News Round Up
)
by Patrick O'Connor
ACCORDING to the BBC, a wedding service at Holy Cross Church in Sherston, Wiltshire, was delayed when an owl bearing the rings fell asleep in the church roof.
Darcy the barn owl was meant to fly down the aisle and deliver rings to Sonia Cadman and Andrew Matley but instead flew into the church roof to roost. It took about an hour to get her down.
Fancy that! Language experts at the University of Glasgow reckon that watching TV can change people's regional accents.
A story in the Daily Mail reports that experts have shown that ‘active and engaged television viewing’ helps to speed up a change in language. The study looked at how watching the BBC soap EastEnders is altering certain features of the Scottish accent.
The study found that two particular features of pronunciation typically associated with London English were becoming increasingly apparent in the Glaswegian dialect among people who regularly watched the television soap opera.
If you're planning to go to uni in Britain and like an active night-life, the BBC says a survey claims that you should go to institutions in the north of England or Scotland.
An analysis of some 17,500 student ratings of extra-curricular university life by consumer group Which University reveals which campuses are best for the arts, sport, night-life and politics.
Eight universities in the north of England and Scotland were among the top-rated by students for their diverse night-life in terms of pubs, clubs and music venues - Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, Northumbria, Leeds, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian.
Mind you, if you do go to uni, keep a close watch on your weight. The Daily Mirror outlines a study by Pansonic, which reveals that students put on an average of 15lbs in their first year at university as they survive on high-calorie junk food diets.
Which is not surprising, considering that that 77 per cent of freshers live on processed food and fizzy drinks rather than cooking from scratch. One in 10 have takeaways three times a week and nutritionist Amanda Hamilton said: “They are likely to fall prey to the ‘Freshman 15’ – the 15lbs of weight gain typical of first year university students.”
According to the Daily Express, residents of Kington Magna near Gillingham in Dorset who were fed up with having no library have converted an old phone box into one, kitting it out with shelves and crammed with 300 books to become what is thought to be Britain's smallest library.
Congratulations go out to the quaintly named Osbert Humperdinck Pumpernickle who has become the world's fastest tightrope walking dog, says the Daily Telegraph.
The four year old border collie/kelpie – nicknamed Ozzy – is now in the Guinness Book of World Records after crossing a 3.5m (11.4ft) rope in 18.22 seconds at the Faith Animal Rescue Centre in Norfolk.
Ozzy's owner Nick Johnson said: “It makes me feel so happy and proud, that Ozzy and I have such a strong friendship and relationship we can work together on tricks and games that get the recognition of Guinness World Records.”
So, what do women want out of life ?The Daily Telegraph claims that they aim to own a pet at 25, get married at 27 and feel financially secure by 39!
They are quoting a survey by deodorant brand Sure which added that men prefer to marry two years later at 29 and are happy to wait two more years, until they are 41, to have financial security.
Spokesperson Hannah Kehoe said: “Women today are aspiring to achieve more than ever before.”
Estate agents are expecting plenty of interest in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first marital home.
The Daily Mirror says the cottage where the couple stayed during their time on Anglesey will be rented out again once they move out.
The couple, who are moving into apartments at Kensington Palace, paid a reported £750 a month for the home but the new occupants are expected to pay considerably more.
Last week William announced he was quitting his military duties and would be moving back full-time to London.
Ugh! It seems that some touchscreens on tablets and smartphones have more germs than a toilet seat.
The Daily Mail points us in the direction of a report by consumer group Which? which shows that the bacteria are being left behind as users swipe and poke the screens of devices such as Apple iPads and Samsung Galaxy tablets without washing their hands.
One tablet tested had a count of 600 units per swab of the staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which can create toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
You naughty boy! A university professor has been let off a fine of more than £8,500 after it was discovered that he had a library book that was 47 years overdue!
The Independent says that Emeritus Professor John Foster, from Queen’s University Belfast’s Institute of Irish Studies, discovered the The Poems of Arthur Hugh Clough when he returned to Vancouver to clear out his locker at the University of British Columbia where he had been based for a number of years.
Professor Foster said: “I saw that it also had a stamp saying that Queen’s had obtained the book in May 1921 so it was definitely their book and it was 47 years late, so outrageously overdue.”
Queen’s said it was pleased to get the book back and would not be looking for Professor Foster to stump up the £8,577.50 fine.
Reference lists:
The Express(www.express.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror ((www.mirror.co.uk)
Daily Telegraph (www.telegraph co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)