This article suggests that common moisturisers could cause skin cancer. The possibility was uncovered by accident when scientists were looking at the benefits of caffeine on the skin. During the test they applied moisturiser to the test subjects, mice who had been exposed to ultraviolet light. They discovered that the moisturiser increased the production of tumours. Three other moisturisers also increased the production of tumours by 69%. The cancers were generated were non fatal varieties that would usually be treatable but following these surprise results researchers will now go on to study the implications for humans.

This article suggests that clumsy children are more likely to become obese as adults because they exercise less. It is based on a study that found children with poor hand control and co-ordination are more likely to be obese later on in life. I'm not entirely sure the link is down to the children being clumsy, its more likely to be down to lack of exercise as children. I was a very clumsy child and have always managed to break pretty much everything I touch, I still amaze myself how quickly we seem to get through glasses in my house, I never have a set for more than a few weeks before an accident occurs. Whilst naturally clumsy, however, I have not grown up obese, although I was quite an active child.

This is an interesting idea from a village pub in Norfolk. They are utilising produce grown in the local area by introducing a bartering system. Locals can barter something they have grown or killed for a beer or food in the pub. Some examples include taking a rabbit you have shot, some vegetables you have grown or eggs that your hens have laid. The idea helps to make the best of the available produce in the local area and allows the pub to feature fresh ingredients on its specials board. It make a lot more sense than sourcing items from suppliers who are miles away, although it must make it harder to plan a menu, never knowing what's going to arrive next.

This article suggests that the effects of alcohol do make people appear more attractive. Researchers found that as little as a pint and a half of beer is enough to make everyone seem more desirable. Men are worst affected with the effect lasting as long as 24 hours after a heavy drinking session. The results were based on a study done at Bristol University where male and female volunteers were randomly allocated a drink of vodka and lime or a similar tasting soft drink. There were then asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 male and 20 female faces on a seven point scale. Those who had been drinking alcohol scored the faces 10% higher than those who had not. The following day both sexes were tested again, this time the men who had been drinking the previous day scored the picture more highly than the non drinkers. The researchers concluded: 'Alcohol consumption increases ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli.'

We all know tigers are big and scary with sharp teeth. Someone obviously forgot to tell this tiger that. He lives at a zoo in Pennsylvania and has refused to venture out since a new $500,000 enclosure was built for him and the other tigers. The tiger occasionally pokes his head out to have a look around but even after two months has not yet plucked up the courage to go outside.

An Australian scientist has said that eating kangaroo burgers could help cut greenhouse gas emissions. The scientist Dr George Wilson says that removing seven million cows and 36 million sheep by 2020 and replacing them with 175 million kangaroos could lower greenhouse gases by 3% a year. Currently sheep and cattle produce 11% pf Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions but kangaroos in comparison produce very little methane. Apparently kangaroos taste a little like venison. It sounds very interesting I wonder if you can get kangaroo in Sainsbury's?

If you believe this article the invisibility cloak could soon be a reality. Researchers at the University of California have developed a material that can bend light around an object making it disappear. Obviously the item doesn't actually disappear it is simply no longer visible. The effect is based upon reversing refraction and the result is that only white light behind the object can be seen giving it a cloaking effect. The team involved have said that the principle could be scaled up to make one day make a cloak large enough to hide people. Interesting. Now what would I do with an invisibility cloak?

These clouded leopard cubs have recently been born at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury. The two male and two female kittens were born in April and have recently made their first public appearance at the wildlife park. Clouded leopards are difficult to breed but the breeding program at Howletts has been quite successful with 30 births since 2003. The leopard is currently threatened with extinction in the wild due to the demand for it coat.

A dentist in London has started offering laser fillings which are supposed to be pain free. Preparing the tooth for filling takes about the same time as using conventional treatments but doesn't need pain killing injections or any drilling. Instead the laser heats the water molecules in the tooth leading to a build up of pressure which leads to a micro explosion as the decayed area of the tooth is removed. Because there is no pressure on the tooth there are fewer vibrations but the technique cannot be used on old mercury filling because the laser beam would reflect back off the metal surface towards the dentist. Prices for the treatment are higher starting at £75 compares to £40 for a normal NHS filling. I have been lucky enough never to have needed a filling but this sounds much less painful.

