LONDON ? For Britain's biggest police force, time really is money.
Figures show that London's Metropolitan Police spent 35,000 pounds ($54,000) on calls to a speaking clock service between 2009 and 2011. By recording such calls, police presumably obtained proof of the times they entered into their official written reports.
The force also spent more than 200,000 pounds calling directory inquiries over the same period.
Data released after a freedom of information request from the Press Association news agency shows members of the force made more than 110,000 calls to the speaking clock, at 31 pence a shot.
The force said it was committed to cost-cutting, but there were "evidential and operational reasons" for officers and staff to need to know the exact time, and many had no direct Internet access.
LONDON ? For Britain's biggest police force, time really is money.
Figures show that London's Metropolitan Police spent 35,000 pounds ($54,000) on calls to a speaking clock service between 2009 and 2011. By recording such calls, police presumably obtained proof of the times they entered into their official written reports.
The force also spent more than 200,000 pounds calling directory inquiries over the same period.
Data released after a freedom of information request from the Press Association news agency shows members of the force made more than 110,000 calls to the speaking clock, at 31 pence a shot.
The force said it was committed to cost-cutting, but there were "evidential and operational reasons" for officers and staff to need to know the exact time, and many had no direct Internet access.
'I'm just happy that I can be a part of a record that's making so many young, ambitious dancers so much money,' Wale quips on remix video set. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ricky Louis
Wale, Fabolous and Tyga on the set of "Rack City" Photo: MTV News
Radio, music videos, mixtapes and digital presence are all fine gauges of what's hot in hip-hop, but the set lists at gentlemen's clubs should never be overlooked.
At the moment, Tyga's "Rack City" seems to be the current strip-club crown holder, and now with the remix video featuring Wale and Fabolous coming, the record doesn't appear to be losing steam any time soon.
"I'm just happy that I can be a part of a record that's influencing and making so many young, ambitious dancers so much money," Wale playfully told MTV News from the set of Tyga's remix video in Miami.
This past Friday, Tyga gathered Wale and Fab to shoot their portion of the "Rack City" video. On set, the trio joked about how the track keeps strip clubs open for business.
"I think it's important that we continue to make songs like this, because it's keeping the whole game of ... ," Wale started before completely losing his train of thought.
"The cycle of the economy," Loso chimed in.
"It's very beneficial to so many young women across the country," Wale picked back up. "The strip clubs are stress relief. Welcome to Rack City!"
Tyga just nodded in agreement. "Everything they said," he added with a laugh.
The DJ Mustard-produced track is slated to appear on Tyga's upcoming Young Money debut Careless World. The song's original was adapted from the "Grand Theft Auto" series of video games. In the clip, which weaves a campy crime tale with performance shots, Tyga plays an out-of-luck bandit who steals from the fictional Rack City's underworld boss, Mr. Rose.
What are you expecting from the "Rack City" remix video? Let us know in the comments!
Contact: Leif Inge Tjelta leif.i.tjelta@uis.no 475-183-3523 University of Stavanger
Youngsters in Norway today are not as fit as earlier generations, and even the best perform less well. Researchers now warn that a wave of inactivity could have a major long-term health impact.
The conclusions about the physical condition of young people build on a survey of Norwegian schoolchildren's performance in the 3 000-metre race from 1969 to 2009.
Associate professors Leif Inge Tjelta and Sindre Dyrstad at the University of Stavanger (UiS) have drawn on notes kept by a number of physical education teachers.
Their work has confirmed a modern prejudice that today's Norwegian children run more slowly than people of their age did in the past.
Dramatic
Based on roughly 5 000 trials covering pupils in Stavanger, the results of the study are depressing and worse than the researchers had feared.
They show that physical endurance levels among schoolchildren remained stable until the end of the 1980s, but have worsened dramatically since 1990.
The main findings show that boys running the 3 000-metre now take one minute and 20 seconds longer on average than earlier generations.
Girls, on the other hand, require an extra minute to complete the race, giving gender-specific increases of 10 and six per cent respectively.
Depressing
Published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, the study shows that the most depressing results are among schoolchildren with the weakest performance.
"Results for this group are far worse than before," comments Prof Tjelta. "These children are exposing themselves to a great health risk.
"There's a potential danger that their low level of activity will have long-term consequences for their physical condition unless they do something about it.
"But the best 10 per cent are also in worse shape than before. That even extends to schoolchildren who're pursuing sports at a high level in their own time."
Sedentary
Norwegians have become more sedentary in a relatively short space of time, Prof Dyrstad notes. "They sit still for longer periods and drive to get from one place to another.
"Since the 1990s, we see that youngsters in Norway who were previously outdoors in the afternoon are increasingly sitting in front of a computer.
"Since these activities appeal more to boys than to girls, the former are hardest hit by the wave of inactivity. That conforms with findings from other studies."
Downgraded
The two researchers believe that physical exercise has been downgraded in terms of the priority given to it by schools.
"The gymnastics timetable has been cut to the bone, and many schools offer physical activities which provide in reality too little motion," says Prof Tjelta. "Daily exercises with well-qualified teachers can be very important, and should accordingly be on school timetables right down to nursery level.
"Failure to do this will have a negative effect. The politicians must be willing to invest in physical education."
Training teachers
He points out that boys can easily take control of the choice of activities in the lesson if the teacher lacks the expertise needed to create a proper plan.
The danger is that girls then lose interest in the subject. Prof Tjelta hopes that more local authorities will give priority to providing continuing physical education classes.
Prof Dyrstad, who has worked as a PE teacher himself, believes that children and young people should have one hour of physical activity in every school day.
