high tower has more than six million visitors a year - an average of more than 16,000 a day. A successful strike on the 7,500 ton iron tower, which was looked down on Paris since 1889, would be a French 9/11 and could cost thousands of lives. The threat was uncovered in a "vague and muffled" radio conversation picked up by air traffic controllers in Lisbon on Thursday. It comes after a spate of other threats made in recent days on the websites linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network, calling for the "brothers of Islam to strike Paris". A police source close to France's DST intelligance agency said last night: "It was a muffled conversation in Arabic that was passed on to us as a matter of course, but our analysts clearly identified the threat. "The sheer number of visitors going up the tower every day means a bomb blowing up there could cause the most massive loss of life. We've been at our red security alert for several months." The source added: "Security at the tower was already tight, but is now being stepped up." Paris's socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, has been given extra security protection after an Islamist website used by Al Qaeda members listed him as a target. Mr Delanoe - one of France's few openly gay politicians - was stabbed in an anti-gay attack in 2002. In January 2005, French intelligence officers arrested three French-born Algerians suspected of plotting to blow up the Eiffel Tower. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=507760&in_page_id=1811

Danny Cipriani was in the headlines yesterday morning and the nub of the story was Cipriani versus Jonny Wilkinson, the battle royal for the England No 10 shirt. London Wasps, his club, play Llanelli Scarlets tomorrow in a thundering Heineken Cup tie, yet whether Cipriani, 20, likes it or not, it is that England shirt that will be the theme of his life for the next few years as it is played out on the back pages. Given how open he is about his ambition, you suspect that he does not mind. When he walked into work at the Wasps training ground in West London yesterday, Lawrence Dallaglio, Cipriani’s teammate, had a newspaper in front of him and raised an eyebrow. “Jonny v Hood” was the headline. “But why are you wearing a hoodie?” was Dallaglio’s teasing remark. Cipriani smiled and returned a quickfire response; he has had to learn fast to mix it in such company. But Dallaglio, a master of the media, also told Cipriani that he had balanced the Wilkinson issue well. He had buttered up the great man, said that he was “the greatest 10 England had ever seen” and simultaneously made clear his intention to have the shirt off his back as soon as possible. This is tricky, but Cipriani handles it all with a charming self-confidence. If you want to know how good Wilkinson is, this boy will tell you; if you want to know what he has done for the game, he will tell you that he has regenerated it single-handedly. He will also rewind five years and tell you how, as a schoolboy widely acknowledged to possess extraordinary talent, he was starry-eyed with the opportunity to share a kicking session with Wilkinson and his fastidious coach, Dave Alred. “I was invited down to Twickenham,” he said. “My enduring impression is that when Jonny was kicking to me, I didn’t have to move – every kick went pretty much straight into my hands. It was phenomenal. At that age, that was something that I tried to mimic. But, obviously, what I also saw was all the hours’ practice he was putting in and so I started trying to do that, too, when I was at school or down at Wasps. I think that’s the key in rugby – to have a high work ethic.” And it seems to have worked. “It will be cool to meet up with him again and talk, as fly halves do,” Cipriani said. Indeed, they will meet in 15 days’ time, although now Cipriani is spoken of as the coming force in English rugby, as the inform No 10, so the terms of reference have changed dramatically. Cipriani woke on Wednesday morning this week knowing that the England squad for the opening RBS Six Nations Championship match was to be announced that day. Shortly after midday, at training, Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, called him over to inform him that he had made it. Dallaglio congratulated him; Phil Vickery, reinstalled as England captain, shook his hand and told him that it was time to “take it to another level”. So when they meet as the England squad, Cipriani hopes to continue to learn from Wilkinson, but the dynamic has changed because he is now trying to displace him, too. “I’m still going to learn a lot from Jonny,” Cipriani said. “Obviously, if I had the chance to play at 10, I’d thrive on it, I’d love it.” You wonder if all the big talk – which comes mainly from elsewhere, but, when he is asked, he happily corroborates – is not likely to pile up the pressure. “You try not to take too much on board” is his answer. He adds that he does not mind the headlines because his mother, a London cabbie, keeps a scrapbook. But a more considered answer is: “If anything, I quite enjoy playing under pressure; if people say things like that, if I say something like that, then you have got to live up to it.” And he does indeed appear as self-assured – note, this is self-assurance, not arrogance – as he sounds. He is, if you like, a product of a professional system. Like Wilkinson, he took on Alred as his kicking coach, he is also another who swears by the fitness training work of Margot Wells and he does extra postpractice tackling work with resident monsters such as Joe Worsley and James Haskell. Perhaps most significant, for nearly three years he has had Shaun Edwards as his mentor. It was Edwards who told him to study some of the great finishes of Gerald Davies. The Wasps head coach also emphasises the importance of being the eternal link man. “Shaun says that if a No 10 touches the ball three times in a phase of play, he’ll end up scoring,” he said. But most important, Edwards helped to prepare him for the step-up to the big role. “I’m someone with no caps and relative inexperience and I’ve got World Cup winners, British Lions, greats like Fraser Waters who have played at the club for ten years around me – yet as a No 10, I do have to take control,” Cipriani said. Another influence is Alex King, the former Wasps fly half who has moved to Clermont Auvergne. Cipriani played at full back last season and had a perfect view of how King ran the show at No 10. “Alex was probably one of the best people at game-management around,” he said. “He’d put Wasps in the right position and he’d call the shots because people would listen to him. Obviously it’ll be slightly different for me because of my age.” Indeed; King is 12 years his senior. “But as the pivotal figure, I have to show authority, that is the key,” Cipriani said. And authority is what Edwards has gently encouraged. “Big-match mentality is what he has drilled into me,” Cipriani said. And that, as if we did not already know it, sounds like a successful formula. For Wasps and for England. The great pretenders Danny Cipriani is one of several young fly halves with covetous eyes on Jonny Wilkinson’s England No 10 shirt. Here are some others: Shane Geraghty Club London Irish Age 21 Height 5ft 11in Weight 13st 8lb England caps 2 (as substitute; debut v France at Twickenham, March 11, 2007, kicked penalty and conversion in 26-18 win) Premiership points this season 0 Strengths Speed and vision. Weaknesses Not first-choice kicker for London Irish. He is under Mike Catt’s wing and needs more time to prove whether he can run a game from the start. Toby Flood Club Newcastle Falcons Age 22 Height 6ft 2in Weight 14st 6lb England caps 12 (debut as replacement v Argentina, Twickenham) Premiership points this season 18 Strengths Looks like a gangling schoolboy, but surprises to cut powerful and fast lines. Most mature kicking game of the pretenders. Weaknesses Not first-choice kicker for Newcastle with Wilkinson around. Probably slowest of the pretenders. Ryan Lamb Club Gloucester Age 21 Height 5ft 9in Weight 13st 5lb England caps 0 Premiership points this season 79 Strengths Speed and jinking sidestep put him on par with Cipriani as a line-breaker. Weaknesses Good goalkicker, but kicking from hand can be poor — Words by Matthew Pryor http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby/article3174794.ece