This article suggests that rather than tackling faster prey cavemen often preferred to tackle something a little slower like tortoises. Scientists have found the remains of 526 tortoises in a cave that was occupied by early humans over 2.6 million years suggesting that cavemen were rather partial to eating the creatures. The bones show that the tortoises were roasted whole over fires and then cracked against rocks to remove their shells. Other bones from animals such as lions and hippos were also found in the caves so it appears cavemen did also hunt harder to kill creatures. Were they lazy or simply rather intelligent to target things that were easier to catch?

According to this article this new health drink called skinny water can suppress hunger and fight fat. It costs 99p a bottle and its manufacturers say it is scientifically proven. Nutritionists, however, say that its claims are not supported by clinical trials. The pomegranate flavoured water contains L-Carnitine and chromium which supposedly reduce sugar cravings and improve the body's ability to burn fat. Personally I'm rather skeptical, I still think the only way to lose weight is simply to eat less and exercise.

A candy ship in Santa Cruz has started selling chocolate covered bacon. The bacon is sprinkled with sea salt and then covered in dark chocolate and according to this article is "a good combination of sweet and salty". I'm not convinced.

When Hector the great dane started drooling and looking unwell, it was obvious there was something wrong with him, so his owner took him to the vet. It was only when, he was given an X-ray, however, that it emerged he had managed to swallow a 63cm stick. The stick was so long that it stretched over two thirds of the dogs body. It was later removed under anaesthetic and Hector appears to be fine despite the sticky situation.

As most of work involves using my computer I spend a lot of time sitting on my bottom. I decided that its about time I spend a bit more time getting fit. It is, however, really hard to find the time and by the evening I am usually just too tired to make it to the gym. That's why I have taken the rather painful decision to start running in the mornings. My new exercise regime involves getting up at 6am in the morning and going for a 30 minute run. Having never run before in my life this is proving no easy feat. The first day of running was two weeks ago and I honestly thought I was going to die. That day I spent more time walking, than running. Since then I have been running 6 days a week with a day off in the middle of the week to allow my muscles to recover. Every day I seem to be able to go a little further and I can now manage all of the 30 minute circuit followed by a short walk. I am already starting to feel fitter and slimmer so although it hurts I will continue to run. Perhaps after a few more weeks I might start enjoying it.

If you want longer legs then you might want to consider a leg lengthening clinic. Based in Russia the clinic claims it can literally add inches to your legs. The article cites two examples the first where a lady had her legs lengthened by 3 inches and another where a man has the procedure to correct the fact that he had one leg longer than the other. In both cases the treatment appears to have been successful. It does, however, sound really painful. The treatment involves having your legs broken in several places before being attached via metal pins to something called the IIizarov Frame. The frame provides a support of a cast and uses metal spokes to pierce the flesh and fix the bone in position. Rather than setting the bone the device gradually moves the two sections further apart causing new bone to grow and seal the break. It is possible to lengthen the bone as much as 2 inches in a month. I am lucky to be quite tall already but this procedure seems an awful lot of pain for the sake of a few extra inches. Ouch.

These little guys are so adorable. They were born at the West Midlands Safari Park and are unusual because white lions are very rare. According to African folklore white lion cubs are a lucky charm and are born just once every 100 years. These cubs belong to two lionesses who gave birth within a month of each other and are the only white lions in the UK. White lions are thought be extinct in the wild and at the last count in 2004 there were only 300 left, all in zoos.

I always loved going to the doctors surgery when I was younger because it was one of the few places around that had a rocking horse. This gadget has been described as a rocking horse for the wealthy. It is in fact a simulator which lets people ride in their own home. The virtual reality riding machine includes a mechanical horse with electronic sensors and a screen. It allows users to trot, canter and perform various dressage manoeuvres but unlike a real horse produces no mess and does not require feeding. Its an interesting concept but personally I think the real thing is much better. For me part of the joy of riding was building up a mutual relationship with my horse and of course the fact that you can never predict what a real horse will do, no matter how well you know it. Its an interesting variation on the rocking horse, though but not cheap at just under £40,000.

