Winter wonderland England.

Winter wonderland: Frost makes much of countryside look like a Christmas card

Last updated at 11:49 PM on 7th December 2010

After a day of freezing fog and a night where temperatures reached well below zero in many parts, residents of Great Britain's countryside awoke this morning to find spectacular scenes straight from a Christmas card.

The green landscape had been turned into a beautiful frost-covered wash of white in many parts of the country.

Despite the below-freezing temperatures there was little snow outside Scotland, and instead the precipitation on grass and leaves froze and turned to ice.

A dog walker in Abbey Fields, Kenilworth, Warwickshire this morning walking past frozen willow trees

Wild animals left to roam free and live off the land won't have been so pleased with their picturesque surroundings, however.

A herd of deer was pictured in Bristol's Ashton Court estate trying to forage for vegetation through the frozen ground.

 

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Not all animals were as unfortunate though; a badling of ducks was seen happily swimming through water in Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire, surrounded by a landscape that had been turned white with frost.

Ducks swim on water that hasn't frozen over at Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Gloucestershire, surrounded by a landscape that has been dusted white with frost

A herd of deer in the Ashton Court estate in Bristol try to forage for vegetation to eat on the frozen ground

People walk their dogs through Ashton Court, which was blanketed in hoar frost this morning. Despite temperatures of -4C, however, the area avoided snow overnight

Despite the brief respite from snow for much of England, it looks like the country is set for another chilling wallop of weather as forecasters warned that the snow which has plunged Scotland into chaos will move south by tomorrow morning.

A deluge of snow which saw up to 16in fall in a matter of hours north of the border stranded thousands of motorists overnight and left schoolchildren stuck in their classrooms.

The Met office warned today that the freezing weather front would cross the border and hit Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in the early hours of Wednesday to create carnage in rush hour.

The Victorian Arnos Vale cemetery in Brislington, Bristol, was given a white hue as the freezing conditions froze vegetation

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336584/UK-weather-Frost-makes-countryside-look-like-Christmas-card.html#ixzz17TsrkYLx

Baywatch actress targeted by TSA because she's attractive....

Baywatch actress 'singled out for body scan'

A former Baywatch actress has claimed she was singled out for a "naked" body scan at an airport because she was attractive.

Donna D'Errico appeared in Baywatch from 1996 to 1998 Photo: REX

By Paul Thompson in Miami 4:38PM GMT 07 Dec 2010

Donna D'Errico, who also modelled for Playboy, believes she was deliberately targeted by TSA security officials because of her figure and career as a swimsuit pin up.

"It is my personal belief that they pulled me aside because they thought I was attractive," she said.

"After the search, I noticed that the male TSA agent who had pulled me out of line was smiling and whispering with two other TSA agents and glancing at me. I was outraged."

D'Errico, who appeared in Baywatch from 1996 to 1998, was flying from Los Angeles airport to Pittsburgh with her boyfriend and 17 year old son Rhyan.

She said she was pulled aside and told she would have to go through one of the full body scans which have caused much controversy since being introduced at US airports.

TSA officials have faced widespread criticism in recent weeks over increased security measures with "intrusive" patdowns.

Passengers are given a choice of going through the full body scanner or undergoing an extensive patdown by a TSA agent.

D'Errico claims she was not give the choice and simply directed to the scanner.

A spokesman for the TSA denied any inappropriate behaviour by their staff.

George W Bush most unpopular living president...

George W. Bush is the most unpopular living U.S. president, claims survey 

By OLIVER PICKUP
Last updated at 4:08 PM on 7th December 2010

George W. Bush has been named as the least popular living U.S. president, according to a survey released yesterday.

The 64-year-old Republican nicknamed Dubya, who took America to war against terrorism, and under whose watch the financial downfall occurred, was labelled the most unpopular living leader of the last 50 years in the U.S. by respected pollsters Gallup.

