Day: July 22, 2016

    We humans are always pushing limits ― skydiving, downhill skiing, car racing. The stark reality, however, is that our bodies are not built to survive accidents involving many of the technologies we’ve come to love and rely on, namely automobiles. Then there’s Graham ― a bulging, unsightly and very crash-proof specimen. Developed as part of a new road safety campaign in Australia, the lifelike sculpture highlights our own vulnerabilities, designed with bodily features that might be present in humans if they had evolved to withstand the forces involved in [car] crashes, according to the Transport Accident Commission in the state of Victoria. Graham was produced by Melbourne-based artist Patricia Piccinini, with help from road safety engineer Dr. David Logan and trauma surgeo...

    The UK is heading for a 0.4% contraction in the third quarter according to the first post-Brexit snapshot of business activity. A flash estimate from the closely-watched Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) for July pointed to the worst performance for more than seven years - when the economy was in the depth of recession. The pound, already trading at 31-year lows against the US dollar, fell by a cent on the figures. The figures will add to pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates next month to cushion the economy from the Brexit blow. Markit chief economist Chris Williamson said: "July saw a dramatic deterioration in the economy, with business activity slumping at the fastest rate since the height of the global financial crisis in early 2009." He said the...