Two British pensioners living in Spain have had their home demolished after being given two hours to pack their belongings – reviving fears among thousands of other expatriates that their own houses could be at risk. Len and Helen Prior, both 63, moved from Berkshire to Vera, a village near AlmerÍa, on the southern coast of Spain, six years ago, investing their life savings in a £350,000 home. They gained planning permission for their project from the town hall but the regional government of Andalusia insisted that the home had been built on protected greenbelt land and had to be demolished. Despite threats from the regional authorities, the Priors’ solicitor had repeatedly assured them that their home would be safe. On Wednesday morning, however, a dozen police officers stood guard as a mechanical digger moved in. The couple were given two hours to clear out their belongings before their home was bulldozed. Mr Prior, who suffers from a heart condition, collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital. He was later discharged and the couple were staying with neighbours yesterday. “We’re devastated,” Mr Prior said. “This has been our home for almost six years. To have it pulled down in front of you is painful beyond belief. We sold a beautiful house in Berkshire to move over here six years ago so that we could enjoy the weather and the Spanish lifestyle. Now we wish that we had just stayed put. “It has turned into a nightmare. Our home is just a pile of rubble and we have nowhere to go.” Mrs Prior, a retired computer programmer, said: “I stayed behind and watched the house and garden being torn down. It was quite horrendous. We have invested so much time, effort and money in it. The garden was my pride and joy and took us years to complete. I am very, very angry.” The Priors have received no compensation from the regional authorities, but plan to pursue a claim through the courts. Another ten homes in the neighbourhood are reported to have been threatened with demolition. Many villagers watched in horror as the three-bedroom house, which had a swimming pool, was reduced to rubble. “It was absolutely unbelievable,” said a neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous. “Everybody in the area just feels totally sick.” Though many British homeowners in Spain are facing legal problems, the demolition of property belonging to expatriates has so far been rare. But the move by Andalusia’s regional government has heightened fears that they could become much more common in future. “I hope that it’s not a sign of worse things to come,” said Charles Svoboda, a retired Canadian diplomat who campaigns against Valencia’s “Land Grab” law. “There is no legal certainty in Spain. It is certainly not going to improve the country’s reputation for being a place to which you can retire in peace.” Yesterday the inhabitants of Vera expressed particular outrage at how the Priors’ home was destroyed. “It was the way it was done. To give somebody two hours to get their belongings out – it’s inhumane. It’s not the way things are done,” a neighbour said. The local mayor, Félix López Caparrós, said that the Priors had fallen victim to a planning dispute between the town hall and the regional government. “We have become the scapegoat in this battle,” he added. He said that the demolition was illegal because the regional authorities had not awaited the verdict of a court appeal. A spokesman for the regional government of Andalusia said that he had no information on the incident. http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/overseas/article3168519.ece