It comes as no surprise to read this article which suggests email phishing scams are up by 180%. The payments body APACS has reported that there have been 20,600 phishing incidents involving UK bank customers in the first six months of 2008 compared with only 7,200 in the same period in 2007. The most common scams seem to be emails that pretend to be from a bank requesting that you follow a link and enter your account number and password. It still amazes me that people get caught out by these scams, whilst the emails do sometimes look genuine, it is widely publicised by banks that they will never send an email asking for your account details or password. The message here is clear, if there is any doubt, don't click on it, just delete it. If your bank does really need to contact you, they have your address and phone number.

According to this article makeup for men is becoming more popular with Superdrug stocking a new range of makeup for men called Taxi Man. The makeup is aimed at men who want to enhance their features. It will include eyeliner for men which is thicker than normal eyeliner to make it easier for men to grip. Later this summer the range will also include a concealer and a lip balm. I wonder how popular it will be, I can't see my husband liking the idea very much.

Unagi Nobori is a rather strange drink made from eels. It has been launched in Japan with the translation of the name meaning "surging eel". The drink is a yellow liquid which contains eel extract and vitamins that are found in the fish. It has been launched to coincide with the start of Japan's annual eel eating season which starts on the 5th of August. Its main ingredients include extracts from the head and bones of eels, and five vitamins – A, B1, B2, D and E.  Apparently it tastes similar to broiled eels, an acquired taste perhaps?

This luxury yacht has been designed by a company called Wally. It is big enough to include a garden and a full sized swimming pool. It can sleep up to 40 crew and 24 guests and would have a gaming room, library, cinema, gym, spa and sauna. The yacht would measure 325 foot long and is fully customisable. It is still to be built and the price tag has not been set but I'm guessing it will be very very expensive, I wonder what sort of person would be able to afford one?

I notice that spam seems to come in waves. You seem to get one email followed in the next few days and weeks by thousands of similar ones. The latest wave seems to be these emails that try to convince you there is a parcel waiting for you at customs, such as the email below. I'm currently receiving around a hundred of these every day. I can't help wondering whether anyone actually believes that they do have a parcel to collect and responds to the email.

Dear Sirs,

We have received a parcel for you, sent from France on July 9. Please fill out the customs declaration attached to this message and send it to us by mail or fax. The address and the fax number are at the bottom of the declaration form.

Kind regards,

Your Customs Service

I usually do my supermarket shopping online because I find that I spend less money and am more likely to stick to my budget. Like most people I buy similar things most times I shop and these items appear in my favourite list. I have noticed, however, that items have started appearing in this list which I have never brought. As I have the only nectar card in our household I know that it is not my husband making purchases and have simply put the matter down to bugs in the system. For one couple, however, a similar incident nearly caused them to split up. Lynn Newby has logged into her Tesco account to do some shopping and noticed a packet of Mates condoms in her favourites list. Knowing that she hadn't brought them she assumed they must have been purchased by her boyfriend who shared the account with her. She then accused him of having an affair but he had no idea what she was talking about. It later emerged that the error was caused by Tesco and they sent the couple £100 along with a letter of apology.

This article suggests that customers are more likely to buy something when the price ends in 99. It is based on a study where French researchers demonstrated how lowering the price of a pizza from 8.00 euros to 7.99 euros boosted sale by 15%. The team of researchers studied more than 1,200 customers in a pizzeria. The menu included five pizzas alongside other meat and fish dishes. In the first week of the experiment the pizzas were all priced at 8.00 euros. In the second week the Pizza Valencia was dropped to 7.99 euros with the others remaining at the original price and in the last week all the pizzas were reduced to 7.99 euros. When the prices were identical 35% of customers opted for the Pizza Valencia but this increased to nearly half of customers when the price was dropped. In the final stage of the test there was no difference in sales between the five pizzas. Researchers also found that the 99 effect appears to work when customers are choosing between similar items and often pay less attention to the end of the price.

A garden centre in Lancashire have spent thousands of pounds on these rather interesting designer urinals. They were designed by American artist Clark Sorensen and cost £3,250. So far they have received good feedback with the managing director of the garden centre saying "In fact, our only complaint in the first few weeks of opening was that the men couldn't get into the gents' because it was full of ladies looking at the urinals!".

