MostlyMumbling

Family Attractions in Melbourne

2012-01-26T16:50:00.000Z

Families taking a trip to Melbourne will find a lively dynamic city with plenty to see, do and enjoy, from its brilliant festivals to local delicacies. It can be a long flight to Australia, but there are direct routes to Melbourne available and once there, there's so much to do. There are outdoor attractions that will wear the kids out and wildlife parks where they can make new friends with weird and strange animals. Australians love life in the sun and Melbourne is no different offering lots of great adventures for kids to try in the fresh air.

Wonderland Fun Park

The Wonderland Fun Park is an action packed day out with the kids in the heart of the Harbour Town district. The excitement includes dodgems, roller coaster rides, a carousel and the Jurassic Adventure and Crazy Wave rides. The Wonderland Park is a reasonably priced day out with heaps of things to do for all ages.

Artplay

Artplay in the centre of Melbourne provides a wonderful couple of hours entertainment for the budding artists in the family. This is a supportive venture where kids and parents together learn all about painting, performance and creativity in a completely interactive and playful environment.

Polly Woodside Tall Ship

The Polly Woodside in Southbank is an interactive marine exploration where kids can clamber over an old tall ship and meet the sailors that crew her. This ship that dates from 1885 provides the perfect place for enthusiastic and adventurous children to discover a new world of their own. Kids get to try out life below decks, working the ropes and experiencing the thrill of sailing in the motion room.

Galactic Circus

The Galactic Circus in the middle of town is Australia’s largest indoor entertainment centre and a great option on a rainy, damp day. Full of games and pastimes to keep little minds busy with old favourites like laser battles, bowling alleys, hi-tech machines, simulation rides and arcade game classics.

Federation Square

The Feds Square in central Melbourne is a popular location, especially during the summer months for events and festivals. There are lots of tasty snack bars, diners and coffee shops where the family can grab a bite to eat. Here you will also find the Australian Centre for Moving Images, the Commercial Galleries Association and the Ian Potter Centre, which explores contemporary Australian artworks.

Families on flights to Melbourne needn’t worry about what to do, with its zoo and safari park, the aquarium and shark centre as well as the See and Beyond venues there are lots of creatures to discover. You can keep the kids in line with a tour of the Old Gaol or open their minds with a day at the Scienceworks exhibition with its hair raising and space exploration themes. There is a whole host of things for all on a trip to Melbourne.

Maternity Leave: Knowing Your Rights

2012-01-18T16:40:00.000Z

Do you know your rights when it comes to maternity leave in the UK?

Having a child is a very special time in your life, and as a new mother you will want to take time off from work so that you can stay at home with your newborn and focus on taking care of their needs. Luckily, if you work in the UK you have maternity rights according to employment law which will allow you the ability to take time off from work with your new baby.

It’s important to know your maternity rights and understand how maternity leave works in your situation, so that you will be able to ensure that you are getting the time off that you are entitled to. Here is a bit more information about what you are eligible for:

Statutory Maternity Leave

As an employee in the UK, you will be eligible for the statutory maternity leave scheme. Your particular employer might have an independent maternity leave scheme which could be different than the standard government scheme, but it should only be more generous as no employer can offer you less than the standard UK scheme.

Under the Statutory Maternity Leave, you are eligible for twenty-six weeks of what is called “Ordinary Maternity Leave” as well as twenty-six weeks of what is known as “Additional Maternity Leave” which adds up to a total of fifty-two weeks (one year) in total.

What Your Employer Needs to Know

You are eligible for this no matter how long you have worked in job, how many hours you worked per week, or how much you were paid. You need to let your employer know that you intend to take your maternity leave at least 15 weeks before the week that your baby is due. Tell them that you are pregnant, inform them of the date when the baby is due, and let them know the date you want to start the maternity leave. Make sure that you submit this notice in writing, and keep a copy for yourself. You might also need to submit a copy of the certificate you received from your doctor which tells you when the baby is due.

When to Start Your Maternity Leave

You are allowed to start your maternity leave any time from 11 weeks before your baby is due. Some mothers like to work as far into the pregnancy as possible so that they will spend most of their maternity leave after their little one is born. However, if you miss work for reasons related to pregnancy within four weeks of the expected due date, your employer can make you start the maternity leave from that point.

Do you have to take all of your maternity leave?

No, if you don’t want to take your entire maternity leave, you don’t have to. The minimum amount of time off you are required to take is two weeks, or four weeks if you work in a factory.

Before having your baby, make sure that you understand your rights regarding maternity leave so that you can take the time off that you need to take care of your baby.

Very Funny Cats

2012-01-18T16:23:00.000Z

One of the best LolCats I have seen :)

Popular Fleet Vehicles

2012-01-06T14:42:00.000Z

Which styles are more popular than others for businesses building up a fleet of cars?

A Fleet vehicle refers to a motor vehicle which is leased or owned by a business or a government agency, rather than a person. Many different businesses use fleet vehicles, such as car rental companies, public utilities, taxi cab firms, police departments, and delivery companies. Fleet vehicles can vary from industrial diggers to mine trucks to police cars. These fleet vehicles are used for the practical purpose of the operation of the business, and they also serve as a driving advertisement for the company.

What Makes A Fleet Vehicle Popular?

There are certain makes and models of cars which are more commonly used as fleet vehicles, but why are there particular automobiles chosen over others? When purchasing fleet vehicles, there are certain characteristics that businesses are looking for in a car. A popular fleet vehicle will likely have a mid to large sized engine, and a mid-sized body with four doors. Cars with good fuel economy are often chosen, as they will provide the company with a savings. They should also be easy to source parts for when it comes to maintenance. A fleet vehicle will likely be a long standing model with a very positive track record, and a familiar model with mild styling.

The Vauxhall Astra Comes in First Place

Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the UK stated that the Vauxhall Astra was the most popular fleet car of 2010. Its fleet sales grew approximately 10% in one year.
The second and third cars on the list were also Ford vehicles, the Focus and the Fiesta. These top three cars were the same as last year’s statistics. Directly below these three in fourth and fifth places is the VW Golf followed by the Vauxhall Corsa.

What Other Types of Vehicles Are Popular?

No matter which make or model is the most popular, there are certain styles and types of vehicles which make popular additions to a fleet. Here are some of the most common fleet vehicles:

Box Trucks and Trailers

These types of vehicles are used to transport goods from one place to another, and the large rectangular box in the back is an inviting canvas where you can place your logo and advertisement, turning the truck into a mobile billboard.

Vans

Vans are often used as fleet vehicles by companies who need to transport both personnel and cargo, or make small deliveries. They are also a popular type of vehicle for small business owners such as trades-people who can keep their tools and supplies in the back of the van.

Small, Rounded Vehicles

A recent trend is seeing more businesses use cute little rounded cars such as Mini-Coopers, Volkswagen Beetles, and Fiat 500s as fleet vehicles. They are just large enough to drive people around, and they are unusual and eye catching when covered with the company’s advertisement.

When choosing a fleet vehicle, think about the needs of your business to determine which popular style would be best suited to you.

Facebook locks down 45k accounts following malware attack

2012-01-06T14:16:00.000Z

Kacebook has locked down 45,000 accounts of mostly UK and French accounts to stope the spread of a new variety of malicious software reports The Telegraph:-

The Ramnit worm has been spreading since April 2010, but was only recently adapted to target Facebook details, according to computer security experts. It was previously used by cyber criminals to steal login credentials for other services, including online banking.
A “worm” is distinct from a normal computer virus in that it can reproduce itself without needing to attach itself to an existing program. This ability means worms can spread very rapidly online.
The new threat to Facebook users was highlighted this week by Seculert, an Israeli computer security firm. It said most of the users affected so far are British or French.

Is It a Good Idea to Have More Than One Bank Account?

2012-01-04T11:02:00.000Z

Should you stick to one bank account or is it a good idea to have more than one?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with opening more than one bank account, and you might just find that taking advantage of the different types of bank accounts out there can actually be an advantage to you!

Fit for Purpose

Many people these days have more than one savings account, designed to save for different uses. Every bank account is unique, and some features of a specific bank account will be more suitable to a specific need than others. For example, one type of bank account will offer much better interest rates which makes it suitable to use as a long term savings account. However, another account will have no fees for transactions and unlimited checking and transfer capabilities which make it desirable as a day to day expenses account.

Some people might have an emergency savings account that they have set up as a backup in case an emergency occurs, and they would never touch this money for any other reason. They could also have a special savings account to save up for a specific goal such as Christmas presents or a holiday. Some banks even offer special accounts that are specifically designed for saving up for holidays. Having a separate savings account which is different from your main account can really help you save, because it will keep the money out of sight and out of mind so that you are not tempted to spend it!

Another different type of account that you might have is a long term or retirement savings account. A long term account might be started when your kids are young and can be used for saving for their college or university education. You can also start a retirement savings account for when you are older.
If you have your own business you will have to open up a business account so that your personal finances are mixed together with the finances of your business.

Keep Track of Your Multiple Accounts

If you are opening several different types of bank accounts, make sure that you are organized and that you are able to keep track of them. If you are not using one of the accounts it might be costing you fees to keep it open, so you will want to be aware of this. Also, always pay close attention to the terms and conditions of each account and the minimum sums that you need to pay in per month so that you are not charged needlessly. However, if you can successfully manage your multiple bank accounts you can find that you will have all of the advantages of each different type of account for all of your various banking needs.

No Picturez Lolcats

2012-01-04T10:37:00.000Z

Who doesn't like a bit of Lolcats? This one's glamorous :)

Etihad Announces Reduced Pakistan Fares

2012-01-03T16:26:00.000Z

Flying from Pakistan is to become a litle bit cheaper with Etihad Airways, for a limited time, from its Pakistan airports. If you are on Twitter, you can find these and other offers on the Etihad deal page.

This offer will be available on a restricted number of seats on bookings made between 29 December & 9th January 2012 and for journeys taking place between 22nd January until 30th June 2012. It includes destinations all around the globe, for example:-

Return flights from Karachi to Dubai or Abu Dhabi from PKR 22,650
Return flights from Karachi to London from PKR 60,100
Return flights from Karachi to Manchester from PKR 61,290
Return flights from Karachi to New York from PKR 87,750

Some of the other offers available are shown below:-

Departing from:	Destination	Return -Economy
ISB/LHE	DXBAUH	30,650
ISB/LHE	CDG	58,630
ISB/LHE	FRA	59,850
ISB/LHE	LHR	65,100
ISB/LHE	MAN	66,290
ISB/LHE	MIL	54,700
ISB/LHE	IST	54,055
ISB/LHE	MUC	62,550
ISB/LHE	JFK	92,750
ISB/LHE	DUS	62,050
ISB/LHE	JED	36,910
ISB/LHE	YYZ	92,290
LHE/ISB	DUB	57,320
KHI	DXB/AUH	22,650
KHI	CDG	53,630
KHI	FRA	54,850
KHI	LHR	60,100
KHI	MAN	61,290
KHI	MIL	49,700
KHI	IST	49,055
KHI	MUC	57,550
KHI	JFK	87,750
KHI	DUS	57,050
KHI	JED	29,910
KHI	YYZ	87,290
KHI	DUB	53410

Departing from:	Destination	Return -Business
ISB/LHE	DXB/AUH	65,650
ISB/LHE	CDG	196,850
ISB/LHE	FRA	193,840
ISB/LHE	LHR	207,100
ISB/LHE	MAN	224,470
ISB/LHE	MIL	188,701
ISB/LHE	MUC	212,550
ISB/LHE	JFK	281,740
ISB/LHE	YYZ	281,290
ISB/LHE	DUS	212,050
KHI	DXB/AUH	55,650
KHI	CDG	176,850
KHI	FRA	173,840
KHI	MIL	168,700
KHI	YYZ	261,290

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T15:52:00.000Z

Amazing fireworks display bringing in the 2012 in style.