"Since it's the most sedentary who're the hardest to get involved in such activity, having professionally trained PE teachers in schools is important," he says.
Too much driving
The researchers urge parents to make a bigger commitment to getting their children to be physically active in their leisure time.
Research shows that Norwegians are increasingly driving to places, even if these are less than three kilometres from their homes.
"Parents have great freedom of action in inspiring physical fitness, including such measures as cycling around the neighbourhood rather than driving," says Prof Dyrstad.
"People must discover the pleasure of physical activity, that it's fun to get into shape. We must all think creatively and innovatively."
Motivation
Prof Tjelta adds that obesity problems are growing in Norway as the body weight of youngsters rises. "But it wouldn't take much to change that.
"We also know that children who're very physically active in their early lives continue to be so when they reach adulthood.
"Unfortunately, today's social structure encourages parents to drive their children to sporting and leisure activities. It's particularly important to motivate those who don't do sport outside school."
Call for campaigns
Prof Dyrstad believes that lessons could be learnt from earlier Norwegian campaigns to persuade people to stop smoking, which have proved fairly effective.
"We now need to become aware of the passivation of society. Being in good physical shape is actually the most important factor in reducing the risk of illness and early death."
###
Text: Thomas Bore Olsen
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Leif Inge Tjelta leif.i.tjelta@uis.no 475-183-3523 University of Stavanger
Youngsters in Norway today are not as fit as earlier generations, and even the best perform less well. Researchers now warn that a wave of inactivity could have a major long-term health impact.
The conclusions about the physical condition of young people build on a survey of Norwegian schoolchildren's performance in the 3 000-metre race from 1969 to 2009.
Associate professors Leif Inge Tjelta and Sindre Dyrstad at the University of Stavanger (UiS) have drawn on notes kept by a number of physical education teachers.
Their work has confirmed a modern prejudice that today's Norwegian children run more slowly than people of their age did in the past.
Dramatic
Based on roughly 5 000 trials covering pupils in Stavanger, the results of the study are depressing and worse than the researchers had feared.
They show that physical endurance levels among schoolchildren remained stable until the end of the 1980s, but have worsened dramatically since 1990.
The main findings show that boys running the 3 000-metre now take one minute and 20 seconds longer on average than earlier generations.
Girls, on the other hand, require an extra minute to complete the race, giving gender-specific increases of 10 and six per cent respectively.
Depressing
Published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, the study shows that the most depressing results are among schoolchildren with the weakest performance.
"Results for this group are far worse than before," comments Prof Tjelta. "These children are exposing themselves to a great health risk.
"There's a potential danger that their low level of activity will have long-term consequences for their physical condition unless they do something about it.
"But the best 10 per cent are also in worse shape than before. That even extends to schoolchildren who're pursuing sports at a high level in their own time."
Sedentary
Norwegians have become more sedentary in a relatively short space of time, Prof Dyrstad notes. "They sit still for longer periods and drive to get from one place to another.
"Since the 1990s, we see that youngsters in Norway who were previously outdoors in the afternoon are increasingly sitting in front of a computer.
"Since these activities appeal more to boys than to girls, the former are hardest hit by the wave of inactivity. That conforms with findings from other studies."
Downgraded
The two researchers believe that physical exercise has been downgraded in terms of the priority given to it by schools.
"The gymnastics timetable has been cut to the bone, and many schools offer physical activities which provide in reality too little motion," says Prof Tjelta. "Daily exercises with well-qualified teachers can be very important, and should accordingly be on school timetables right down to nursery level.
"Failure to do this will have a negative effect. The politicians must be willing to invest in physical education."
Training teachers
He points out that boys can easily take control of the choice of activities in the lesson if the teacher lacks the expertise needed to create a proper plan.
The danger is that girls then lose interest in the subject. Prof Tjelta hopes that more local authorities will give priority to providing continuing physical education classes.
Prof Dyrstad, who has worked as a PE teacher himself, believes that children and young people should have one hour of physical activity in every school day.
"Since it's the most sedentary who're the hardest to get involved in such activity, having professionally trained PE teachers in schools is important," he says.
Too much driving
The researchers urge parents to make a bigger commitment to getting their children to be physically active in their leisure time.
Research shows that Norwegians are increasingly driving to places, even if these are less than three kilometres from their homes.
"Parents have great freedom of action in inspiring physical fitness, including such measures as cycling around the neighbourhood rather than driving," says Prof Dyrstad.
"People must discover the pleasure of physical activity, that it's fun to get into shape. We must all think creatively and innovatively."
Motivation
Prof Tjelta adds that obesity problems are growing in Norway as the body weight of youngsters rises. "But it wouldn't take much to change that.
"We also know that children who're very physically active in their early lives continue to be so when they reach adulthood.
"Unfortunately, today's social structure encourages parents to drive their children to sporting and leisure activities. It's particularly important to motivate those who don't do sport outside school."
Call for campaigns
Prof Dyrstad believes that lessons could be learnt from earlier Norwegian campaigns to persuade people to stop smoking, which have proved fairly effective.
"We now need to become aware of the passivation of society. Being in good physical shape is actually the most important factor in reducing the risk of illness and early death."
###
Text: Thomas Bore Olsen
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
If you weren't in the know on Google Earth's flight simulator easter egg, rest assured that Google's next map-centric game will be entirely public. A new promotional video pimping Google+ Games invites you to "play your world" by cubing a mapped area of the Earth, and dropping a ball into it. Tilt and roll -- not the most complex game ever, but novel to say the least. The game is based off another recent video showing Google Maps as an actual, physical cube. Zany enough for you? Hit the break, and let your tactile cube map dreams come true.
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Public release date: 19-Jan-2012
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