Words About Things

The National Lottery is launching a new game called Lotto Plus 5 which gives lottery players more chances to win big. As the name suggests Plus 5 gives you 5 extra chances to win by being included in 5 draws which take places in the days following the main draw. This means that you will be able to have the possibility of winning the lottery on 6 days of the week.

The new game will be available for a small additional fee to all those who enter the Wednesday or Saturday Lotto draws. The 5 extra draws take place on the following days and have a maximum prize of £250,000. There will also be prizes for matching 3 or more numbers as there are for the main Lotto draw. By adding extra draws it is thought that an additional 500,000 people will win per week. It will also generate more money for good causes, apparently £25 Billion has been raised since 1994.

Photo by cinnamon_girl

When the National Lottery was first launched in 1994 my Granddad began writing down the winning numbers in order to see which appeared most often. Of course, in theory, no ball is more likely to appear than any other but that didn’t stop him. Unfortunately my Granddad passed on before he won big but I still have his notebook somewhere.

According to the statistics on Lottery.co.uk the numbers which have appeared the most are 38, 43, 23, 11, 33 and 44. I’m not sure if that means they are more likely to come up next week or if they are due to appear less now in order to balance out the stats!

The Fleet Van Awards 2010 have been decided and the top award of Fleet Van Manufacturer of the Year has been given to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. VW’s fleet, which includes the Caddy and Crafter vans was judged to offer the “best brand value for UK fleets”. This is further good news for the brand who saw an 8% rise in global sales last month.

The Fleet Award judges explained why they had chosen Volkswagen from the shortlist of commercial vehicle manufacturers:

“Quality, quality, quality; Volkswagen has products across the range that are among the market leaders in each category.  It offers the best brand value for UK fleets with excellent back up from the manufacturer. Engineering, image, residual values, competitive running costs, new, more economical engines and a brand revitalised under MD Simon Elliott – it’s all translated into significant sales growth this year.”

Volkswagen also picked up the Medium Panel Van of the Year award for their Transporter van. The Transporter is one of the most popular Volkswagen vans for sale and is aimed primarily at the commercial vehicles market. The Fleet Van Awards judges said “The Transporter has dominated the market on residual values this year.  It has been upgraded with more efficient engines and improved build quality.  Well made, competitive running costs and a big seller – a winning combination.”

The Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Simon Elliott said ‘This award is a great honour. I am really proud, and pleased that the Fleet Van judges have recognised the quality and cost effectiveness of our vans and the professional customer service provided through our fleet team and dedicated Van Centre network.”

With Halloween approaching it’s time to start thinking about your costume. Will you go for an old classic like a ghost or a vampire or something a little more creative? Given the mystifying popularity of Twilight vampires are now off limits and a ghost shows little effort. Girls will no doubt take this opportunity to dress as a sexy-witch or a sexy-zombie or in fact a sexy anything at all.

Here are some ideas for topical Halloween costumes, they won’t make any sense when you see the photos in a few years form now but they are ideal for right now.

1. Cigar Guy from the Tiger Woods photo.

This guy managed to get himself in a iconic photo dressed like an idiot and thus became popular on the internet. His costume, which seems to reference Grouch Marx, is apparently a tribute to Spanish golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez.

2. Chilean Miner.

This is probably the most straight forward costume to create as no one actually knows what the miners look like yet. Chances are they will be pale and dirty, perhaps just roll around in some coal dust and wear some sunglasses.

3. George Osbourne.

Another simple costume, all you need is a boring haircut and a cheap suit. Carry a scythe around to symbolize the forthcoming ‘cuts’ and your costume is complete.

4. Chloe Mafia.

Here’s a challenge girls: dress as a ‘sexy’ version of X Factor minger Chloe Mafia for Halloween.

5. Wheelie Bin Cat.

Remember that cat that was thrown in a wheelie bin by a mad old lady? This is great for girls who want to dress as a sexy-cat but be topical at the same time. You might need a friend to push your wheelie bin around so plan ahead.