A racing car that runs on chocolate?
That’s two of my favourite things; cars and chocolate!

A British research team have developed a fully sustainable racing car that runs on chocolate.
The car actually runs on a biofuel that is made from mainly chocolate, but there’s a lot more that makes this car an extraordinary contribution to sustainability.
The body of the car is made using recycled carbon fibre, flax, and recycled resin, the steering wheel is made from carrot pulp. The lubrication for the moving parts in the car are made from plant oils.
Despite being the most environmentally friendly car on the Formula 3 circuit, it’s not slow.
This car has a top speed of 135mph, and with a little help from the turbo charger it does 0-60 in just 2.5 seconds.

Dr Kerry Kirwan from the University of Warwick, England, is the lead researcher of the project and despite the idea of ‘green’ motor sport often being greeted with cynicism, he is confident that it’s definitely a feasable option.
Dr Kirwan said that the idea behind this project was to help people understand that “being sustainable and green can be incredibly sexy, fun and fast” and that they hope to “show ways for the future, for people to race and be green.”
Dr Kerry Kirwan is confident that the car which cost £500,000 to build, will not embarrass itself.
He said, “We believe it is the world’s greenest car but it shows that being green does not have to be boring.”

Ross Brawn, the F1 team boss, and racing drivers Lewis Hamilton and Adam Carroll have given their approval to the project and the car.
The car, called the ‘WorldFirst Formula 3 Racing Car’, but is also known as the ‘flying carrot, took part in its first racing competition in the Formula 3 Championship final on the 17th October at Brands Hatch.

While I’ve no doubt there will be many ‘green’ people who think this is a great idea, I’m not so sure.
Running a car on chocolate? I prefer to eat my chocolate.

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LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Capsaicin stops heart attacks.
According to researchers at the University of Cincinnati, the primary ingredient of cayenne, capsaicin, can even stop a heart attack as it is happening.
The scientists discovered that a simple pain ointment that contains capsaicin can act as a cardiac protectant when rubbed onto the skin during a heart attack. The pain relieving cream can even reduce or stop any damage to the heart muscle.

The late herbalist Dr. John Christopher, nicknamed Dr Cayenne, constantly recommended the use of cayenne because of his absolute belief in its healing powers. There’s now proof that his claims were correct.

Keith Jones PhD from the UC department of pharmacology and cell biophysics said, “The researchers found an amazing 85% reduction in cardiac cell death when capsaicin was used.
“This is the most powerful cardio protective effect ever recorded.”

Dr. Jones described how useful and simple the treatment could be saying, “Topical capsaicin has no known serious adverse effects and could be easily applied in an ambulance or emergency room setting well in advance of coronary tissue death.
“This therapy has the potential to reduce injury and/or death in the event of a coronary blockage, thereby reducing the extent and consequences of heart attack.”

According to the researchers, when applied to the skin the Capsaicin content in the cream activates sensors in the nervous system and it’s these sensors that initiate the protection and preservation mechanism.
Dr Jones described added, “This may be similar to the way certain acupuncture treatments work; there may be a neurological basis. In a broad sense, this work may provide a ‘Rosetta stone’ for translating alternative medicine techniques, like acupuncture, to Western medicine.
“Perhaps we can understand the biological mechanisms of how alternative treatments may be successful for patients.”

Dr Jones also has the collaboration of the director of UC’s cardiovascular diseases division, cardiologist Neal Weintraub, MD.

If this research is correct, it’s wonderful news.
I love cayenne and consume it daily, so this is great news not only for my taste buds but also for my heart - unless capsaicin only stops heart attacks when applied to the skin and not when ingested!

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Life in France

It’s the 5th of November today, so that means it’s Bonfire night tonight.
I remember having some wonderful Bonfire night parties when I was a child. We’d make a big scary looking ‘guy’ to go on top of the huge bonfire that we’d built, and we’d have loads of fire works and sparklers and lots of yummy food.
If you’re celebrating Bonfire night this evening, have a great time and stay safe.

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

The rhyme ‘Remember Remember’ originates from the 17th century and refers to Guy Fawkes and his Gunpowder Plot.
Guy Fawkes also known as Guido Fawkes 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606.
Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of Roman Catholic restorationists from England who planned the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
The Gunpowder Plot was led by Robert Catesby, but Guy Fawkes was put in charge of its execution. They intended to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while King James I and the entire Protestant, and most of the Catholic, aristocracy and nobility were inside.
The conspirators considered the Gunpowder Plot as a necessary reaction to the systematic discrimination against English Catholics.
On the 5th of November 1605 in the early hours of the morning Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. He was arrested during a search of the cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament, the search of the cellars was prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter warning of the Gunpowder Plot, only a few hours before the planned explosion.
After being captured Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators were tried as traitors for plotting against the government. Guy Fawkes was tried by Judge Popham who travelled to London from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire, specifically for the trial.
Guy Fawkes was sentenced to death for treason. He was executed, hung, drawn, and quartered.

The year following the Gunpowder Plot, 1606, saw the commencement of the annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. The rhyme ‘Remember Remember’ and the sermons ensured that the crime would always be remembered.

In England the 5th of November is traditionally commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires, on top of which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burnt.
In the run up to Bonfire night, children makes ‘guys’ by stuffing old clothes and ask passers-by for
“A penny for the guy”.

