Britons change their names

A RECORD number of Britons, 50,000, changed their names by deed poll last year. And some of their choices were bizarre, including, None of the Above, Funky, McFunkmaster and Lydia Mary Paper Scissor Stone. There is also an Ice Man, a George Thomas the Tank Engine and a Blair Coco, Lucy St, and Lucy Hot Pink Dolorean Big Wednesday Chanel. These strange but legally recognised names were among the 50,000 changes registered with the UK Deed Poll Service in 2009, an eight per cent increase on 2008. Many wanted to change their name after a divorce, however, for others the motive included “bringing a bit of cheer” to their life or just because they “fancied a change.”

Mr Barratt, Chief Executive of the UK Deed Poll Service said “The recession has not slimmed down the British appetite for changing names.”

Suicide rate rises for the first time

A RISE in the suicide rate, for the first time in a decade, was blamed on the recession last month. The number who killed themselves in 2009 rose to 57,006, an increase of more than six per cent on the previous year.  It was the first increase since 1991; a year regarded as a statistical blip, and meant an end to two decades of broadly falling rates of suicide.

   The jump came in a year when more than 300,000 people were thrown out of work and the long spending boom ended with a banking and credit crisis. The figures from the Office for National Statistics which cover the whole of the UK showed that suicide rates among men rose in 2009 to 17.7 out of every 100.000. The 2007 rate of 16.8 was the lowest for 30 years. Rates of suicide among women went up to 5.4 for every 100.000 from 5.0 in 2008.

A new drug course could beat breast cancer

A NEW drug course could beat breast cancer in six weeks and eliminate the need for months of chemotherapy. Scientists have found that a combination of drugs, regularly given to breast cancer patients, destroyed tumours in a shorter period of time.

   Researchers at the University of Sheffield found a combination of treatments giver over a period of six weeks as effective as six months of treatment. Around 45,000 women in Britain each year are diagnosed with breast cancer. Less exposure to chemotherapy would reduce the risk of side effects such as hair loss, nausea and in some cases permanent infertility.

   The research team had already proven the effectiveness of using doxorubicin a chemotherapy drug commonly given to stop tumour growth and zoledronic acid a well-tolerated treatment given to protect bone in advanced breast cancer.

   Senior lecturer Dr, Ingunn Holen and her team treated a group of mice with the combination every week for six weeks.

   The International Journal of Cancer said that in both groups tumours shrank from their original size and became barely detectable. Dr. Holen said “These findings are very promising. Clinical studies in patients are now needed.”

Abolish the retirement age at 65

ABOLISHING the retirements age at 65 and allowing workers to carry on for another 18 months would inject £15 billion into the economy, the Government was told last week. A poll by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found one in four men and two out of three women aged 50 to 75 want to continue working after 65.

Another survey said… Britons spend more than 900 million hours every year doing unpaid work.

A poll of 3,000 people found 12 per cent said they worked a minimum of five hours per week, almost half, 45 per cent, said they took work from the office home at weekends.

   More than a third said they felt their boss did not notice the extra time they put in and one in three found it hard to switch off outside work and to resist checking emails and taking phone calls.

   Men are also 10 per cent more likely to check emails and take phone calls even when they are on holidays, averaging six hours of work while they are away, the survey found. Almost a third (28 per cent) of those polled also said they had taken on additional home-based jobs to earn more money during the recession.

Blood is ‘created’

BRITISH experts claimed a breakthrough in the development of artificial blood. The team at Essex University say they have managed to create fake haemoglobin which can carry oxygen around the body like the real thing.

   Previous efforts to make key blood ingredients have been toxic or have not carried oxygen. The race to create fake blood began 20 years ago when thousands died from transfusions infected with hepatitis or HIV. 

UFO’s over Britain

THE PLAGUE of UFO’s over Britain tripled last year, just as the X files-style department that investigates them was being axed. Last ever figures revealed a near-record 643 sighting , after Defence Chiefs closed their UFO hotline at the end of last year, calling it a waste of time.

   Nick Pope, who used to run the MoD’s UFO project said, “The sensational figures just show how wrong that decision was, Britain is being inundated.”

Going to the Theatre

LONDON theatres broke box-office records last year with receipt of £505 million up 7.6 per cent. Attendances also broke records exceeding 14 million, up 5.5 per cent of the previous year, the Society of London Theatre said 

Royal Flush

A FIRST edition of James Bond book ‘Casino Royale’ sold for £10.625 at a London auction recently. A Luxury bicycle gilded in 24-carat gold encrusted with Swarovski crystals and saddle and walnut-wood pedals is being sold for £32,300 by Italian firm Montanie Cicly.

Pupils learn Spanish

SPANISH is now more popular with students than German, thanks to foreign holidays and pop stars such as Shakira. Spanish is offered in 62 per cent of schools overtaking German at 55 per cent according to CILT the National Centre for languages.

Fat Fliers Pay Double

OBESE passengers unable to squeeze into single aeroplane seat will be urged to book a second one or risk being left on the tarmac. France’s national airline Air France said overweight fliers posed a serious safety hazard to other passengers as well as causing huge discomfort as they issued new guidelines that come into force from April 1^st. However obese passengers will be refunded the cost of the second seat if the plane is not fully booked an airline spokesman said.     

Britons Breakfast

BRITONS have the biggest appetite for breakfast cereals in Europe a report revealed. We munch our way through four times as many bowls as the French and nearly six times as many as the Spanish and Italians.  The average Briton spent £23 on cereals last year according to market researchers Mintel.

   The total market was worth £1.8 billion up from £1.7 billion in 2008. The French spent just £7 a head and Spain, Italy and Germany even less at just £5 each.

   In Britain nearly 90 per cent of adults eat a cold breakfast cereal every day. In addition, for six per cent of adults, cereal makes a quick and cheap meal. Bacon is the nation’s favourite, with consumers spending £18 a head last year. Eggs are bacon’s nearest rival at £10 a head. Consumers also spend an average of £9 a head on sausages and £5 on canned beans.

   Analyst Diana said “People have moved away from buying breakfast from coffee shops or sandwich outlets during the recession and opting instead for eating cereals at home. Cereals can also represent a cheap meal option replacing lunch or dinner.”

Divorce is Down

THE NUMBER of couples getting divorced has fallen to the lowest for 29 years, It dropped 5% in 2008 to 121,779 from 128,232 in 2007 said the Office for National Statistics. For the fourth year running men and women in their late 20s had the highest divorce rates.

   Claire Tyler, Chief Executive of Relate said “that although the number of divorces had dropped, the figures did not show a full picture of family break-ups as it did not include the statistics on the number of co-habiting parents who separated.

Living Alone

THE LIVING standard of more than 140 men and women aged 25 to 44 were compared in a two-year study by Edinburgh University. Researchers found more men than women suffer money and health problems when left to their own devices. They are also more likely to feel lonely and earn lower salaries than their female counterparts.

Prison sentence for Dangerous Driving

THE MAXIMUM prison sentence for dangerous driving is set to go up from two to five years. Justice Secretary Jack Straw said that the view and experiences of victims, their families and road safety groups “have directly informed these changes.” He added “Dangerous driving contributes to seven deaths that occur on British roads every day,”