Six people were injured when a police van crashed through their front garden into them in Greater Manchester. The six were standing in the garden of the house on Ashby Close in Farnworth when the crash happened on Friday. A 21-year-old man was taken to hospital suffering bruising and chest pains and the others suffered minor injuries. The police officer, who was responding to a 999 call, has been suspended from driving police vehicles while Greater Manchester Police investigate. The officer had been responding to reports of a domestic incident in Brentwood Drive, Farnworth, just after 2000 GMT when the van collided with a Citroen ZX, being driven by a 30-year-old man. Police said the van then mounted the kerb and went into an unfenced front garden where it collided with six pedestrians. The van also hit the household's Vauxhall Astra parked outside. The police driver was treated at the scene for shock, an eight-year-old boy suffered minor bruising, three men, aged 29, 27, 21 and a 38-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries. Anyone who witnessed the collision is urged to contact police. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7184656.stm

Britons believe too many people, especially immigrants and asylum seekers, take advantage of the Human Rights Act (HRA), a poll has suggested. The survey for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which dates from 2004 but has only just been published, says 57% believe the law is being exploited. The poll of 2,000 people featured in a report which found there was widespread support for a law on human rights. The MoJ said ministers had been working to improve understanding of the Act. A spokesman said: "The overwhelming conclusion shows 84% of the general public agree it is important to have a law which deals with human rights in Britain. "Since this research was undertaken, the government has undertaken a campaign to promote better understanding of the Act and to ensure that public authorities are more aware of their duties to the public under the Act." The government commissioned the Human Rights Insight Project in 2004, but the MoJ has only now released the findings. Lawyers and celebrities The 1998 act, which came fully into force in 2000, includes the right to life, the right to privacy and family life and the right to freedom of religion. It incorporates Articles two to 12 and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. The study, released now without publicity, suggests that British people feel values of respect, dignity, equality and fairness are very important. But a majority said the act was being misapplied, particularly by certain groups, including refugees, lawyers and celebrities. Overall, 40% of those questioned said the law created more problems than it solved. The report recommends that government develop a "communications strategy" to try to win the public over. But the document states that the research was commissioned to "stimulate discussion" and does not represent government policy. It called for more work to correct public misunderstandings about the HRA. Justice Secretary Jack Straw has defended the HRA and rejected Conservative calls for it to be scrapped in favour of a British Bill of Rights. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7184498.stm

