AS someone who remembers when they were the only option available, it is interesting to read a Daily Mail article which says that that vinyl records are enjoying a revival.
Apparently, last year saw more than one million albums sold on vinyl for the first time in almost two decades, after seven years of steady growth, and sales are expected to hit two million this year.
And now the UK’s first official weekly vinyl chart has been announced with the top spots in the album rankings and the two top places in the singles list going to Noel Gallagher.
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Whilst on the subject of ‘sound,’ the Daily Mirror tells us that the popularity of the smartphone is leading to a decline in whistling.
A survey showed that nearly three-quarters of people believe there are fewer whistlers now compared to 20 or 30 years ago and some of those questioned reckoned that whistling had been replaced by staring at smartphones or listening to music through headphones.
John Lucas, co-author of A Brief History of Whistling, said: “The sound of workers whistling as they went to and from the factory or the coal mine used to be common.
“Miners, for example, had whistling choirs on the buses that took them to and from work. Errand lads, delivery boys on their bicycles and the coalman – they’re not there any more.”
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Another change in society’s habits is commented on in The Independent which says that British drinkers are now keener on prosecco than champagne in supermarkets.
The paper quotes Alfonso Cevola, an author and Italian wine expert, as saying: “Prosecco seems easier than champagne. Champagne has built up its reputation as a luxury product, while prosecco is really a wine for all people.”
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There are some very disgruntled runners in Dorset, according to The Guardian.
It seems that competitors taking part in the 10km Bournemouth Bay race ended up doing an extra 3km! A spokesman for Bournemouth council, which organised the event, said: “This year saw new routes and overall the changes were well received. However, unfortunately there was some confusion with marshalling arrangements at one point which led to some of the fastest 10k runners going a longer distance.”
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Fancy a deckchair from the Titanic? Well, the Daily Mail reports that it could cost you £80,000. The chair, which was on the first class promenade deck when the liner sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912, is being sold at Devizes in Wiltshire.
It was found bobbing on the surface of the Atlantic by the crew of the Mackay-Bennett, who were sent to recover the bodies of the victims after the tragedy.
Andrew Aldridge, of auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son, said: “It is incredibly rare to find something of that size that was on Titanic was salvaged and that still exists today.”
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The Daily Mirror salutes 34 year old barman Kevin Carr who they describe as the fastest man to run around the world.
Kevin, who started off from Dartmoor in Devon, completed his 16,300 mile run in 621 days.
He commented: “It was hard. I have lost three stones in weight and have a ginger beard. I’ve made it. I am lost for words.”
Kevin, who wore down 16 pairs of trainers, beat the world record by about 24 hours. He had to run ‘ocean to ocean’ covering 621 miles on at least four continents representing the widest points of Europe, Asia, North and South America and Australia.
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Good news for dolphin lovers, sightings of the common dolphin off Scotland’s Hebrides have shot up in the last decade, reports The Guardian.
The rate at which the dolphins are sighted off the islands has increased from just one group a year in 2003 to 34 groups in 2014, said the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust charity.
They are not quite sure why but suspect that climate change may be playing a part.
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A global survey has revealed that the UK is among the least religious countries in the world, says the Daily Express.
Out of 65 countries, the UK came 59th with less than one in three of the population calling themselves religious.
Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)