The 43rd president, Mr Bush - son of former president George H. W. Bush - was infamous for his gaffes at high-profile events and was regularly aped during his eight years in charge of America.

Most unpopular: George W. Bush, who was U.S. president from 2001 to 2009 had an approval rating of only 47 per cent

His election, in 2000, was contentious, too, after he defeated Democratic rival Al Gore by a slim margin, with the votes having to be re-counted.

And after the September 11 attacks in his first year in office Mr Bush waged War on Terrorism, ordered an assault on Afghanistan that year and marched into Iraq in 2003.

 

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And in 2004 he was re-elected after another narrow victory, this time over John Kerry, and during his second term in the White House the Texas man's popularity plummeted.

Gaffes: President Bush made a fool out of himself on a number of occasions. He famously tried to exit out of the wrong door at a 2005 conference in Beijing (left) and winked at the Queen in 2007 (right)

Most popular: John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, had an approval rating of 85 per cent in the Gallup poll

He was roundly criticised for his slow reaction to dealing with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans five years ago. With $90billion to pay in damages and 1,836 dead, it was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

During his penultimate year in charge, Mr Bush, in December 2007, took the country into its longest post-World War II recession.

GALLUP RESULTS IN FULL

• John F. Kennedy, who was president from 1961 to 1963, had the top approval rating of all the U.S. leaders of the past 50 years with 85 per cent
• Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989, was second with 74 per cent
• Bill Clinton, 1993-2001, is the highest rated living ex-president with 69 per cent
• George H. W. Bush, 1989-1993, was next with 64 per cent
• Gerald Ford, 1974-77, earned 61 per cent
• Jimmy Carter, 1977-81, gained an approval rating of 52 per cent
• Lyndon Johnson, 1963-69, had only a 49 per cent approval rating
• George W. Bush, 2001-2009, ended second last with 47 per cent
• Richard Nixon, 1969-74, was least popular with only 26 per cent 

According to Gallup's 2010 poll of the most popular U.S. president of the last 50 years, John F. Kennedy, murdered in 1963, was top of the list with a 85 per cent approval rating.

Next came former actor Ronald Reagan with 74 per cent and Bill Clinton, Mr Bush's predecessor, who is the most popular living ex-president with 69 per cent, despite being caught up in a sex scandal.

George H. W. Bush, who Mr Clinton defeated in the 1992 election, was next with 64 per cent approval while behind him were Gerald Ford (61 per cent) and Jimmy Carter (52 per cent).

At the other end of the table, the man who prolonged American's war in Vietnam and was embroiled in the Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon, was deemed the least popular president in the past half century with only 26 per cent approval.

Next came Mr Bush with 47 per cent and third most unpopular was Lyndon Johnson (49 per cent), who took the reins from Mr Kennedy following his assassination.

The Gallup poll on former president approval is taken once every four years and despite the recent release of his new book, Decision Points, Mr Bush has some way to go before convincing America he was a good leader.

The memories of the previous eight years have not been erased in the past two, when Barack Obama took charge of the country. 

Mr Bush, who lives in Dallas, Texas,  will forever be linked with the war in Iraq, the collapsed economy, and his tardy response in helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336439/George-W-Bush-unpopular-living-US-president.html#ixzz17SVncDVC

Marmite... love it, hate it... It's a hearty spread.

Marmite might help heal heart

They say you either love it or hate it but Marmite could prove to be a life-saver. A key vitamin found in the savoury spread could hold the clue to recovering from a heart attack.

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Marmite: love it or hate it, it might save your life.

A key vitamin found in the savoury spread could hold the clue to recovering from a heart attack. 

Benfotiamine, a derivative of vitamin B1, could speed up the healing of tissue and increase the chance of survival following heart damage, a study by the University of Bristol has found. 

Separate research also found the substance - called benfotiamine - can slow down the progression to heart failure in diabetics, which is a complication of the illness. 