Selfridges have launched a very expensive teddy bear that costs £43,000. The bear has eyes made of emeralds and diamonds, its nose is made of of 24 caret gold and its fur is entwined with gold leaf. It also comes with an ink pot filled liquid gold. The bear is part of the stores first ever toy collection and is a limited edition. If you want one it is made to order and is available from August this year. I think its quite ugly.

Sat Nav devices can be useful but only if they are used in conjunction with road signs and a little common sense. Without this they can also be a disaster. One driver who was meant to be delivering cars from Turkey to Gibraltar ended up in a lane in Skegness after his sat nav device directed him towards a nature reserve called Gibraltar point. Of course the blame cannot be put solely on the sat nav device, presumably the driver is at fault for programming completely the wrong destination into it in the first place. And just for fun, here is a map showing the distance between the two destinations.

Devon fishermen have caught a lobster which could be 100 years old. The lobster was so heavy that it broke the winch on their fishing boat. It weighs 12.9lbs and is 81cm long. The lobster has been saved from ending up on a dinner plate and will now live at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, Devon.

If you have a bit of spare cash to spend then you might be able to afford a box of £5,000 chocolates from Harrods. The chocolates are made by the Lebanese chocolatier Patchi. The box itself is made from the finest materials, wrapped with leather and handmade silk. It contains 49 individually wrapped chocolates which sit on suede separated by gold and platinum lining. The chocolates are made from organically grown cocoa and decorated with gold and a Swarowski crystal flower or a hand made silk rose. A little too expensive for me, I'm afraid.

I came across this unusual article that shows pictures of a leopard attacking a crocodile. Apparently this sort of behaviour has never been captured on camera before. The leopard filmed in the Kruger National Park, stalked the crocodile before dragging it out of the water. Although the crocodile fought back the leopard managed to get the crocodile by the throat before suffocating it. Surprising, my money would have been on the crocodile.

I have heard of firefighters rescuing cats from trees but this story was a little more unusual. Firefighters in Northampton were called out to rescue a bird from a tree. The crow had managed to get itself tangled in the branches and was stuck. The firefighters soon pulled him free and the crow is now recovering at the Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.

According to this article you might have a long wait for PS3 movie downloads if you live in the UK. Although the service has just been launched in North America the European market is unlikely to get it until sometime next year. Apparently the issue is that Sony needs to sort out its country specific content before they launch it in Europe. The exact dates for specific European countries will be announced later this year.

According to this article drinking two cups of tea a day can halve your risk of dementia. It is thought that chemicals in the tea called flavonoids help protect the brain although researchers do not yet know why tea protects against damage. Other studies have shown that tea can also help prevent the development of cancerous tumours and prevent against heart disease and stroke as well as strengthening teeth. All very good news, I drink lots of tea.

The transport secretary Ruth Kelly has set out plans for pay as you go lanes on motorways. Under the scheme motorists would pay around £5 a time to use the lanes which would allow them to bypass motorway jams. On some motorways widening schemes would be put in place to create an extra lane but others would make use of the existing hard shoulder. Whilst the idea is interesting I'm not entirely sure using the hard shoulder is a good idea. Personally I thought that it was kept clear to allow breakdown and rescue services to quickly reach an accident, and to give motorists somewhere to stop if in trouble. A few years back I had a problem with my car when driving in the fast lane of the motorway. My car suddenly lost all power and I had to pull across all three lanes of traffic onto the hard shoulder where the car ground to a halt. Needless to say I was shaken but very relieved that the motorway was not busy and that there was somewhere for me to stop. I wonder what would have happened if that option was not available.

Northumberland FA is introducing barriers at its junior football games after problems with over zealous parents. The barriers are designed to put a distance between the spectators and the action with the aim being to stop attacks on referees and reduce pressure on the young players. As someone whose father was the manager of a youth team for nearly ten years I don't find these measures surprisingly. Unfortunately the parents, and that's mothers as well as fathers often take the game much too seriously. I can remember several incidents where parents of opposing sides nearly came to blows and many more when they took their frustrations out of the referee. Our referees were always volunteers and after a while we ran out of people who would offer to do the job, often having to rely on one the parents themselves so that the game could go ahead. Much more common were situations were young boys ended up in tears because of abusive comments from parents who really should know better. Perhaps banning abusive parents from the games altogether might have more effect. What do you think? Have you come across bad behaviour at junior football games?