Etihad Launches New Routes to Chengdu & Dusseldorf

2011-12-22T11:07:00.000Z

Etihad Airways continued expanding its range of destinations with new routes between Abu Dhabi and Chengdu - the first route connecting the Middle East and Chengdu, as well as adding Dusseldorf flights to its itinerary.

Dusselfdorf ia a base airport for Airberlin, with whom Etihad recently significantly increased their shareholding. This makes Etihad the second 'MEB3' carrier to operate out of Dusseldorf, after Emirates.

The two new routes will both be operated four times a week, with the Dusseldorf route increasing to daily flights at the start of the summer season next year.

Whoa!

2011-12-19T16:09:00.002Z

Bit close for comfort!

27,000 Property Millionaires Created in 2011

2011-12-19T14:32:00.000Z

Source: Imgspark

27,000 new property millionaires were created in 2011, despite overall prices dropping by 3%, reports The Telegraph. Large houses are in relatively short supply, meaning that property sellers in this niche can up their asking price.

New figures from Zoopla.co.uk, an online valuation service, say 26,744 more home owners had properties worth £1m more at the end of 2011 than at the same time last year, although the average British property value fell by 3pc to £221,128 over the same period.
"High prime demand" from equity-rich buyers and relatively low supply of large homes had created 73 new property millionaires every day in 2011, Zoopla said, and one in 108 homes was now worth £1m or more; at the peak of the property market in 2007 the figure was one in 97.

Not surprisingly, the biggest rise in property millionaires was in London, where it accounts for 9 of the top 10 areas in the country. Virginia Water in Surrey was the only area outside Londond in the top 10 with 30% of homes worth more than £1M.

Nick Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk said: "This data shows clearly how differently the top end of the market is performing from mainstream Britain.

"While most of the market is suffering from the impact of inflation, stagnant wage growth, the inability to secure mortgage finance and nervousness about the future of the economy, at the upper end of the market cash and equity rich buyers are enjoying some of the lowest mortgage rates in recent history."
He added that "strong demand" from overseas buyers has boosted prices for homes in the capital.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out when interest rates start to go up and the new mortgage lending rules come into effect in 2013.

2011-12-14T15:09:00.002Z

Classic cute kitten video.

New Mobile Apps Evolving Our Banking Habits

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000Z

Source Technewsdaily

Since the advent of internet banking in the 1990's, smartphones and tablet applications will opave the way in the future, reports technewsdaily:

A Swiss study of 50 banks worldwide that have dedicated iOS and Android apps found that while most were extremely basic, a few of the apps demonstrate great potential.
"In terms of the future of mobile banking, it's very clear to us that when we talk about banking in general, a big part of this will be mobile," said Steffen Binder, research director of the Swiss market research group MyPrivateBanking that released the new report.

The article also suggests that mobile banking will revolutionise day to dat transactions as well as demand continues to increase and the US adopts the European Visa Mastercard (EMV) security framework. Contactless payment, whereby a phone can be swiped like a credit or debit card is also likely to become more widespread as the technology develops.

Edward O'Brien, channels adviser of Mercator Advisory Group in the US continued:

As mobile banking applications free up services now handled by tellers, bank branch offices could undergo a renaissance of their own. Greater staff time and a shift in focus would allow tellers to be conduits to financial advisors and physical space to host rich discussions about one’s financial future, O’Brien said.

"You could actually discuss with someone investment opportunities. Instead of just withdrawing or depositing, talk about where you want to be this year or next year. You could use the branch to really take investment to the next level," he said.

The way in which we look after our finances could be unrecognisable in just a few short years.

Pro Bono Law Clinic Opened in Northampton

2011-12-09T15:40:00.000Z

The Northampton and District Citizens Advice Bureau pro bono clinic has opened its doors to provide clients with access to free legal services from Access Legal.

The press release says:

The new clinic is the result of a joint effort between Access Legal, Northampton and District CAB, the University of Northampton Law School and LawWorks, all of whom recognised the immense public value of free legal services. These organisations understand that many people across the UK cannot afford to hire solicitors despite urgently needing legal advice.

More than 30 attendees joined Access Legal and the other organisations involved in the pro bono clinic to celebrate its official launch during National Pro Bono Week.

The clinic will provide the community with advice on a range of legal issues, such as employment disputes, landlord and tenant issues and consumer rights.

The chief executive of the Northampton and Distract CAB, Martin Lord, echoed Paul Morrison's sentiments, saying: "This is a significant development for us. It ushers in what we hope will be a new era of cooperation with the legal community."
Lord went on to say that all of the bro bono support involved in establishing the clinic represents an untapped resource for the community. He expressed his gratitude to the University of Northampton Law School, LawWorks and Access Legal for their efforts in developing the clinic and setting a positive tone of collaboration for the future.

Access Legal has also recently helped to raise over £30k for Aspire, a charity which helps people with spinal cord injuries.

HMS Ocean Returns Home to Plymouth

2011-12-09T15:14:00.000Z

The crew of HMS Ocean is finally back ib the UK after a 7 month deployment.

Happy Christmas!

The Qualities of a Foster Parent

2011-12-05T11:39:00.000Z

If you've thought about fostering children, this video from Fostering People gives an insight into what qualities foster parents need to have. Fostering People also have an agency based in Dublin, set up specifically to help with fostering children in the Dublin area.

Being a foster parent can be very rewarding and can make a real difference to the quality of life for the children you look after, watching them grow and encouraging their self belief. It can also be difficult at times, which is why fostering agencies need to be certain that potential foster parents possess the right qualities for the task.

Supercar Crash in Japan

2011-12-05T11:21:00.000Z

Luckily there were no serious injuries, just a whole lot of scrap metal - about £2million worth.

More Innovations for Etihad Airways

2011-11-25T11:25:00.002Z

Award winning airline Etihad Airways is set to continue leading the way with innovative new ways for customers to enjoy their flights with the launch of their new in flight magazine, Boutique. The magazine features the lates fashion trends, as well as gift ideas and an interview with Elie Saab, world renowned couture designer.

Etihad Airways is the first – and currently the only – airline in the world to offer his fragrance, Le Parfum, onboard its flight, a statement from the company said.
Fragrances, beauty products, jewellery, gadgets, toys for children and Etihad Airways-branded merchandise, including aircraft models and Manchester City Football Club gear, are available for purchase.
The magazine offers local-made and highly-popular products, many of which are produced exclusively for Etihad Airways under the “Made in UAE” label, the statement said.
Additionally, the airline has created a new watch supplement, called Timepieces, to highlight its selection of watches for men and women.
Products are offered at competitive prices and Etihad guest members will earn miles for every purchase made onboard, it said.
Lee Shave, Etihad Airways’ vice president, guest experience, said: “We wanted to create a magazine that would have the visual appeal to intrigue our guests to pick it up and rich content to keep them reading.”
“Also important in our design process was the feedback of our guests. For example, watches sell exceptionally well, particularly on our routes throughout the GCC, so by creating a supplement dedicated entirely to this product category, we have delivered something that more directly suits the particular needs and interests of Etihad Airways’ guests,” he said.

The first issue also offers guests the chance to win two pearl business return tickets to Malé with four nights luxury accommodation when they spend Dh500 or more onboard. The Maldives is one of Etihads newest routes on their ever expanding list of destinations, which also includes the Seychelles.

This isn't the only innovation Etihad is making to its in flight services. It has recently also signed a ten year deal with Panasonic for entertainment and communications (IFEC) services including mobile phones, in collaboration with AeroMobile. The Panosonic Global Communication Suite also includes in-flight broadband connectivity, mobile phone service and live television content across their wide bodied aircraft.

Treating Customers Fairly

2011-11-18T15:59:00.000Z

Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) is a phrase that appears regularly in communications from the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the financial watchdog of the United Kingdom. TCF means much more than being nice to customers, as we shall explore in this article.

In addition to its detailed rulebook, the FSA specifies several high-level principles, including: “A firm must pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly”.

TCF applies to banks, financial advisers and product providers, and firms are expected to monitor their procedures on a regular basis to ensure they continue to treat customers fairly. Firms are also expected to keep evidence that they are meeting their TCF obligations.

The FSA has specified six TCF outcomes:

1: Consumers can be confident that they are dealing with firms where the fair treatment of customers is central to the corporate culture

Firms should have measures in place for monitoring levels of customer satisfaction, and should keep records of measures taken to try and improve customer satisfaction.
Risks and product features should be clearly explained to customers, using everyday language and not financial jargon.
Customers can be surveyed to ascertain levels of satisfaction with the service.

2: Products and services marketed and sold in the retail market are designed to meet the needs of identified consumer groups and are targeted accordingly.

Products should be designed so that their terms and conditions are favourable to customers.
Advisers should take care to ensure a product is suitable for a customer before it is recommended.

3: Consumers are provided with clear information and are kept appropriately informed before, during and after the point of sale.

Firms should communicate with the customer via documentation that is free from jargon. The post-sale letter should clearly explain what has been recommended, why it meets the needs of the customer, what the main product features are and what the principal risks are.
Customers should be kept reguarly informed of the performance of investment products.

4 : Where consumers receive advice, the advice is suitable and takes account of their circumstances.

Firms should ensure advisers are appropriately qualified and that they undertake regular training.
Firms should undertake comprehensive monitoring of the advice given by their advisers to ensure recommendations are suitable.
Firms should ensure that the confidential customer information they gather in order to make a recommendation is correct, complete and up-to-date.

5: Consumers are provided with products that perform as firms have led them to expect and the associated service is of an acceptable standard and as they have been led to expect.

Firms should fully research new products and seek customer feedback.
Customers should be kept regularly updated on product performance

6: Consumers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers imposed by firms to change product, switch provider, submit a claim or make a complaint

Firms should have target timescales for dealing with requests to switch product or make a claim.
Guidance should be offered to customers making complex claims.
Arrangements should be in place to ensure that staff absences do not affect customer service levels.
Complaints should be accepted in the form they are received, i.e. customers complaining by telephone should not be asked to put the matter in writing before it can be considered.
Complaints should be investigated as fully and fairly as possible, with the customer kept fully informed during this process. Firms should make a fair assessment of the evidence and offer appropriate redress when they are at fault.

