Or she could pop to the 99p Store in Camden High Street where she had once found, among the giant shampoo bottles and unseasonal Christmas decorations, a plastic model Cyberman exactly right for a grandchild.

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She returned with a brand new seasonal Christmas cup complete with its post-consumer waste collar and plastic top.

FORBES: The Reusable Cup Experiment

Plenty of warning signs also preceded Nigerian Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up Northwest flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 with an underwear bomb made with PETN, a plastic explosive that was not detected by airport security.

CNN: Agencies often miss warning signs of attacks

The use of AIT scanners has increased since the Christmas Day 2009 attempt by Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab to blow up a plane over Detroit by detonating plastic explosives hidden in his underwear.

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