Developing a supplement containing benfotiamine could cut the number of diabetics developing heart failure, researchers said. 

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamin, is found in most types of food. 

Good sources include Marmite, Quorn, pork, vegetables, milk, cheese, peas, fresh and dried fruit, eggs, wholegrain breads and some fortified breakfast cereals.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/849495-marmite-might-help-heal-heart#ixzz17L9LIm16

Passengers stage revolt on plane.... again !!

Passengers stage revolt on Moroccan budget flight 

More than 100 furious passengers staged a sit-in protest on a 'direct' flight after the captain said they would make two stops on the way. 

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Passengers on the Jet4You flight refused to do up their seatbelts. (AFP/Getty Images)

The jet was due to take off from Toulouse on Saturday evening, on a 90 minute non-stop journey to Casablanca in Morocco. 

But once on board, the captain of the Jet4You Moroccan budget flight told the 137 passengers they would be stopping at Bordeaux and Lyon to pick up more people - adding four hours to their journey.

So the angry travellers refused to sit down and do up their seatbelts, leaving the plane stranded all night on the tarmac. 

The captain is then said to have turned off the lights and heating left the passengers inside the plane. 

Mother of two Majette Ouri, aboard the plane, said: ‘It was a total disgrace.’ 

The protest comes one month after angry passengers refused to get off a Ryanair flight to France that was re-routed to Belgium.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/849516-passengers-stage-revolt-on-flight#ixzz17L8l5wLQ

No kissing or alcohol at FIFA World Cup... can we sing songs??

Alcohol, kissing banned at FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi

AFP, Dec 6, 2010, 05.17pm IST

Tags:FIFA Club World Cup|Alcohol Kissing In Public|Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Fans at the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi on December 8-18 will have to abstain from drinking alcohol and kissing in public, in keeping with Muslim sensitivities, a newspaper said on Monday. 

"The FIFA World Cup organising committee has issued a long list of prohibitions which will be circulated among fans from outside the country, including the ban on drinking alcohol and kissing on the streets," said Emarat Al-Yom.

The rules, printed on leaflets and to be distributed to fans upon arrival in the United Arab Emirates, also warned that using drugs whether in public or private areas would result in prosecution.

"We are a Muslim country that has its own customs and traditions which should be preserved. Something like this should not anger the supporters," the organising committee's spokeswoman, Shaza al-Rumaithy, told the daily.

World football governing body FIFA "supports" such measures by any country hosting an international championship, she said.

Italy's Inter Milan and South Korea's Seongnam are among the clubs taking part this year in the tournament for the winners of the world's continental championships.

Read more: Alcohol, kissing banned at FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Alcohol-kissing-banned-at-FIFA-Club-World-Cup-in-Abu-Dhabi-/articleshow/7053614.cms#ixzz17L7ZbGaO

Michael Jackson glove goes for $200,000

Michael Jackson 'Bad' glove sells for more than £200,000

A lone glove worn by Michael Jackson during his 'Bad' tour in the late 1980s has sold for more than £200,000 at auction.

Julien's Auctions says the two-day event brought in more than $3 million Photo: AFP/GETTY

11:46PM GMT 05 Dec 2010

Items from the King of Pop's stage wardrobe attracted furious bidding at the celebrity memorabilia auction in Beverly Hills.

Julien's Auctions said the glove worn by Jackson sold for $330,000 (£209,000) at the "Icons & Idols" auction Saturday night. A jacket signed by Jackson brought in $96,000 (£61,000) and a fedora he wore on stage went for $72,000 (£46,000) at the Julien's Auctions event.

Other highlights from the auction were an X-ray of Albert Einstein's brain, which brought $38,750 (£24,500) and a pair of Marilyn Monroe's empty prescription bottles sold for $18,750. A military-style jacket worn by John Lennon for a 1966 Life Magazine photo shoot sold for $240,000 (£152,000).

Julien's Auctions says the two-day event brought in more than $3 million.