Activities such as consumer credit and deposit banking, while not regulated by the FSA, fall under the jurisdiction of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS is an independent body that customers can ask to adjudicate on complaints made to financial services firms should they disagree with the firm’s assessment.
The FOS usually makes decisions not on whether the firm has followed the rules, but on whether it believes the firm has treated the customer fairly. So the entire financial sector, including firms not regulated by the FSA, must have TCF embedded into their practices.

Motorcycle Drifting & Power Slides

2011-11-18T15:00:00.000Z

If you like 2 wheel slides, then you'll love this collection:

Appeal for Foster Carers a Success

2011-11-16T11:26:00.000Z

The Lancashire Evening Post's appeal togenerate 1,000 enquiriesfrom people interested in becoming foster carers has been a success. So far, Lancashire County Council's fostering team has received 948 emails and phone call enquiries since the campaign was launched on October 3rd. About 1 in 10 initial enquiries result in people becoming foster parents.

County Coun Susie Charles, cabinet member for children and schools said: “I am delighted to hear we’ve had so many phone calls and visits to our website in the past month and I’m sure the excellent coverage we’ve had in the Lancashire Evening Post has boosted that number. Please keep us in mind because the need doesn’t go!
“We always need more foster carers, but it may be that people who visit our website need time to think about whether fostering is for them.”
Gill Green, the manager in charge of recruiting foster carers for Lancashire, said: “We have been thrilled with the response to the campaign and hope many of the initial enquiries result in more people becoming foster carers.”

Of course, it is not only Lancashire that is in need of new foster carers, there is a shortage everywhere so if you are interested, whether it be fostering in Dublin, Manchester, of Edinburgh, don't be afraid of getting in touch through the relevant channels.

Legal Services Offered by Solicitors

2011-11-09T17:06:00.002Z

Solicitors offer a number of legal and professional services. In our guide we explain a number of the more important of these offered by solicitors.

Solicitors receive numerous years of training and it is good to know that all of these years don’t go to waste and they offer a wide range of legal services to customers. So, what are the various ones offered?
Solicitors offer services to two different categories – business and personal. These vary in the way they are gone about hugely, though there is still some cross over.

Personal services offered by solicitors include wills, probate, personal injury services, criminal law services, medical negligence cases and a number of others. In this article we will look a each of these services offered by solicitors and explain what each is.

Wills
Solicitors have the knowledge and the ability to draw up a will for you in case of your death. This will sets out exactly what you require after your debt, where you want your assets to be divided and also a number of other wishes that you may wish fulfilled. A solicitor will create a watertight will for your needs and ensure that all sides and needs are looked out for. http://www.sense.org.uk/support/legacy_gifts/sense_guide_to_a_will

Probate
This is part of the whole area of wills and is about who is tasked with being able to administer the wishes of a will. Solicitors can be given probate of such a thing if you so desire when writing a will. This will mean they administer the will as you wished it to be done to the necessary parties. Giving a solicitor probate can really help with will administration, especially if they wrote the will as there will be no dispute over what you meant.

Personal Injury
If you are injured by a factor outside of your control and it is not your fault then a solicitor will find out with who the problem lies and will then make a personal injury claim to that effect. They will hope to get you the compensation you deserve for the injury you suffered through legal means.

Criminal Law Services
If you are involved in a court case as either a defendant or part of the prosecution you will more than likely want to use a solicitor to represent you in court. Criminal law services supplied by solicitors are varied, with many specialising in certain areas of criminal law. Choosing a solicitor who specialises in an area will increase your chances of success in the case.

Medical Negligence
In cases where you have suffered as a result of medical negligence in the hands of a doctor or some other health practitioner a solicitor may represent you if you wish to bring legal proceedings. Such an action may be necessary to get you what you deserve to right any wrongs done.

Professional Negligence
Just as with the medical area, any professional person who has failed due to negligence to fulfil their duty to your detriment can be brought to court for compensation. A solicitor will represent and advise you on such a case.

These are just a number of the services offered by solicitors. They will also cover the area of business as well as other personal areas such as selling a house among their various legal services.

Surprise Wedding Proposal on a London Train

2011-11-09T11:27:00.000Z

Ulster Bank Staff Raise Money for Hospicecare

2011-11-02T10:26:00.000Z

An Ulster Bank branch has shown that its not just current accounts they provide for the community. The Larne Times reports their latest fund raising efforts for the local Hospice.

A donation of £100 provided through the Ulster Bank Local Community Fund was added to £54.26 raised in a coffee morning held in the branch with home baked buns and biscuits provided by Ulster Bank staff. The community fund was established to assist local communities and charities in need of funds.

Lorna Foster, Larne branch manager, said: “Ulster Bank has a long history of helping in our local communities and Northern Ireland Hospice is such a worthwhile cause.

“The banking hall was busy during our coffee morning and the customers really appreciated a cuppa and a home baked bun or biscuit.

“The whole team has rallied together and we have been honoured to help where we can.”

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Circuit

2011-10-30T11:57:00.001Z

The brand new Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit, as driven by Bruno Senna (nephew of the late great Ayrton Senna) in a two seater racing car.

First impressions are that it looks a bit boring, although this could be because Bruno seemed to be taking it fairly easy. The underground pit lane exit looks narrow and the pit lane itself seems long, meaning a frequent fuel stops will probably be off the cards. I'm unsure about the runoff areas, they seem to be quite short and close to the crowd, particularly towards the end of the lap. A few people have described Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit as a glorified karting track, I guess we'll have to wait until race day to see how it really performs.

In the first practice, Hamilton and Button were swapping fastest laps, with Hamilton just getting the better of Button by 0.096 sec. Grip seems to be a problem so far with the track described as "very, very dusty and dirty with very low grip off the racing line" by Vettel. The shaded area beneath the Yas Hotel between turns 18 & 19 appears to be catching a few drivers out so far. Button, Webber and Rosberg all had moments there.

Dubai is just around the corner from Abu Dhabi, it would be a simple matter to get a flight to Dubai, see the sights there, then pop along to Abu Dhabi for the racing. Its nice to dream.

Think You Are Running Out Of Time To Buy Personalised Wedding Gifts? Think Again!

2011-10-17T08:24:00.000Z

A lot of responsibility befalls the bride and groom before a wedding. There is venue hire, catering, transport, the guest list, flowers, decorations, the cake… the list goes on! One small touch that often gets left to the last minute, but is a really important part of the wedding, is giving gifts to the people who are helping to make the day special. You will no doubt want to give your loved ones personalised wedding gifts. They have contributed their time, money and love to making sure your day is all that it can be and a gift is a lovely way to say thank you. But, it can get left until the last minute, which is when you realize just how many gifts you need to get! There are bridesmaid gifts and best man gifts an usher gift and a flower girl and page boy gift as well as mother and father of the bride and groom gifts. Plus, there are other family members who have contributed to your day, who deserve a gift of appreciation. Have you started to panic?

Don’t fret yet! There are great online sites that have a huge array of personalized wedding gifts where you can browse online, select items, type in personalised messages showing your love and gratitude and pay at the counter. The online gift stores will complete the individual touches and all of your personalised wedding gifts delivered to your door within as little as a week.

If you need to stick to a budget, you can browse for gifts within a particular price range. Think personalised cufflinks, whisky glasses or wine glasses for your best man, pearl and sterling silver jewellery engraved with special messages for your bridesmaids, fun cartoon glasses for your usher or page boy and an engraved trinket box for your flower girl. But that’s just an example of some of the giftware. Online sites specialising in personalised wedding gifts have such a great range, you can be sure to find a gift to suit all of your bridal party.

There is also a great range of mother of the bride and groom and father of the bride and groom gifts on these online stores. Personalised wedding gifts for mothers include personalised photo frames (which you can place a couples photo inside), jewellery boxes with an engraved message of your choice, compact mirrors and champagne sets with engraved champagne flutes. Crystal vases featuring a range of beautiful patterns can also be engraved with a special message for your mother and mother-in-law to be. For the father of the bride or groom, there are gifts such as engraved pocket watches, a range of whisky (single malt, 12 year whiskies can be bought) that come complete with a personalised label, as well as beer and spirit sets that come with complementing glasses, engraved with a message of your choice.

As the wedding fast approaches, you probably feel like you don’t have enough time to run around shopping for unique and personalised wedding gifts for those you love. Don’t! Buy your wedding gifts online from one personalised gift site, and you won’t need to worry.

Joan writes for personalised wedding gifts shop which offers a great choice of wedding gift ideas.

Baby Gift Baskets for an Office Present

2011-10-14T11:44:00.001Z

If you are looking for a great gift for a baby shower, you may want to consider putting together a baby gift basket. This is an especially wonderful gift if you are part of a large group of people. Many office members decide to buy smaller items from the registry and display it in one larger basket altogether. Small items like rattles, pacifiers, infant washcloths and toys can be compiled with a few larger items.

You want to make the basket decorative and fun. There are infant carrier baskets that you can use, or laundry baskets. This way the basket is also part of the gift, not simply decorative. Another wonderful idea is to use a personalized laundry basket. Purchase clothesline and use laundry line clips to attach baby outfits to the line. Space the outfits out evenly. You will also want to mix the type of outfits that you use. Some should be simple things like onesies, while other should be sleepers and outerwear. Place the clothing covered clothesline in the baby hamper neatly. When the guest of honor or mother to be begins to remove the clothesline, they will pull out one outfit after another. This a more updated version of a traditional gift basket, but it goes over well at a shower and is always well received by the future parents.

This gift is also great for a large group. Assign someone to purchase the hamper. If it can be personalized this enhances the gift even more. You will also want someone to be responsible for buying each of the outfits. One person can get the clothesline and the clips.

When putting together a basket for a large group, make sure everyone is spending a comparable amount. Set a specific dollar amount that seems fair to everyone. Keep in mind that the front desk receptionist is probably not making as much money as the office manager. You want to involve everyone in the gift and make sure that the couple knows everyone who was involved in getting the gift. A card should definitely accompany the gift and should be signed by everyone who contributed. Ask the contributors to choose items that the couple selected on their registry. This will make the gift even more special to them. Keep in mind that no matter what you give, the new parents will love and appreciate it , as long as it is given with love.

Mark Gregory is writing on behalf of Your Gift Baskets. Their aim is to provide you with a new and innovative way of wrapping your gifts by making your own gift basket. They also offer Gift Hampers and Gift basket ideas

Etihad Airways win TTG Travel Awards Airline of the Year

2011-10-11T14:17:00.000Z

Etihad airways add another award to their growing collection by winning the TTG (travel Trade Gazette) Travel Awards Airline of the Year. Etihad are continually expanding the number of destinations, which include regular flights to Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

The judging includes rating from agents as well as representatives from the sector and the awards are presented by the Travel Trade Gazette.

In other categories, East Midlands airport won airport of the year and Queensland won an award for its Q factor promotions in the trade campaigns section.

Commenting on this year's programme, TTG editor Daniel Pearce said that award winners must have qualities that make other companies 'sit up and take notice'.

'We believe our winners, who have each taken the top prize after only the most rigorous of judging processes … have done exactly that,' he added.