Almost three million people have been affected by the norovirus stomach bug so far this winter, figures suggest. Surveillance from the Health Protection Agency shows cases in England and Wales are double those seen last year. Doctors advise people to stay at home for 48 hours after symptoms have gone to cut the risk of the bug spreading. The HPA said the norovirus season began unusually early. For every one of the 1,922 reported cases, it is estimated another 1,500 have been unreported. These cases will have been in people who did not visit the doctor. This equates to around 2.8 million people affected so far this winter and the virus is still circulating. Norovirus - also known as winter vomiting disease - is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis in the UK. Hospitals have been affected by outbreaks with many wards around the country having to close to new admissions to prevent the spread of the illness. Easily spread Onset is very sudden with vomiting and diarrhoea. Some people may also feel feverish. Illness can occur at any age because immunity to it is not long-lasting. It is not normally dangerous but the very young and very old are most at risk of complications from dehydration. The HPA said they had expected a higher number of recorded cases as methods used for detecting norovirus in the laboratory had improved. But they advised people to practise good hygiene including hand washing and disinfecting contaminated surfaces if anyone has become ill. Food preparation should also be avoided until 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared. There is no specific treatment for norovirus other than letting the illness run its course but it is important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, especially in the very young or elderly. Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the advice issued last week on staying at home if you become ill and not rushing back to work was helping to slow the spread of the illness. "Anecdotally the pressure seems to be coming off - we're delighted that people are following the advice and taking the pressure off the health service." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7182988.stm

Sacked Bill star reassures fans The Bill star Jeff Stewart has told fans he is "progressively improving" after reportedly slashing his wrists on the set of the ITV drama. Stewart, who plays Pc Reg Hollis, was taken to hospital on Tuesday following an "incident". The 52-year-old, who has been in the show since it began in 1984, had been told his contract would not be renewed. Stewart said: "I love being an actor... and the thought of this changing had an extremely serious effect on me." Financial concerns He added: "I want to reassure and thank everyone for all their support and good wishes. "The last few days have been very difficult for me, but I am receiving the right care and help, and am surrounded by family and friends. "I want to confirm that I do not have any financial concerns, or indeed any other problems, as has been reported." Stewart was taken to hospital on Tuesday after an ambulance was called to the set in Merton, south west London. A spokeswoman for The Bill refused to confirm details of what happened, but said there had been an "incident". Stewart added: "I am feeling much better now, and am progressively improving. "I have very much appreciated the kind messages of support from members of the public and other people in the business." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7183372.stm

erm number 5 could so easily be created by any family history societies, amateur genealogists etc. let me see, I need a site to log the cemetery records for cemeteries in london, what shall I call it ............

St Trinians - 7/10 it was quite funny, there's the Mr Darcy scene all over again, and doesn't tax your brain in any way. Alien Vs Predator - 5/10. Alien films scare the beejesus out of me, Predator films scare the living daylights out of me. This did neither. A few jumps, but less jump than even Scream. And since when are the Predators nice aliens? the end was complete rubbish I Am Legend - 8/10 really good film. Will Smith was great, and the dog was amazing. it goes away from the book alot but still works in its own right.

don't you be giving him ideas :p

I know. he's been in it since before I was ever allowed to watch. We always loved him as kids.

another reason why you shouldn't rely on technology. same for reversing sensors. looking out your back window can be so much more productive

yup on & off

whats that then? not heard of it

all depends on the extent & type of sickness. last sick, was more pain than feeling ill so slep for most of the day. when I had flu it varied day to day, sometimes i slept, others I read, watched tv, or played on the computer. i find i have a really short attention span when i'm not feeling so well, so flit around from thing to thing not really doing much of anything

so that's why you said you were doing nothing whilst i saw at work :P

just remember you have to have 48 hours symptom free before going back to work.

Clarkson hoisted by his own petard as fraudster sets up charitable direct debit using TV star Jeremy Clarkson has become the victim of his own brash confidence after someone set up a direct debit for a charity in his name after he printed his own bank account details in a newspaper column. Last November, the nation was in uproar after the two discs containing the bank details of millions of Britons went missing in the Government benefit blunder. In his column, the Top Gear presenter argued that there was nothing to worry about as all of our details were readily available to any would-be fraudsters whenever we handed out cheques. To emphasise this point, he allowed his bank account number and sort code to be printed, in very large type, in his weekly column in the Sun. However, in the newspaper today he revealed that someone has used his details to set up a direct debit with the British Diabetic Association to take £500 from his account every month. Suitably chastened, Clarkson now concedes: "So there you are. I was wrong. I have been punished for my mistake." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=506242&in_page_id=1773

its even scarier how difficult it is to close your own account on some of these sites. i tried to shut my myspace down and haven't managed yet. they send you an email when you request it, but it took ages for the email to reach me

