BRITAIN is a nation of animal lovers. So much so, says the Daily Mirror, that the electricity used to keep pets entertained is enough to light 56,000 homes for a full year.
Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said: “We do understand Brits love their pets so we’re not about to start asking people to switch things off.
“These creature comforts do come with a cost and heating represents the greater portion of this expense. On average we spend more than half of our energy bills on heating, so to spend more money when we’re not there for pets that have fur coats isn’t essential.”
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If you want your kids to do well at school, make sure they eat their breakfast.
The Daily Express reports on a survey by Cardiff University which found a ‘significant’ link between eating breakfast and above average performance in the classroom.
And there was also a strong link between eating a healthy breakfast – such as cereal, bread, dairy or fruit – and doing well.
Dr Graham Moore, who worked on the study, said: “The odds of achieving an above average teacher assessment score were up to twice as high for those pupils who ate breakfast.”
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Yet another ‘sign’ of changing times in the Daily Mirror. An emoji displaying a smile or tears of joy has become Oxford Dictionaries 2015 Word of the Year.
The paper said it is the first pictograph to win after judges said it captures the ethos of our age because of its popularity.
President of Oxford Dictionaries Casper Grathwohl said: “You can see how traditional alphabet scripts have been struggling to meet the rapid-fire, visually focused demands of 21st Century communication. It’s not surprising that a pictographic script like emoji has stepped in to fill those gaps – it’s flexible, immediate, and infuses tone beautifully.”
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A rare 1985 car has just been sold for a world record £60,188, says the Daily Express.
The Ford Escort RS Turbo has been driven just 5,568 miles and is believed to have the lowest mileage Series 1 RS turbo in existence and cost £10,073 when it was new.
Nick Whale, boss of Silverstone Auctions, said: “The atmosphere when the car was under the hammer was electric and I’m delighted we’ve been able to secure such a great price on behalf of our vendor, as well as breaking a world record.”
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Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)