In 2002 Guy Fawkes was ranked 30th in the list of the 100 Greatest Britons, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.
Guy Fawkes also made the list of the 50 greatest people from Yorkshire.

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The Wine Connoisseur

Famous French chefs give cooking lessons on the metro in Paris, France.

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Revenge of the animals.
Let’s milk this son of a bitch!

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The Wine Connoisseur

Lauren McCarthy has designed a Happiness Hat.
The rather unflattering naff looking Happiness Hat was created by Lauren McCarthy to help train people in ‘Improved Social Interacting’!
The Happiness Hat, sounds like a sweet name doesn’t it? In reality it’s anything but sweet.
The Happiness Hat uses a bend sensor which is attached to the cheek to measure the size of the wearers smile, it then sends the information to an Arduino micro-controller. If the Arduino controller detects that the hat wearer is not wearing a large enough smile, it sends a signal to a servo motor on the back of the hat which drives a metal spike into your head!

Is the Happiness Hat a good idea? Or is it seriously barmy? Do we really want people smiling at us all the time just because they are wearing the Happiness Hat? Their smiles won’t be genuine, they will be false, based on the fear of receiving a sharp pain to their skull!

When I first read about Lauren McCarthy’s Happiness Hat, I thought it was a joke - actually I’m still not sure it’s real!
I am not the smiliest person, I have a naturally miserable face, but I don’t think I’ll be wearing the Happiness Hat, I think the mere thought of not having a spike driven in to my head is more than enough to put a smile on my face.

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The Wine Connoisseur

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Playfish, the two-year-old UK-based social gaming company says it’s already turning a substantial profit, despite offering its games for free on social networks such as Facebook.

I’m a fan Playfish, I play Pet Society via my Facebook account, and I love it!
Despite reaching quite a high level in Pet Society I realised that I was spending way too much time on it, so earlier this year I decided to stop playing. I gave all of my furniture, clothes, and belongings away to friends, but I couldn’t resist the temptation for very long and a couple of months later I was back, wishing I hadn’t gievn all of my pets belongings away!
Since I started playing Pet Society again I have refurnished and redecorated my pets house several times because I get fed up quite quickly always seeing the same stuff every time I play. That’s the genius of Playfish, they are constantly introducing new items and new themes that players want, which helps keep the game fresh and interesting.
I doubt I’ll be stopping any time soon - I am definitely addicted.

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John Lynch, 78, a retired Barclays bank manager has set a new world record for the most body piercings.
John has a total of 241 studs and rings, 150 of which are on his head and neck.
John, of Apsley, Hertfordshire, England, is also nicknamed Prince Albert due to having a “few bits and bobs” on his manhood.

John who worked for Barclays bank for 30 years said he had to give up flying years ago because his large number of piercings kept setting off the security scanners at airports.
John got his first piercing on his eyebrow when he was in his 40’s after decided he’d enough of working at the bank, and he also got his first tattoo on his right arm which is of an eagle.
Since retiring from the bank John Lynch has become a well-known character in the local area.
John said, “I gave up working at the bank all those years ago because I was a square peg in a round hole and I always wanted to get a few piercings and tattoos.
“I knew I wanted to stand out a bit from the crowd, and I could not do that at the bank.”
John added that his appearance gets a lot of attention from passers-by, most of which is favourable.
Speaking about the Guinness World Record John said, “I never thought about breaking the record. I’ve always just done it because I like it but it is quite an achievement.
“I was actually a few short so had 20 or so popped into my arms to up the numbers and if somebody beats me I could always find space for a few more.”

John also has a lot of tattoos on his body including his favourite one which is a big portrait of film star Marilyn Monroe which covers most of his torso.

The Guinness Book of Records confirmed that John Lynch was the most-pierced person in the world. John said, “I was a few short so had 20 or so popped into my arms to up the numbers.”

I’ve only ever had my ears and my nose pierced, and with just one nose piercing I had to be careful when washing my face. When I see people like John Lynch with lots of facial piercing I always wonder how they manage to wash their face without catching any of the rings or studs - Ouch!
Good for him though, it’s cool that now he’s retired John can do exactly what he like to his appearance.

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LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Computer scientists in Germany have developed an application for the iPhone that turns the phone into a remote control for their self-constructed car.
Using the app, iDriver, the driver can operate the steering, brakes, and accelerator pedal by simply stroking of the mobile phones touchscreen.

A video camera on the dashboard transmits a signal to the iPhone, allowing the iDriver user to see everything in front of the car, and to adjust the car in the direction of their choice.
The commands are transmitted from the iPhone via radio to the power transmission in the car. The iDriver user is able to park a car on the ground level from as far away as the fourth floor of a building.
The remote control and the car called ‘Spirit of Berlin’ were constructed by the Artificial Intelligence Group at Freie Universität and powered by Appirion UG in Berlin, Germany.
The group is investigating how autonomous vehicles may change our lives in the future.
Professor Raúl Rojas, who directed the project, said one day we could all be dropped off and picked up by driverless taxis, which would remove the need for everyone to own a car.

Hmm, this sounds interesting in theory, but I’m not sure about the reality. Although being dropped off and picked up by a driverless vehicle may mean no more driving round and round car-parks looking for a vacant space, I think I prefer driving myself, and this should be left to the world of James Bond.

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The Wine Connoisseur