It is a conflict that is fading from living memory, but a “blog” from the trenches of the First World War has become a surprise hit on the internet. In the past year, the writings of Private Harry Lamin from the Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment have come to compete with the diaries of call girls, policemen and politicos. The travails of this soldier, set down on the front line in France and Italy in letters to his family, are being posted online 90 years to the day after they were written. Like the family who anxiously awaited his letters in 1918, thousands of readers keenly await his next post. In the comments section, readers worry over whether he will make it home alive, as he passes through the battles of Messines Ridge and Passchendaele. His fate has been kept a secret by Bill Lamin, his 59-year-old grandson, who runs the blog and adds photographs and maps he has found while researching the path that his grandfather took through the war. The idea for the blog came to Private Lamin’s grandson, a maths and IT teacher, in 2006. Harry Lamin, who was born in 1887, worked in Nottingham’s lace industry before being conscripted in 1917 at the age of 29. The first post is in February of that year, from an army training camp in Staffordshire. On May 13, he arrived in France. In letters to his older brother Jack, a clergyman in Leeds, he writes of being “buried and knocked about” on Messines Ridge and of “rough, rough times” on the front line. To his sister Kate, a midwife, he is more elliptical. “We had an exciting time up the line,” he wrote to her from the Menin Road in November. “But we beat them back. They lost a good many men.” The latest word from Private Lamin is on the day before New Year’s Eve, from Italy. He is waiting for his Christmas parcels and news of his wife, Ethel, and Willie, their baby son. To read it, visit http://www.wwar1.blogspot.com. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3129958.ece

Skiers and snowboarders who love the unrestricted thrill of hurtling down alpine pistes on a sunny winter’s day are about to be stopped in their tracks. Switzerland is introducing speed cameras on the slopes to try to reduce the increasing number of accidents. The first such nationwide controls will treat skiers like cars on the motorway. Speeders will be caught with hand-held radar devices carried by hidden personnel. Persistent offenders could be fined or have ski passes confiscated. The scheme is being introduced after figures revealed a drastic increase in serious ski-related accidents in Switzerland. The booming winter tourism trade has led to overcrowding at the most popular resorts and a sharp rise in accidents. Impeccable pistes and new skiing equipment also encourages skiers and snowboarders of all levels to go ever faster. Last year there were more than 70,000 accidents on Swiss ski slopes, many resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Swiss helicopter rescue teams were called out for serious accidents 300 times in December alone, and the total cost of rescue operations is expected to exceed £100 million.The state-controlled Swiss Accident Insurance (Suva), the country’s biggest provider of compulsory cover, has responded by introducing the speed controls as part of a safety campaign. Angela Zobrist, a spokeswoman, said: “This is not another fun-spoiling campaign of the health and safety brigade and we don’t intend to raise a warning finger to all snow sport lovers. It is a genuine safety concern. You do not realise how fast you go, which can prove to be really dangerous if you impact with another skier or have any other incident.” The monitoring will start today in the resort of Andermatt, and will be extended to the rest of the country, including resorts such as St Moritz, Zermatt and Davos. Similar experiments have been conducted on a small scale but this is the first campaign to include all the top resorts in Switzerland. Studies using crash test dummies on skis, similar to those conducted with cars, have suggested that going faster than 30km/h (19mph) is not safe, and that going faster than 50km/h is potentially fatal. Authorities are exploring the legal options of punishing speeding skiers, although it is complicated because Switzerland’s cantons have different laws. Punishments are likely to vary from resort to resort. Speeders will not be fined initially, but will be singled out and approached by Suva personnel and employees of the individual resorts, They will tell offenders to moderate their speed and explain the danger speeding poses to themselves and others on the slopes. Josef Dahinden, a spokesman for the Andermatt resort, said: “We have collisions resulting in injuries on the pistes almost every day and the purpose of this campaign is to get people to return to normal speed and go below 30km/h.” The move has been generally welcomed by skiers. Katy Laffan, 27, an experienced skier from London, said: “To be honest, I do not know how fast I usually go. It could be a good idea to monitor the speed on the piste, but I would say that it’s not the fast skiers who cause accidents but the ones who are out of control, such as beginners on steep slopes or drunk people.” http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/article3134330.ece

kind of. its ages since i posted news, and Mark's not done any for a few days.