How to Cook Bacon and Eggs in your Hotel Room

2011-10-11T13:28:00.000Z

Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport Receives £1M Pre-Bookings

2011-09-30T13:45:00.001Z

The Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport, due to open in a month's time, has gained pre-opening bookings on £1 million. Insidermedia reports:

Businesses in the region have booked the venue for conferences, events and Christmas parties in upcoming months.
The £22m hotel will comprise 218 rooms and conferencing facilities when it opens next month (October).
Daniel Keane, general manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel East Midlands Airport, said: "There's a real buzz around the area about the hotel and we appear to the name at the top of the wish list for local businesses when they are planning their event and conferences.
"We've got a large wedding party joining us on Christmas Eve, as well as a host of Christmas parties for local businesses large and small."
Last month, the hotel was also awarded an energy performance certification rating of two, making it the "most efficient" in Rezidor's European portfolio of 400 hotels.

The East Midlands Airport hotel is situated close to Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, just minutes from the M1. It features 216 rooms along with on-site dining and fitness centre with pool as well as private parking.

Richard Branson Invests in Tumblr

2011-09-27T09:56:00.000Z

From The Drum:

" Serial entrepreneur Richard Branson has put his backing behind nascent blogging service Tumblr, contributing to an $85m investment which values the service at $800m."

This business start up investment from Branson and a number of other investorshas arisen because they believe that Tumblr has the potential to rival Facebook and Twitter. Page views on the site have increased this year from 2 billion to 13 billion.

John Maloney, president of Tumblr, want to make the site profitable, but in a way that will work with the current blog setup. It remains to be seen what impact the new investments will make, but I think we can expect to see fireworks from the Tumblr community, whatever happens.

Training in the Workplace

2011-08-22T09:58:00.000Z

Training in the workplace comes in all shapes and sizes. An awful lot of learning and development is informal in nature - one colleague leaning over to ask advice from another. Other forms of training will be more structured, for instance inductions for new employees. In addition to this there is a third kind of training, that provided outside of the company.

There can be many advantages to sourcing training from outside a company. Chief among these is the expertise and specialisation that dedicated training providers can bring to bear when it come to delivering training in an effective way.

Outside training can be delivered in several ways. One way is for the trainers to come into the company, and work with the staff on site. Another is for staff to attend courses at training centres. There are of course countless variations on this, just as there is a huge diversity of training courses on offer.

First aid training is a type of training that is typically delivered by people who are external to an organisation. It is always a good idea to have a trained first aider on hand, and this means training people up. With something as important as medical issues, getting proper expertise is obviously essential.

Along with things like first aid training, there are training needs that are specific to certain job roles. An example of this could be using forklifts or scissor lifts. Why sourcing the training outside of the company in this instance might make particular sense is that at the end of the course a certificate must be issued, and the body issuing the certificate must be approved.

One type of training that can be offered is diversity training. This is intended to help employees be more understanding of people who are different to them. Whether it is the culture within the workplace, or in terms of dealing with those outside of it sensitivity and respect for diversity is not just needed to avoid breaking the law, but also to ensure that the human interactions that are needed to achieve anything can work.

For those who have a management or human resources role there are a number of development opportunities that can be particularly relevant. One of these areas is employment law. The law around employment is constantly changing, so it is hard for everyone who needs to, to be able to keep up with it. Employment law courses can be a good way to enable employees to brush up on their knowledge.

Whatever the business investment in training can often pay dividends. Training your employees today lays the foundations of a profitable tomorrow.

Exploring the Historic City of Thiruvananthapurum

2011-07-28T16:11:00.000Z

Thiruvananthapurum, the capital city of Kerala, India, is filled with many structures, monuments, museums, and palaces that give an insight into its rich history and culture.

Thirupananthapuram is an ancient city which began as a trading port for sandalwood, spices and ivory in 1000 BCE. It is one of the oldest cities in the entire country of India, and has been referenced in many ancient Greek and Roman works of literature. As a result of its long and fascinating history, the city has many museums, monuments, palaces and historical sites to discover.

If you are interested in learning more about the past of this culturally important Indian city, here are some historical highlights to visit in Thiruvananthapuram:

· Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Most would consider this architecturally stunning temple to be the icon of the city of Thiruvananthapuram. The entire city was designed around the temple, and the building style is a unique blend of Tamil and Kerala architecture. Remember that only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. If you are a Hindu visitor, it is worth taking a trip inside the temple to see the many special architectural features such as musical pillars, sculptures and temple mural paintings.

· The Napier Museum

To find this museum, look for the building marked “Art Gallery” in the park to the north of Museum Road. It is named after General John Napier, a former Madras Governor, and it holds many rare historical and archaeological artefacts. You can see everything from Balinese shadow puppets to ivory carvings to ancient bronze idols within this beautiful historic building.

· The Palace Museum

This museum holds a collection of antique items from the Kings of the Travancore era. Their paintings, thrones, personal effects, and other items have been preserved in perfect condition so that you can learn what life would have been like for one of these kings.

· Victoria Diamond Jubilee Library

This collection is thought to be the first public library ever established in India. It was established in 1829 during the reign of Sree Swathi Thirunal Maharaja of Travancore, and the current building was constructed in 1900 in the Gothic Style to commemorate the Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

· Kanakakunnu Palace

This Palace, located near the Napier Museum, was built during the reign of Sree Moolam Thirunal and was utilized by the Travancore royal family to host exquisite banquets for their honoured guests. The impressive and opulent interior is decorated with intricate crystal chandeliers and antique furniture.

These historical buildings, and the many others in Thiruvananthapuram, will give you a deeper insight into the fascinating history of this part of India.

Getting There

Flights to Thiruvananthapuram are served by Trivandrum International Airport, and can also be reached by flying to Kochi International Airport. Both cities receive international flights, and are also linked with many major cities in India by domestic connections.

Personal Injury Claims

2010-12-22T12:37:00.002Z

We've had quite a lot of snow in the last few days down here in Devon - in fact more than we've seen for a number of years and its the second lot we've had in the space of a few weeks.

We're now at the most dangerous point in the snow cycle, its the bit where its compacted, and in some places frozen solid, making it extremely slippery and dangerous, especially on my walk to and from work. Luckily I haven't fallen over yet, but its certainly been interesting!

For those unfortunate enough to fall over and injure themselves it may be possible to claim compensation through specialist personal injury solicitors such as Access Legal. They will be able to advise on whether or not a claim is possible with your particular circumstances. Elbow, ankle and back injuries are especially common when slipping on ice.

We can only wait and see whether this weather pattern will continue throughout the winter and in the years to come, hopefully we will get better at coping with it, but in the meantime, stay safe.

The Arrival of Plus Size Fashion

2010-11-18T15:18:00.002Z

Not so long ago, it was almost impossible to get fashionable clothing on the high street if you were over a size 12. Times are now changing and the spotlight is now firmly on the Big Beautiful Woman.

It is a blessed relief to be able to wander the high street and see fashionable plus size clothing available in stores such as Littlewoods over a range of styles. Thankfully, gone are the days where larger sizes were only available in brown and bore a remarkable resemblance to a tent.

Especially pleasing, as the party season approaches, is the variety of plus size dresses available, from strapless prom dresses to the maxi dress, the choice of fashionable styles for the larger lady is almost limitless.

The beginning of this trend started on the catwalk, when larger models took to the stage in fashion shows. Designers then supported the plus size movement and women across the world could finally be proud of their curves.

The plus-size-only runway show in New York fashion week was one of the first, and included lingerie, accessories and wider shoes. London Fashion week continued this trend with designer Mark Fast sending only plus sized models down the catwalk, further building the case for larger ladies' fashion.

I never saw the attraction of stick thin women personally, I am biased, being the proud owner of a few curves myself, but I am glad that the era of the size zero model seems to be drawing to a close. We are the way genetics dictates and we should be able to be happy with the way we are.

How Much Money is Safe in Irish Bank Accounts?

2010-11-04T16:15:00.003Z

I know that up to £50k is guaranteed in savings accounts in the UK, but consider the situation of a couple moving back to Ireland after living abroad.

At the moment, Irish current accounts have an absolute guarantee on bank deposits until the end of December, so our couple should be ok to put their hard earned cash into a current account until they find a suitable savings account to swap it to.

However, at the end of December, unless there is an extension to the situation, the deposit protection scheme will come back into force. This means that only the first 100k euros (200k in the case of joint accounts) will be guaranteed.

This covers all accounts, but if you had 100k euros, you'd probably store it in a savings account to get the interest.

Whilst the money being deposited into the Irish bank account is going to be safe as its a joint account, it would be wise to move into a higher interest account as soon as possible.

Conde Nast Top Ranking for Etihad

2010-10-22T10:58:00.002Z

Etihad airways has been ranked second in the 'Top Airlines Global' category of Conde Nast's 23rd annual Travel Choice Awards.

The survey involved 25,000 participants worldwide with the results announced in New York last week.

Etihad was recognised for its outstanding achievements in the airline industry, coming second only to Singapore and ahead of its local rivals. Etihad has recently brokered a number of deals to expand its presence in the marketplace and allow passengers to fly to more destinations in the UK and abroad on a single ticket.

“We are delighted to be recognised by global travellers in this way. Receiving this accolade confirms that our direction and strategy is the right one for us and for our customers, and will push us further along our path of providing comfort and innovation to all our passengers,” said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer.

The awards rank the best cities, islands, cruise lines, hotels, resorts and car hire agencies as well as airlines annually.

Seasonal Jobs Available at M&S

2010-10-20T09:34:00.000Z

Tis nearly the season to be jolly and anyone looking for a retail job over Christmas might be in luck.

Marks and Spencer are recruiting around 20,000 seasonal employees nationally in its 712 stores, 739 of them in Yorkshire, where it began as a humble market stall in Kirkgate 125 years ago. Marks and Spencer are looking for friendly, motivated and enthusiastic people to join their team. New employees will also undergo a two day training programme to ensure they can give customers the best possible service.

I think I'd be a bit rubbish behind the counter. I cant fold clothes nicely if my life depended on it, so if someone was purchasing a dress for the party season, I'd be struggling a bit. I wonder if there's also specialist training to carefully handle blokes attempting to buy lingerie for their girlfriends. I do have pity for them, I myself get confused sometimes looking around the women's underwear aisles... and I know what I'm looking for!

But I digress. Seasonal work can be a good way of getting your foot into the door - 23% of graduate trainees started out as seasonal recruits. Employees must be prepared to work at least 16hrs a week, and may need to work in the evening, as well as weekends and Bank Holidays over Christmas and New Year.

Water, What a Waste

2010-10-15T10:17:00.002Z

As climate change continues to produce increasingly erratic weather patterns, a supply of safe, palatable drinking water is becoming harder to come by, especially for the poorest in the world.

We have all seen how the survivors of catastrophes such as the Pakistan Floods and the West African Food Crisis are struggling to survive with little potable water and the ongoing threat of disease.

One of the effects of climate change is increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, with extremes becoming more common. A side effect of this is that water supplies can be polluted by floodwater, dry up in the case of drought or the population is forced to abandon their homes.

Blog Action Day is raising awareness of these issues and you can find out much more about them on their site. They have also provided this informative video, so spread the word!

