10 things we didn't know this time last week

10 THINGS 10 houses in Bruges - by Tony Janes See 10 things? Send us a picture

It's easy to lose track of the news. So at the end of the week, it's good to keep an eye on some of those things which shouldn't go unnoticed.

If you spot something you think should be included next week, send it to us using the form at the bottom of the page.

 
1. Lord Baden Powell wanted a section on the dangers of "self abuse" in his Scouting for Boys. His original manuscript read: "A very large number of the lunatics in our asylums have made themselves ill by indulging in this vice although at one time they were sensible cheery boys like you."

2. Farmers plant their crops up to three weeks earlier than 15 years ago. In the 1960s, temperatures from January to March averaged 4.2C; it rose to 5.6C in the 1990s.

3. Making the average PC requires 10 times the weight of the product in chemicals and fossil fuels.

Full story

4. Packaging accounts for one-sixth of what we spend on food.

Full story

5. Gavyn Davies, the former BBC chairman, was the second biggest individual sponsor of Alastair Campbell's marathon effort last April - but the pair haven't spoken since Andrew Gilligan's broadcast.

10 THINGS ON TV If you're in the UK, you can see 10 Things at the weekend on Ceefax, page 129 and also on cable, satellite and Freeview

6. Supermarket chains in the UK hand out 17bn plastic bags each year - enough to cover Sussex and Surrey.

7. Phenology is the study of the times of naturally occurring phenomena, such as the first swallow or bumble bee of spring. It began in the UK with the naturalist Robert Marsham, who started recording the signs of spring in 1736.

8. A London tube carriage is officially considered to be crowded when there are more people standing than seated.

9. The average life expectancy for men in parts of Glasgow is only 64, compared to the UK average of 76.

Full story

10. The Duchess of Kent has been a music teacher in a primary school in Hull for the past eight years, where the pupils know her as Mrs Kent.

Full story

---

If you see something you think should be included next week, let us know using the form below. Thanks to Soo Rawlinson and Tony Janes.