Turning all cars electric in Britain needs boost in power supply

Switching all cars in the country to electric would drain the National Grid of nearly a fifth of its capacity unless the equivalent of another six new nuclear power stations are built, claims a report.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7764110/Turning-all-cars-electric-in-Britain-needs-boost-in-power-supply.html

How big is your carbon footprint?

A few years ago, I was going round a supermarket with a journalist who was researching an article on the carbon cost of food. We trailed up and down the aisles with the Dictaphone running, and she plied me with questions: "What about these bananas? How about the cheese? That's organic, so it must be better, right? Is the lettuce harmless? Should we have come here by bus?"

Despite working as an environmental consultant, I was pitifully unable to answer most of her questions. And it struck me that this was part of a wider problem. Almost everything we do has a carbon footprint of some kind, but how do we know what it is? Should we avoid leaving our television sets on standby, or boycott plastic bags, or stop flying, or all of the above? It's no good starting with a list of 500 different rules, because most of us wouldn't be able to keep them for more than a day – especially when we discover that many well-intentioned actions, such as driving to the bottle bank may do more harm than good.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7760327/How-big-is-your-carbon-footprint.html

Apple iPad review: the ultimate browsing machine

The Apple iPad is beautiful, compelling and doesn't do any of the annoying things computers do.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7765242/Apple-iPad-review-the-ultimate-browsing-machine.html

Want Smart Kids? Here's What to Do

Buy a lot of books.

That seems kind of obvious, right? But what's surprising, according to a new study published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, is just how strong the correlation is between a child's academic achievement and the number of books his or her parents own. It's even more important than whether the parents went to college or hold white-collar jobs.

Books matter. A lot.

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Want-Smart-Kids-Heres-What/24200/

British Airways strike on as talks collapse

A five day walkout by thousands of BA cabin crew is now almost certain to go ahead tomorrow leading to widespread disruption for travellers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7756349/British-Airways-strike-on-as-talks-collapse.html

Men are bigger liars than women, says poll

Men are more likely to tell lies than women and feel less guilty about it, says a survey.

In a poll of 3,000 people, researchers found that the average British man tells three lies every day, that's equivalent to 1,092 a year

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8689010.stm

Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville branded 'patronising rubbish'

The organisers of London 2012 were plunged into a fresh row after the new Olympic mascots were branded “patronising rubbish” by design experts.

The two metallic characters, named Wenlock and Mandeville, were unveiled on Wednesday night after a rigorous 18-month design process involving 40 focus groups.

Apparently hewn from the “last drops of steel” left over from constructing the final support girder of the Olympic Stadium, the one-eyed creatures are intended to help young people relate to the Games.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/7742259/Olympic-mascots-Wenlock-and-Mandeville-branded-patronising-rubbish.html