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Flights to Thailand Promotion from Etihad

2010-10-08T13:13:00.002Z

The latest promotion from Etihad Airways and Bangkok Airways allows Etihad guests travelling return from Bangkok to Europe via Abu Dhabi to earn a "free" return ticket on Bangkok Airways to any of its Thailand destinations.

Bangkok Airways is a codeshare partner of Etihad and have called their latest campaign "Europe for Fun, Thailand for Free!". Etihad guests travelling to Europe in Coral Economy class will earn enough miles to redeem a return ticket on Bangkok Airways to any of its popular Thai destinations. New members enrolling in the FFP that travel in Pearl Business class will earn enough miles to redeem two free domestic tickets.

To redeem their miles for the Bangkok airways flights, guests simply need to contact the Etihad Guest Service Centre.

All applicable fees, taxes etc on the "free" ticket need to be paid at the time of ticket issuance.

Banking Chief Agrees to Higher Tax

2010-09-29T14:54:00.002Z

RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said that banks continued to benefit from government support and it was fair they should pay higher taxes to reflect that.

The comments highlight the apparent anomaly that banks have higher credit ratings that their balance sheets might indicate. This is partly due to the support government gave individual lenders and the sector as a whole.

The government now holds an 83% stakes in RBS, whose holdings include NatWest, private bank Coutts and Directline. He told a banking conference in London that he supported the measures in the recent Basel III initiative to ensure that banks reserved more capital. “It feels to me that Basel III … the measures that are making banks safer and less likely to fail is landing in sensible territory, the extremes are being cut off,” said Mr Hester.

He added that the future looked good for banks, despite 'shadows' on the political and regulatory landscape and the current economic climate, adding that RBS was on track or ahead of all key matrices he set out in last year's five year plan.

M&S Stick on Bra

2010-09-15T10:57:00.002Z

(Photo by M&S) The new Marks and Spencer stick on bra has come under fire for its recommended wear time of eight hours. I must admit, I find this confusing.

I'm not entirely sure why anyone would want to wear a stick on bra all day. It is described as "ideal for wearing with strapless or backless dresses and tops". Personally, I don't tend to wear that sort of attire to work during the day and 8 hours is plenty of time for a night out, or perhaps I'm just boring.

I quite regularly browse the ladies underwear section at M&S and I would hazard a guess that the majority of ladies I see perusing the lingerie aisles don't often go on three day benders either. People worried about a sensitivity issue with the silicone lining or exceeding the recommended wear time have alternatives, such as low back bras or clear straps. The stick on bra is just one of several alternatives, and you have to choose what works best for you.

Sale on Flights to Australia

2010-09-10T13:26:00.002Z

To celebrate their new partnership with Virgin Blue, Etihad Airways is cutting its prices on flights to Australia.

Return flights from London to Auckland are available for £938 for example, including a stop over in the Middle East. Other deals include Adelaide to Dublin for £1240 and Cairns to Paris for AU$2190.

Etihad Airways is also introducing the Australia Skypass, which allows tourists to fly across Australia and New Zealand on up to six legs for £36 each step. Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad said "We believe the Australia Skypass will be a boon for domestic tourism in Australia, giving untapped European tourists access to secondary ports such as Tasmania and Far North Queensland," adding "This kind of inbound fare product will showcase Australia beyond just Melbourne and Sydney, although of course not excluding them."

Christmas Hampers and Presents

2010-09-03T15:42:00.003Z

Its coming up to the final part of the year where the build up to Christmas inevitably occurs.

Buying presents takes some thought - at least buying individual presents for people close to you does if they don't have any idea of what they want. Hopefully some people already have an idea what they want and we can either give it to them, or put a donation towards it which makes life a lot easier.

One way to make it easier if there is a person we are stuck on is to buy a gift basket. In the past, hampers and gift baskets were traditionally full of wine, cheese, chocolate or a floral bouquet. These days, however, hampers can take the form more often of an experience day, or tickets to an event.

Buying gifts for work colleagues such as a contact at another company can be more problematic. Its very easy to buy something inappropriate - wine for a teetotaller, meat for a vegetarian - the list goes on. A couple of discreet questions might be a good idea, some companies have a gift catalogue of sorts that people can choose from.

Roll on Christmas!

Etihad Expanding Flights to India Market

2010-08-25T11:26:00.002Z

Etihad Airways is introducing IndiaConnect into its Etihad Guest program. It offers a wide range of benefits for frequent travellers flying to and from India and has Katrina Kaif, Etihad's new brand ambassador as a founding member.

She said "For people like me who are always travelling to and from India, IndiaConnect is a perfect travel solution, making it even easier to fly home." She has been part of a new newspaper and magazine campaign enjoying the facilities of each cabin in an Etihad aircraft.

Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways' Country Manager in India, said: "India is one of our most important markets, generating major traffic on Etihad destinations across the globe.
"We are always looking for ways to offer targeted, innovative and unique benefits to our Etihad Guest members. As India continues to grow in popularity as a business and leisure destination, we are pleased to support Etihad Guest members who want to experience the region, as well as helping connect Indian passengers from around the world."

Katrina Kaif also recently featured in a video dancing in the First class lounge of Abu Dhabi airport.

Solar Storms Predicted For 2012

2010-08-18T13:41:00.002Z

The Sun will soon be approaching its solar maximum, a time in its 11 year cycle where there will be more frequent solar tsunamis or solar storms. In 2006, the Sun reached its solar minimum, where there are few solar storms, but for the next few years there is the possibility of disruption in communications and much worse, especially during 2012.

So whilst the climate change debate is going on, there could be much worse around the corner - and it is the developed nations that will feel it the worst. If a solar tsunami, or coronal mass ejection erupts from a sunspot and hits Earth, it could do major damage to our communications, GPS and electrical power, and not for just an hour or two. The effects could last for months.

Our reliance on technology in the modern world means that the effect of solar storms could be much greater - the storms that hit Earth in 1859 and 1921 had little effect then, but should it happen now, devices such as high power transformers could be knocked out, and they are highly vulnerable to such an event. GPS might be a cool gadget for our cars, but for aeroplane navigation in low visibility it is essential. If the low orbit satellites get knocked out by the solar shock wave, air travel would be in chaos.

If large portions of the national grid were to go offline for several months, food and water supplies would be disrupted as well as law enforcement, there could be widespread panic. In the States, disaster expert Lawrence E Joseph is pushing Congress to spend $250 Million to upgrade the electrical grid. Some people are already advising on ways to survive 'the end of the earth' including investing in a solar powered generator, buying a sturdy tent, an AM radio, a med kit as well as emergency food and water.

Being human, I cant imagine there will be a sudden rush on these things unless it actually happens. At the moment its just a worst case scenario, we wont know for sure until it happens, but it could compound problems no end if there are natural disasters such as the Pakistan floods going on at the same time.

What Colour Lingerie Should I Wear?

2010-08-11T09:20:00.003Z

When it comes to purchasing underwear, some women have difficulty in finding their best colour. In fact, there are some important tips to keep in mind to get the lingerie with a colour that flatters.

Be sure to take your skin colour into consideration. If you have pale china doll kind of skin, stick to light pastel colours that go well with your eyes or hair. Women with olive coloured or fairly tanned skin, darker colours that match your hair or eye colour are good choices. If you have really dark skin, go for pastel or powdery colours that will make you look stunning.

Pick lingerie that looks great with your hair colour. It is suggested that women with blond hair choose lingerie sets in colours such as light blue, pink and purple. Ladies who have darker hair, deep colours such as dark red, blue and purple will help you get the best results.

Remember to take your eye colour into account. Wearing underwear that looks fabulous with the colour of your eyes can have a huge influence on your overall sexiness. It is wise for women who have blue eyes to select lingerie crafted in blue or purple. If you have green eyes, buy lingerie in any colour of green that emphasize the colour of your eyes. For women who have darker eyes, sexy underwear in brown should be the ideal choices. Women have hazel eyes have more choices since lingerie in any colour will compliment the colour of their eyes.

Green Furniture Is The Future

2010-08-09T10:57:00.003Z

With all the emphasis on going green, it is no great surprise that the concept of environmentally friendly furniture is becoming more popular.

Designers and furniture makers are now promoting their use of sustainable materials - wood from sustainable forests and tree farms, or reclaimed wood for example. Look for certification from the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance for sustainable wood, which means its not contributing to deforestation.

Green furniture manufacturers also concentrate on delivering good quality products, rather than quantity as mass furniture producers do, the theory being that well made, durable materials that are easily disassembled and fixed if necessary, are less likely to end up in the skip. This also requires less stock to be held, producing to match demand and utilising electronic means of communication.

Environmentally friendly furniture also extends to the coverings and fillings. The use of 'green' low toxicity materials such as natural fabrics, fillers and wood finishes help keep the indoor air healthy.

Cholera Fear for Pakistan Flood Survivors

2010-08-03T11:52:00.003Z

With over 3 million people affected by the Pakistan flood so far, the death toll is 1500 and rising. Now there is a fear with more monsoon rains on the way that water borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid will become a threat as sanitary conditions continue to deteriorate.

Thousands of rescue workers have been deployed so far, saving an estimated 28,000 people as well as distributing emergency food supplies. Helicopters and 30,000 troops from the army have also been deployed, but the scale of the disaster is so great that thousands are still stranded by the flood waters.

If not enough clean drinking water can be delivered to the survivors, cholera could spread through the crowded camps very quickly if infected people aren't isolated. "To avert the looming threat of waterborne diseases, especially cholera, we have dispatched dozens of mobile medical teams in the affected districts," said Sohail Altaf, the top medical official in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.

If you want to help, you can donate safely and securely through Oxfam's Pakistan Flood Relief Appeal page.

M&S Online Sale

2010-07-29T08:31:00.002Z

The Marks and Spencer sale is online now. Save money on lingerie, summer dresses, home appliances and more.

The sale in on until the end of the month, with reductions throughout the range. Ladies can find deals on shoes, knitwear and other clothes - you can search by brand or item online. In menswear, prices have been cut on shirts, coats, socks, ties and suits. Kids don't miss out either with deals on clothing, nightwear and school uniforms.

Marks and Spencer have also been voted most trusted retailer recently in a survey by YouGov.

Wine lovers are not left out either. There is a wide range of wines at cut price including bin ends and some sparkling wines as well. Some offers are only available online such as a case of Villa Puccini Toscana 2005 for just £60, or 12 bottles of Saint Saturnin Réserve les Moulies Rosé 2008 for the low price of just £67. You can even join the wine club and be kept up to date with the latest offers.

YouGov Reveals M&S As Most Trusted Retailer

2010-07-21T13:03:00.002Z

A recent survey by YouGov, commissioned by Baber Smith has revealed Marks and Spencer to be the Britain's most trusted retailer for the second year running.

The Insight survey, which explored consumer trust in the retail and financial sectors, found that 39% of people rated M&S as one of their top three most trusted retailers, with John Lewis 2nd (26%) and Boots 3rd (23%). Asda was the top supermarket, coming fourth with 20%, closely followed in fifth by Tesco (19%).

However, when trust is measured in relation to usage/market penetration, John Lewis tops the table with a 64% trust rating among its users, M&S is 2nd with 54% and Waitrose is third with 45%.