Ben Walton from Hampshire must really like ironing because he has started an attempt break a world record by ironing for 60 hours. The current record stands at 55 hours and 5 minutes. Ben is allowed a 5 minute break every hour during the attempt. It is estimated that he will iron about 1,000 garments. He will be giving any money he raises to the Winchester Royal County Hospital to help pay for an incubator.

A German football club is offering fans the chance to be buried in an area near its arena. Hamburger SV has opened a 500 plot cemetery near its Nordbank arena and is offering fans the chance to be buried in the cemetery in the club's colours. The graves are on a football pitch lawn accessed by a goal shaped entrance. The scheme is open to all fans and costs £80,000. They offer burial contracts of around £2,000 payable over 25 years and you can also buy a HSV coffin for £1,850 or and an urn for £200. The idea came about after the club received numerous requests from fans who wanted to have their ashes strewn on the pitch. A number of English clubs have also had similar requests, so watch this space you could soon buried at your favourite football club.

With costs of conventional fertiliser rising, farmers are turning to a new way to fertilise their crops. Many have now started using human waste in the form of treated human sewage. Water companies are no longer allowed to dump this into the sea but appear to have a ready market in supplying farmers. In fact Severn Trent Water have said they are struggling to keep up with demand. Human fertiliser costs farmers around a fifth of the price of the more expensive alternative but does have the disadvantage of being more smelly. However, farmer Jonathan Barrett says the smell can be reduced once it is incorporated into the soil and turned regularly. He also said it is best to take into account the wind direction when using it. Human sewage is currently allowed to be used on grassland and crops but not on salads, fruit and root crops.

If you have trouble finding a sofa that matches your living room you might want to look at a bespoke option. Sofa specialist John Alan Designs can produce a sofa to match the size, colour and style of your room. They have a catalogue of different fabrics to choose from but can also use fabrics you already have. They can also use wood to match your current furnishings. Its an interesting idea but at a cost of £2,000 per sofa, a little out of my price range. Maybe one day if I win the lottery.

It still amazes me how many people continue to use their mobile phone whilst driving and I wonder whether they are aware that if they get caught they could end up with points on their driving license. Under new rules drivers could also face two years in jail if they kill someone whilst using their mobile phone at the wheel. Those who read or send text messages whilst driving are also likely to get between four and seven years in jail. I wonder whether this will have an effect on people who routinely do this, I'm guessing for most the message won't get through until they actually kill someone.

This article suggests that children now spend so little time outdoors that they are unable to identify most of Britain's common wildlife. Apparently one in three cannot identify a magpie whilst half couldn't tell the difference between a bee and a wasp. However in contrast nine out of ten could identify the Daleks from Doctor Who. You can take the survey here. I got them all right.

Whenever a new box arrives in our house it is never long before it has a cat in it so I am always very careful to check whether there is anything inside before getting rid of boxes. However, if you don't have cats you it might not occur to you to double check. One lady in Germany managed to mail her neighbours cat 500 miles across Germany after the curious kitty crept into a box she was about to post.  The box was sent from Rottach-Egern in Bavaria to Dorsten and it was only when the box arrived at its destination that the cat was discovered and freed.

I have lost count of the number of times that I have walked out of the supermarket only to set off all the alarms. This is usually followed by having to stand outside the store, unpacking all of your carefully packed shopping whilst the security guard looks for the offending item. To be fair, 95% of the the times this has happened I have been buying alcohol which I would expect to be tagged. However, on a recent shop, during which I purchased a number of low value groceries I was baffled as to what could have triggered the store alarm. It was, however, my rather ordinary looking lamb joint. It appears that supermarkets have now started to put security tags on meat. This article highlights one Sainsbury's store in Eastbourne which now tags all its chickens because they have been experiencing a rise in people shoplifting them. Whilst I am not against supermarkets putting these electronic tags on items, if they are going to start putting them on everyday items, I would appreciate it if they removed them when customers do actually pay for their shopping.

This interesting looking slug has been found in a gardens in Cardiff and Caerphilly. It is thought to be a new species but is similar to slugs found in Turkey and Georgia. The difference with this slug is that it is carnivorous and eats mainly worms. It also lives underground and only comes out to hunt at night.