Interesting Facts

Statistically speaking more British people die during the first full week than any other time of a year. (According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, deaths by day during December and January in England and Wales peak during the first full week of the year, and the risk is even higher if you are unlucky enough to be admitted to hospital during that time. The nice thing is, if you're reading this, you survived! Well done.)

Revellers who attended London's New Year celebrations would expect a great fireworks display, but they were also treated to apple, cherry and strawberry mist, peach snow, orange flavoured bubbles, and edible banana confetti. (Food artists Harry Parr and Sam Bompas devised the sensory elements of the display. Famous for exotic and unusual jelly making, they have created other immersive flavour based experiences ranging from an inhabitable cloud of gin and tonic, and a chocolate climbing wall. Nice work if you can get it.) http://bompasandparr.com/projects

More than than 1,000 blackbirds died and fell from the sky over a small USA town on New Year's Eve. (Apparently, the birds fell across a 1-mile area of Beebe, Arkansas.  According to an aerial survey, no other dead birds were found except those in that particular area.  The birds showed some signs of physical trauma, and officials say that a flock could have been hit by lightning, high-altitude hail, or even been startled by fireworks resulting in death from stress.  Whatever the real reason I am sure the conspiracy theorists and Armageddon watchers will be having a field day.)

On 1 January 2010 VAT in the UK will rise from 15% to 17.5%. (The standard rate of VAT was temporarily reduced to 15% on 1 December 2008 and will return to the previous level of 17.5% after 1 January 2010. Happy New Year!)

Every New Year's Eve, thousands of Germans sit down to watch an English comedy sketch that hardly anyone in England has heard of. (The sketch is called "Dinner for One" and it stars the late Freddie Frinton, who plays James, butler to an elderly upper-class English woman called Miss Sophie who is celebrating her 90th birthday. There's even a catchphrase that most Germans would instantly recognise "The same procedure as every year". But the whole thing was produced by a German TV company. Even so, many people are surprised that I had never heard of it before coming here.)

The world's official timekeeper, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) in Paris, decided to prolong 2008 by one second. (We all know about leap years, which occur once every four years because it takes 365 days plus six hours for our planet to complete an orbit around the Sun, but seemingly leap seconds are added on a strictly at need basis, because satellites orbit at speeds calculated in miles per second, and the Internet, (GPS) global positioning systems etc all need to know exactly what time it is. So the countdown to 2009 went something like this: "...3, 2, 1 and a half, 1... Happy New Year!")

2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy and the International Year of Natural Fibres. (So, cotton in space anyone? Happy New Year)

When you're drinking your bubbly to see in the New Year the following notes might help to choose and then describe the taste and bouquet (smell). (Brut Zero & Brut Sauvage, are sugar free and extremely dry. These are also the best option for diabetics. Brut is dry. `Extra Dry' is actually slightly sweeter than Brut. Demi sec translates as 'half dry', which is a good choice for those who prefer medium wines. Doux and Rich are very sweet. Biscuity - a biscuit smell to the bouquet that denotes maturity and integrated flavours. Creamy - obvious tastes of vanilla or cream. Fresh - Champagne has a higher acidity compared to other white wines and usually features traces of lemon and green apple for a refreshing taste. Nutty - this flavour usually derives from age and points to maturity of the Champagne. Toasty - a bready smell to the bouquet that denotes maturity and integrated flavours. Yeasty - Champagne is made using a secondary fermentation...

Today is the start of a new year (Nava Varsha) in Nepal. So, Happy New Year to all Nepalese! Nhu Dan Ya Bhintuna! (Nepal has its own calendar which is 56 years 08 months and 16 days ahead of the Christian calendar. From today (14th April) they start the year 2062 BS. The era (BS) is called Bikram Sambat and is named after a King of the valley.)