The top three factors in determining what makes a retailer trustworthy are 'good reputation', 'high quality products' and 'good value for money'. Lesser factors include 'good selection of products', 'ethical business practices', 'knowledgeable staff' and 'low prices'.

Rumour has it that there might be a big sale at M&S soon, so if you are thinking of buying a new 3 seater sofa or splash out on a summer dress, this might be a good time.

Sam Jordan, managing director, Baber Smith said: "What's interesting about these results is how quality products and value for money have grown in importance as the main reasons for trusting retailers.

"Consumers seemingly have a clear preference for retailers that offer acceptable quality at reasonable prices, rather than those that just offer rock-bottom prices. Striking this fine balance has clearly paid dividends for the likes of M&S, which once again comes out as the UK's most trusted retailer."

Charity Donations Drop

2010-07-19T10:29:00.002Z

A survey has revealed that donations to charity have fallen by 10% during the first half of this year.

The survey, carried out by Investec Bank, found that 23% of people donated less than they did during this time last year with only 10% of people surveyed saying they donated more. The survey also found that 25% of people did not give any money to charity, whilst 48% gave up to £50.

Investec Bank estimates that donations to charity have dropped by 9.6% this year, a representative, Jack Jones, said "Our findings suggest that in this age of austerity, charities are suffering from falling donations as people have less money." Adding "On top of this, many of the cash accounts targeted at them are paying derisory rates of returns."

Its not really surprising that charities are continuing to struggle during the recession. If you are inclined to give to charity via a credit card, then its advisable to check out the best rates, just like anything else.

New Bras Boost Cleavage

2010-07-16T09:38:00.004Z

The latest thing in designer lingerie has been unveiled by Marks & Spencer and Primark on the same day.

Its a bra designed to maximise your assets, both stores claim you can add two cup sizes to your cleavage. Primark also claim that theirs is as good as a boob job. The Primark bra is on sale for £6, whilst M&S are selling theirs for £20, it also features straps that can be crossed over at the back for even more cleavage enhancement.

These products follow the recent trend of women wanting to show off their assets rather than hiding them. In the not so distant past, minimiser bras were popular. These bras, as the name suggests, made your assets look smaller. Now, it has become more popular for ladies with curves to flaunt them, and rightly so I think.

Flower Shows to Diversify?

2010-07-13T10:54:00.003Z

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has renamed their annual show from The Flower Show to The Garden Show to take into account the latest trends for growing our own vegetables.

Princess Anne was this year's Royal visitor and was presented with a bouquet of flowers as she toured the show.

The main difference between the old Flower Show and the new Garden Show format is that there will be a lot more vegetables on show and advice related to allotments. The National Farmers Union also has a stand and will feature professional growers who will be on hand to give talks and answer questions.

It was felt that perhaps the traditional format of presenting flowers was getting outdated and producing show quality blooms was not realistic for the average gardener. There was also perhaps a shortage of advice readily at previous shows.

In preparation for the new-style tent, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society distributed grow boxes and vegetable seeds to a selection of Yorkshire schools and the best results will be displayed. TV gardener Christine Walken, from The One Show on BBC1, will choose a winner.

Despite the change in direction, one of the most sought after prizes on offer remains the Curzon-Howe-Herrick Bowl, for the best exhibit of roses.

Cat Underwear Burglar Unmasked

2010-07-08T15:35:00.002Z

This is such a great story. A spate of thefts including socks, gloves and ladies underwear has been tracked down to a cat. Taken from Yahoo! News:-

Socks, gloves, ladies underwear -- almost anything left unattended was fair game for the thief, especially the knickers, and the rate of offending was getting worse.

But now the culprit has been unmasked as a kleptomaniac cat with a generous nature.

Eager to please his new owners, Peter and Birgitt Weismantel, 13-year-old Oscar had been bringing home presents to the family home in Portswood, Southampton.

"He started bringing socks home a few months ago and then gardening gloves which we tracked to our neighbour," his owner Peter Weismantel told the Southern Daily Echo newspaper.

"Then we had a situation in which he brought back young women's underwear," said Peter, 72.

"It began to escalate and I telephoned the police as people must have been missing clothes -- especially with women's underwear being taken."

The couple have been fostering Oscar from Southampton's Cats Protection charity since Christmas.

Since then he had also pinched builder's gloves, a knee-pad, a paint roller, rubber gloves, and 10 pairs of children's underpants.

On average he commits 10 robberies a day.

"He brings them back as presents," Birgitt told the Echo. "We can't give him back now as he makes such an effort with all these gifts. He's got a lovely personality and is a very loving cat.

"I think we fell in love with him before he started taking all these things," she added. "It was just so touching to see him come home every day with something for us."

Now the couple will adopt Oscar full time but they still have yet to devise a way to curb his criminal instincts.

"He's still doing it now," said Peter. "We are thinking of training him as Fagin!"

M&S Integrate Plus Sizes Into Women's Department

2010-07-05T11:19:00.002Z

Plus size women may have been asking themselves lately where the dedicated Marks and Spencer range has gone. The answer is that its been integrated into all the other sizes on the shop floor.

There has been some concern about the disappearance of the plus size range from their website, their response was " I have had a look into this for you and I can confirm although we no longer have a plus size section we still carry clothing up to size 28. To locate this simply select any section from the women’s department for example Shirts & Blouses, and on the left hand side of the page there will be a narrow by size option. From there the page will then load all items available in the size you have chosen."

I think the integration of plus sizes into the normal range is a good thing. It gives you the feeling you are simply shopping for a stylish dress, available in a range of sizes. Whilst retailers such as Evans specialise in larger sizes - they do often start at 14 though, which is smaller than the allegedly 'average' size 16 I have been reading about.

British women's boobs have also been getting bigger. The average bra size is now 36D as opposed to 34B. If you think its because women are getting larger, then you'd also be mistaken. Smaller backs and larger cup sizes are more common than ever before, which means that there are more smaller women about with bigger boobs. Retailers have responded by stocking bigger bras. Marks and Spencer introduced the J cup in 2007, whilst Debenhams has recently started stocking a KK in its stores.

Women seem to be enjoying their new found curves. Now technology has moved on so that the larger bras look more feminine, the motto seems to be if you've got it, flaunt it.

Car Hire Bargains

2010-06-25T09:59:00.002Z

If you're looking for a car hire bargain in the next couple of days, there are some deals out there from EasyCar. In order to be eligible, you need to sign up for the newsletter and act fast because the deals expire at midnight on 29th June.

More ideas for car hire holidays are available on the EasyCar blog, the newsletter has some great deals for 7 day car hire in places such as Malta, London, Cyprus, Mexico and Florida. These aren't the only deals however, keep an eye out for special deals in Las Vegas and other popular holiday destinations as well.

Usually, the advice for car hire bookings is to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment, but sometimes it is possible to find good late deals too.

Budget Day

2010-06-22T09:10:00.003Z

This budget, arguably the most important for a generation is being presented today. The Chancellor is promising that it will not hit the poor disproportionally, yet they have to make in roads into the £155bn deficit.

The main highlights are that personal tax allowance will be raised the £7,475, meaning 880,000 people will no longer pay income tax and Basic rate payers will be around £200 a year better off. Higher rate payers will be hit by a rise in NI contributions.

The change in NI will also mean that employers will not have to make contributions for about 650,000 employees. This could help them plan their treasury management systems as there is increasing demand for corporations to use internal cash and minimise external needs.

Child tax credits will cease for those 2 million earning >£30k and VAT is expected to ride to 20%. Other cost cutting measures include cutting the welfare budget and the reversal of Labour's plans to changed the way 'furnished holiday homes' are taxed.

Traditional Lingerie Demand Increase

2010-06-14T15:24:00.005Z

High street retailers are seeing an increase in demand for traditional lingerie, such as stockings and suspenders for the first time in 50 years.

Tights, and more recently, hold-ups became far more popular, partly because of the sometimes difficult task of doing them up, and also because of the visibility of the clips underneath tight fitting clothes. With the fashion moving towards ladies' lingerie becoming the new outerwear with the help of celebs such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry, sexy sussies are back.

Unsurprisingly, black is the most popular colour, followed by hot pink, with traditional white/ivory remaining strong and the brides' colour of choice.

Flower Arranging Toddler

2010-06-11T13:23:00.002Z

This is sooo sweet! This little girl is having a great time redoing the flower arrangements her daddy bought her for Valentines day. Looks like we have a budding florist on our hands.

Chez Delphine Puycelsi - Watch The Extras!

2010-06-08T10:54:00.005Z

We are safely back from our French holiday, and it was fantastic! We did around 1800 miles and the bike didn't miss a beat. We went from St Malo to near Chinon, then over the mountains (there was snow and everything lol) to the Central Massif, then to the Gorge du Tarn near Albi, then to the medieval village of Puycelsi, across to Tulle, finally to Tourlaville and caught the ferry from Cherbourg. Thankfully our motorcycle clothing was ok, we hadn't packed waterproofs as we don't own any, but it was sunshine all the way until a small shower or 2 on the penultimate day.

Most of the B&Bs we stayed in were excellent, but it is Chez Delpine in Puycelsi which I wanted to talk about. It is lovely from the outside and even has a pool in the garden, but some things in the rooms leave a bit to be desired. She only had the two most expensive rooms available as it was a bank holiday weekend and she said breakfast was 8 Euros PER PERSON per day extra, an extra 64 euros for the 4 of us for 2 days, so we declined. We had the Colombage room which featured an open fire and a kitchen, and our friends had the Pool room. Our friends were told that if they switched on the heater, not to move it as the wiring was rather old. The equipment in our kitchen was like something out of the 70's (and this wiring looked old too), the kettle boiled when it felt like it and preferred to not actually reach boiling point if it could avoid it... but the other equipment was functional. We were also told that it was ok to make a fire if we wanted as the vent was always open, but to keep it towards the back of the grate to avoid a smoky room. The first evening we decided to try the fire. Although we were careful to keep it at the back of the grate, the vent did not work as well as we might have hoped, with the transition between twigs and adding a single log over the top causing a grey haze to form in the room. Putting the fire out and opening the windows did eventually get rid of it. Maybe the chimney needs sweeping?

The real surprise, however came when we were handed the bill. She charged 20 Euros for cleaning the kitchen which was not mentioned when we rang or arrived, only on the bill.

I know H&S probably isn't as severe in France as it is over here, but surely modern wiring would be desirable? Also, charging extra for breakfast is outside Chambre d'Hotes rules, and is one of the reasons Chez Delphine in Puycelsi was not accepted into Gites de France, according to the email we recieved from them. We are still waiting for a reply from the Sawday Guide, as Chez Delphine is in there.

If it wasn't for the fact she was the only place we tried that had 2 rooms available, then we wouldn't have gone because of the extra breakfast charge - including breakfast would have made our rooms 91 and 81 euros per night, a bit above our budget. As it was, it was stretching it, especially with the surprise 20 euro cleaning charge.

Tip for the future, check bank holiday dates before travelling! I definitely recommend the Sawday Guide book too, we found some lovely places through it.

