KEY POINTS:
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is selling his Volkswagen Kombi, the van he used while filming his TV series on food in Italy. The 1959 model is being auctioned in London tomorrow and is expected to fetch upwards of $100,000. The van has had VIP treatment since Oliver
bought it in 1999. It's fitted with satellite navigation, a Play-Station, TVs and a high-spec audio system. Driving the rear wheels is a 2.4-litre VW/Porsche 914 engine. A specially built trailer kitchen Oliver towed around Italy is part of the package.
Brits holiday on the road
British families appear to be following Oliver's example and spending their holidays on the road. Research shows 20 per cent of holidaymakers are planning a British driving holiday this northern summer, and 11 per cent intend to take their cars to Europe. Why? They are concerned about the environmental impact of short-haul flights and want to decrease their carbon footprint. One in five of those planning a driving holiday in Britain are also planning to buy an environmentally-friendly car in the next 12 months.
A life behind the wheel
The average commuter will travel 2 times around the globe over the course of his or her working life, says a survey. That's in Britain, not Auckland. But a study of the distance car and bus occupants travel to and from work in Auckland over 40-odd years might not be dissimilar. Twenty-five million people in Britain travel to and from work each day -18 million by car, 7 million by bus or train. The average commuter travels for 58 minutes a day and one in 10 people have a daily journey of more than two hours. British transport body the RAC foundation found the average daily distance travelled is 14km, a 6 per cent increase since 1995/97. The average commuter travels 2253km a year.
Phil Flaxton, CEO of employment study group Work Wise UK, said: "The requirement to travel to and from work at the same time to the same place every weekday is largely unnecessary considering the technology available, and the nature of the global market today. Changing our working practices could be one of the solutions to road congestion, and probably the only one that is currently achievable."
We are the world
Eric Cunningham, 18, strolled into a petrol station in Orlando, Florida, carrying a small cardboard box. In it was the handgun he had just bought. He took out the gun, ordered the attendant to hand over the cash and fled. But he left the box behind. In it was a receipt for the gun made out to "Eric Cunningham".
Jazrahel King, 29, was arrested at a car dealer's yard in Norwalk, Connecticut, after he tried to trade in a Jeep he had stolen from the same dealer weeks before. It was still carrying the dealer's temporary licence plate.