Mumbai India Holiday Weather

2010-06-03T14:44:00.003Z

Image via Wikipedia

If you're flying out to Mumbai, be advised that Monsoon season is imminent. This means high humidity and downpouring of rain. Here's what asiarooms.com has to say about Mumbai.

General weather of Mumbai:

The Mumbai Weather can be perfectly described as Maritime sea weather. The weather of Mumbai is greatly influenced by its proximity to the Arabian Sea. This accounts for the little seasonal fluctuation of the temperature of Mumbai due to the moderating effect of the Arabian Sea. In general the month of May is the warmest month of the year when the mean average temperature of the city remains 32 degree Celsius, even though the temperature experiences a sudden rise to 40 degrees occasionally. The coldest month in Mumba is January and the mean average temperature of the month is recorded as 24 degree Celsius. The minimum Recorded in Mumbai so far is 18 degrees. Generally the presence of humidity is very high in the summer months when the temperature is at its peak.

The Seasons of Mumbai:

Mumbai weather experiences very little seasonal variety due to the moderating effect of the Arabian Sea. There are three main seasons that prevails in the Mumbai weather . These are the monsoon, summer and the winter. The monsoon season usually occurs in between the months of June and September. The monsoon season is responsible for the deposition of more than Mumbai's total annual rainfall that is around 1800mm. It is both interesting and mysterious to note that the first shower of rain in Mumbai occurs from the 7 th of June. However of late wide levels of fluctuations are noticed about the onset of the monsoons. The temperature during those times remains calm around 20 degrees and the weather remains highly humid. The presence of moisture in the air is also noticeable during the monsoons in Mumbai since it remains at its maximum. Heavy westerly winds are the unique traits in the monsoons in Mumbai. The Arabian Sea becomes rough and turbulent with high rising waves and the harbor becomes too choppy for the sailing boats. The summers in Mumbai typically symbolizes Indian summers. It follows immediately after the monsoons and the weather becomes highly unbearable with high temperatures and humidity. The summer seasons continues till the end of October. After the summers Mumbai experiences the most pleasant weather from the month of November to February. During this period the temperature and the humidity falls together abruptly and reaches their lowest points in the month of January. Mumbai becomes calm with sea turning to a shade of blue in these months.

Bizarre Bras By Triumph Japan

2010-05-13T09:26:00.011Z

Triumph has a reputation for making quality lingerie, but Triumph International Japan sometimes makes one off 'specials' to promote their bras whilst raising awareness of important issues of the day.

Some of the best include:-

The Anti-smoking bra is supposed to emit a fragrance that eliminates the desire to smoke. I'm not sure smoking would be the first thing on a chap's mind if he saw his girlfriend in this number anyway.

The Birth Rate Decline bra brings attention to Japan's rapidly ageing population and is decorated with grannies encouraging the younger generation to get on with making babies.

The Chastity Belt Bra comes with a little gold key that the lady can present to her lover. How romantic, awww.

My Chopsticks is a practical idea that features miso soup and rice bowl cups separated by a chopstick rest. Tucked into one shoulder strap is a pair of collapsible, portable chopsticks. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the environmental impact of disposable wooden chopsticks.

The Warm Biz Heated Bra is designed to help save energy. Microwave heated gel packs are inserted to keep one warm in chilly offices. This bra probably isn't what Japanese officials were thinking of with their Coolbiz and Warmbiz campaigns to get workers to dress appropriately for the season, but hey.

This red bustier is known as the Total Surprise Bra. Its purpose was to bring attention to previous Prime Minister Koizumi's post office privatization plans. Wonder if it worked...

Another useful innovation. The Bag Bra is designed to reduce waste - the label on the bottom says something like 'plastic bags are wasteful!'. So be eco friendly, take off your bra and use it to carry your melons home. Genius!

Who couldn't forget to vote with The Voter Turnout Liftup Bra? The bra is made of silver vinyl and labelled 'ballot box', whilst the skirt is made from ballots. I wonder if these would increase voter numbers...

Motorbike Holiday In France

2010-05-10T10:23:00.003Z

It was going to be a trip to Austria first of all, but unfortunately reality got in the way so now its a trip to the South of France, which is cool anyway. The gsx 1400 has passed its first MOT (phew) and has got new tyres, chain & sprocket, rear suspension, fluids all changed and gawd knows what else, so all we have to do is pack and get going!

Although that is easier said than done. Although the panniers looks huge when on the bike, its still not quite the same as a couple of suitcases... at the moment I need to tow a van behind the bike to carry the extra stuff lol. Well maybe not quite that bad, it'll be fine as long as we can figure out how to use French washing machines.

Shopping is going to be a bit of a problem too, we wont be able to buy a case or two of wine in the Loire valley for instance, or if we did, it'd be back to the van hire solution again. Seriously though, it should be a great holiday and a chance to use the bike for what it was built for.

Holiday Destination Bank Accounts?

2010-05-04T11:00:00.002Z

After the disruption of flights in April, ash from the Icelandic volcano is once again disrupting air travel in and out of Cardiff Airport and to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Its making me wonder if it would be a good idea to open a current account or an instant access savings account in Ireland should I decide to visit. There have been many instances of people running out of money due to the unforeseen circumstances, especially for those whose airlines were less than helpful in finding accommodation for stranded passengers until they could be brought home.

Running out of money abroad must be a family's worst nightmare, certainly in the future I'll be looking into ways of obtaining backup funds. One thing was clear from the disruptions was that in general, people on package holidays received better support than those on DIY getaways.

Bath Bank Holiday Flowers & Dancing

2010-04-29T09:33:00.003Z

If you're looking for something to do in Bath over the Bank Holiday, why not take in the Bath Dance Festival and/or the annual Bath Spring Flower Show.

The Larkhill Festival begins with a stand up comedy evening at the Oriel Hall, in which locals who have been learning the skill for just 3 months will show off their talents. Other events taking place over the weekend include a family fun day, belly dancing workshops and massage taster sessions. The Festival ends on Monday with a party in Alice Park.

The Bath Dance Festival, commencing on Saturday will include lessons at the Bath Leisure Centre in modern jive, street and the charleston. An attempt on the World's Largest Umbrella Dance will also be made at noon on Sunday.

The 24th annual Bath Spring Flower Show also begins on Saturday at Royal Victoria Park. Guest appearances will be made by TV gardener Bob Flowerdew and horticulturalist Mary Payne on Saturday and Martin Blunos, former 2 Michelin star holder and TV/radio personality.

For more details, see http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Weekend-music-dance-flowers/article-2088360-detail/article.html

Record Breaking London Marathon

2010-04-26T11:40:00.002Z

A total of 18 world records were broken in yesterday's London Marathon. The marathon was under threat by the Icelandic volcano eruption for a while, but as far as I am aware, everyone made it. Last year's runner-up, Britain's Mara Yamauchi, finished 10th. She said she had endured a "mental rollercoaster" after spending six days travelling to London from her training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Princess Beatrice was the most notable record breaker, being the first royal to run a marathon, she was also part of a 34 person caterpillar - the new record for the most runners tied together. Other new records included fastest cartoon character, super hero and leprechaun.

Former Army Major, Phil Packer, who suffered severe spinal cord injuries in 2008, is aiming to complete the course in 26 hours for 26 charities. Amazingly, he completed the course in 14 days last year and has raised £1.3 million in donations.

Celebrities that finished the race include Sir Richard Branson, Natalie.Imbruglia and Jenni Falconer. Gordon Ramsay suffered cramp and was unable to complete his 11th marathon in as many years.

What Happens When A Plane Flies Into Volcanic Ash?

2010-04-20T14:13:00.002Z

To answer the question why so much caution is being taken over getting planes back in the air after the volcanic eruption, the answer is that its extremely hazardous to a plane's health. It can shut down the engines, sandblast the leading edges of the plane and scar the windshield so much that it is virtually impossible to see through. The ash can also get into the passenger compartment, not only looking like a potential fire, but the sulphurous fumes cause a choking effect to passengers.

Here's a video documentary about BA flight 009 which experienced the hazards first hand.

Given the options, I think I would prefer to hire a car in Alicante if I was stuck there. The airlines may be losing £20million a day, but the ferries are putting on extra services and advertising spare seats.

UK Flights Disrupted by Icelandic Volcano

2010-04-15T13:16:00.004Z

A volcano eruption in Iceland has disrupted flights to the UK as well other parts of Northern Europe and closing Oslo airport. Volcanic ash is particularly dangerous to aircraft as it can cause engines to stall, jam machinery and contaminate the passenger compartment if it gets into the cabin.

The ash cloud is moving down from the North, causing the closure of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports as well as flights to Manchester and other parts of Northern England. The ash cloud is set to move south and could take several days to disperse. In the mean time, warnings have been issued to pilots that UK airspace is closed to all incoming flights.

Domestic flights, including flights to London are at a virtual standstill and it will take time to get back to normal after the event because of crews and planes being in the wrong place and the passenger backlog.

The International Airways Volcano Watch was established as a global early warning system because of the threat volcanic ash poses to aircraft. Iceland is considered as being particularly vulnerable to this hazard.

The first eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano took place in vents on a mainly ice-free part of the volcano, so didn't cause the flooding that was feared. However, the second eruption came from a vent underneath 200m of ice, causing rivers to rise by up to 3m. Around 800 residents were evacuated.

Volkswagen Transporter Van Turns Sixty

2010-04-13T11:18:00.003Z

Since it first rolled off the production lines in March 1950, the VW Transporter has become the number one imported van in the UK and an icon around the globe.

The Transporter has been the ideal van hire choice for many functions over the years - one day ferrying a rock band to a gig, the next taking a family on holiday. They are also one of the most popular vehicles for businesses' delivery vans or passenger transport. They have often also been snapped up as used vans for intrepid round the world travellers and explorers.

Over its sixty years, over ten million VW Transporters have been produced and evolved through five generations, each striving to be the epitome multi-purpose vehicle of its day. In fact, the current Transporter advertisements is entitled "Evolution of Van" and was launched in January.

The first Transporter was imported into the UK in 1955, and now, 55 years later, it is still going strong.

Bargain Car Hire Holidays

2010-04-09T09:34:00.004Z

If you want to get the best value for money when going on holiday, especially long haul travel, it makes sense not to go at peak times. Hang on for a week or go early and the weather will be just as good, but you can save a packet.

The USA is becoming more popular with UK tourists as tour operators and USA car hire companies squeeze profit margins and offer ever more tempting bargains.

Take Orlando for example. In the summer, it is hot, humid and thunderstorms are a regular occurrence in the afternoons and hiring a car in Orlando is more difficult. The winter is decidedly cold too. But, going in late May or early June is much cheaper, the weather is more pleasant and it can coincide with half term if you have children. Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is also due to open in Spring this year.

For a change of scenery, hire a car to Miami and explore the 12 miles of sandy beaches, restaurants as well as the Art Deco architecture and galleries. Miami also has plenty to offer for the more active holidaymaker - cycling, fishing, diving, tennis and golf just to mention a few. Miami's shopping experience is pure joy, with its outdoor shopping promenades and low prices in places such as The Dolphin Mall or Prime Outlets.

Fly To Dubai In Super First Class

2010-04-06T13:43:00.003Z

A new standard in luxury travel has been rolled out by 3 airlines - Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Emirates.

The new super first class comprises of your own enclosed cabin, complete with 23 inch tv, massager, a specially prepared menu and champagne, and a luxury bedroom suite.

The cabins are aimed at the wealthy businessman, sportsman, celebrities and honeymoon couples and designed to ease the transition between luxury hotels and a cramped aircraft for the flight home. John Terry and Freddie Flintoff are known t have taken cabins on flights to Dubai, and Danni Minogue utilises super first class for her flights to Australia.

Tim Clark, the president of Emirates airlines, said: "International premium travellers are highly aspirational. You have passengers coming out of luxury hotels, and you can't have them getting into something that comes out of the dark ages in terms of the airplane. So we brought the service up to high levels, and then went beyond that."

Whilst this could be taken up by other airlines, British Airways won't be among them. A spokesperson said "We have invested £100 million in our new First class cabin and the feedback from customers is already very good. We looked at creating a fully enclosed suite, like other long haul carriers have done, but our customer research came out strongly against such an idea."

France Hire Car Holidays Popular Again

2010-03-30T13:28:00.003Z

According to reports, France self-drive holidays are becoming more popular again for us Brits. Car hire is preferable to flying due to more stringent security checks and resulting delays at airports.

One of the advantages of hiring a car in France or travelling by rail is that, under the right circumstances, the journey can become a pleasurable part of the holiday. Unfortunately, car hire prices have increased quite substantially compared to the same time last year according to a recent survey by Travel Supermarket, so the advice is to book early and look out for deals.

France is well known for its appeal to foodies. Local markets are a fantastic source of fresh produce for the self caterer looking for something other than supermarket offerings, not to mention an ideal place to practise language skills with the locals.

There is also a lot of history to discover, such as the amazing Roman remains of France’s lost city of Glanum, a pair of monuments and an excavated Roman town on a site dating from the 4th century BC, which is accessible by car or bicycle from Via Aurelia.

Driving from Calais to the South of France is made considerably easier and enjoyable by the high quality of the French autoroutes. You will pass through pleasantly undulating countryside, past sleepy villages with plenty of places to stop and break up the journey before reaching the coast.

New York Marathon Win For Yamauchi

2010-03-25T14:49:00.003Z

Mara Yamauchi made a stunning comeback to racing at the weekend, winning the New York Half Marathon, setting a new course record of 1hr 9mins 17secs.

The New York event is seen as a warm up to the London Marathon in just under 5 weeks time. Professional runners often use these events as part of their training, Mara Yamauchi has only recently returned to racing after a foot injury.

The Japan based British runner was forced to miss the World Championships in Berlin due to the foot injury and produced an excellent performance to overhaul the American Deena Kastor who was leading by 200m with 2 miles left of the race.

St Patrick's Day Mate's Rates Flights

2010-03-18T12:15:00.004Z

Good news for people flying to Ireland with Etihad Airways this month. In recognition of St Patrick's Day, they have introduced special Irish Mate's Rates Fares. Couples can get the mate's rates through Etihad's companion fares. Its not clear how widespread the offer is, it seems to be available in Australia, but its not obvious whether its available from other parts of the world as well.

It may be worth taking advantage of the special offer by using Ireland as a stop off for flights to London for example. Ireland is a lovely place and would make an excellent add-on to a holiday with flights to the UK. There is a choice of transport for the crossing the the UK mainland of course. Flying is the quickest and easiest way to get to London, but for people with more time, a ferry crossing might allow more time to take in the view.

Tenerife Retirement For Ricky Hatton?

2010-03-16T15:48:00.002Z

Ricky "Hit Man" Hatton has allegedly confided to his friends he may hang up his gloves for good.

The statement came as he was on a friend's stag weekend in Tenerife. Hatton was knocked out for several minutes by his opponent in his last fight and was undertaking a light training schedule at the end of an Australian holiday, but possibly hired a car in Tenerife shortly afterwards to join his friends.

Spain is a popular destination year round, so flight bargains are easy to come by. Once there, the easiest way to get around is car rental, once again there are generally a variety of good deals to be had with a bit of searching around. It's always a good idea to book well in advance in busy periods as there is a well documented shortage of hire cars in Spain, leaving may disappointed and more to the point, without transport.

Hatton is reputedly enjoying the social scene of Tenerife and is more than 50lbs over his fighting weight at a little over 14 stones. Official sources say he hasn't reached a firm decision yet, but if I was close to him, I'd be trying to persuade him to stop. He's had a distinguished career and the fact that he lost his last fight isn't going to change that.

Triple Marathon Run For Charity

2010-03-12T10:38:00.003Z

Its quite incredible what people will put themselves through to raise money for charity. At this time of year, some people are running multiple marathons - I have been watching the story of Eddie Izzards amazing achievement in aid of Sport Relief, something in the order of 42 marathons in 50 days and its quite a moving story.

The London Marathon is the biggest single day charity fundraising event on the planet and it is incorporated into multiple marathon runner Marcus Fearon's fundraising efforts for the Anthony Nolan Trust, which researches Leukemia treatment.

Marcus is running three marathons this year, the first was the Barcelona Marathon which he completed on Sunday, he is then running the London Marathon on 26th April, and he will finish with the Berlin Marathon in December.

He hopes to raise £1,500 for the charity and can be sponsored via his Just Giving Page at www.justgiving.com/marcus-fearon.

Hala Abu Dhabi

2010-03-10T12:56:00.002Z

Hala Abu Dhabi is Etihad Airway's new destination management company. Based in Abu Dhabi, it will offer travel products, services and activities throughout all seven Emirates of the UAE and will include:-

• tours and desert safaris;
• event management;
• bespoke experience packages and VIP services;
• airport meet and assist;
• ground transportation;
• a full range of accommodation options - from luxury to economy;
• world-class business conference and meeting venues with state of the art technology and facilities.

“Our Hala Abu Dhabi team has recently developed and managed inbound packages for the very successful Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, and the V8 Supercars hosted in Abu Dhabi last month,” Mr Baumgartner said.

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority wants to increase the number of guests staying in Abu Dhabi hotels from 1.5million in 2009, to 1.65 million in 2010. There are a number of new tourist attractions to help boost visitor numbers, such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi – the world’s largest indoor theme park –, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the eco-friendly Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, designed by golfing legend Gary Player as the Arabian Gulf’s only ‘ocean’ course with several beachfront holes.

Spanish Car Rentals Shortage To Continue 2010

2010-03-02T12:56:00.003Z

It looks as if car hire shortages are set to continue into 2010. The car rental industry was one of the worst affected areas of tourism in the recession last year, with Spain hardest hit.

The recession meant that car rental companies cut the size of their fleets significantly last year in order to save money. Not surprisingly this led to shortages, especially at peak times such as bank holidays. Car hire in Spain was particularly difficult to secure if it was not booked well in advance as it is one of the most popular destinations in Europe.

A similar situation is anticipated this summer as rental car companies have not replenished their stocks of cars to hire out. It is worth keeping an eye out though as some car hire bargains may become available.

The best advice is still to book a hire car well in advance to avoid disappointment as well as avoiding potentially higher costs when booking a car on arrival. Many people were disappointed last year when they landed at Malaga airport to find that there were no cars left. There is always the taxi or bus option, but it's not as convenient as the freedom of your own car, so book ahead if you need your own transport.

M&S Increasing Recycling Initiative

2010-02-22T16:02:00.002Z

Marks and Spencer, better known for their stylish dresses and functional lingerie, have agreed a partnership with Somerset City Council.

Under the £1.25 million agreement, plastics and cardboard will be added to the materials Somerset City Council collects from households in its five district councils, which will then be sold on to M&S to reuse or sell to other producers.

Marks and Spencer estimate that it will reuse approximately 15,000 tonnes of waste and another 45,000 tonnes sold on to other producers. This is the first of four partnerships of this type - the other three will be announced throughout the year.

Marks & Spencer's head of packaging, Dr Helene Roberts, said: "This is a pioneering project we believe will change the face of recycling in the UK." she continued "We've achieved a 16% reduction in food packaging and over 90% is now recyclable." she then concluded "In order that we move to the next level, which is making more of our packaging with recycled content, we need more materials at a higher quality collected at the kerbside and made available to our suppliers."

Flights to Manchester-Abu Dhabi Increasing

2010-02-19T10:35:00.004Z

Manchester flights to Abu Dhabi are proving so popular for Etihad Airways that they are providing larger aircraft from June, making a further 2,100 seats available per week.

This is the latest move in Etihad's expansion of its services globally. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s chief commercial officer, said: “Our services to Manchester have been performing very strongly, with load factors of close to 80 per cent in 2009. The business and investment ties between Manchester and Abu Dhabi have never been stronger and the introduction of the B777 furthers our commitment to this important route." and continued “We are pleased to support business and leisure travel to the region, as well as offering our customers greater access to Abu Dhabi and our expanding global network.”

Etihad began operating services to Manchester in 2006 and through codeshare agreements with bmi and Flybe offers flights to UK destinations from Manchester including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Southampton and the Isle of Man.

Charity Donations Through Price Comparison

2010-02-17T15:46:00.004Z

A new price comparison site has been launched that gives a charity donation of at least 2/3 of its commission to Oxfam with the remainder going to cover the cost of running the site.

Compare for Good, powered by beatthatquote, is the brainchild of Ivan Massow. Although a charitable venture, it still features all the financial providers that appear on other price comparison sites.

This is possibly the first time that a not for profit price comparison site has existed and it has the potential to raise millions of pounds for Oxfam at a time when funding from other sources is decreasing. Revenue from charity shops has decreased by around 15% this year with the ongoing global recession.

Cathy Ferrier, Oxfam's director of fundraising, said: "We're always looking for innovative ways to raise money for our lifesaving work, especially during difficult economic times when the public find it harder to spare money for charity. This website means people can support Oxfam even when money is tight."

Joan Collins launched the site and described it as a "win-win" opportunity for saving money whilst making a charity gift at the same time.

London Marathon Charity Fundraising

2010-02-12T10:38:00.003Z

The London Marathon is the biggest annual one day event for charity fundraising on the planet. This year, the total raised over its 30 year history is set to top £500 million.

As always, the stars are coming out in 2010 to raise money for their favourite causes. Sir Richard Branson is racing his two children this year. It might sound unfair, but the kids are going to be part of a 32 piece caterpillar (loo breaks could be interesting!) whereas he will not be so encumbered. If successful, the caterpillar will set the world record for the highest number of runners to cross the finish line together.

Branson senior will be running alongside TV presenter Jenni Falconer, singers Natalie Imbruglia and Michelle Heaton, Hollyoaks' Ricky Whittle and Kenyan marathon champion Tegla Loroupe and they will all be raising money for Virgin Unite which supports vulnerable young people in Britain.

'Bob' has come up with an innovative way of raising money on Just Giving. Apparently he is not running the London marathon, but intends to walk an equivalent route, all proceeds going to Oxfam. Apparently, doing kind acts such as taking part in charity events, saving kittens and the like, helps to make men more attractive to women, so there's another incentive to get fit for the London Marathon.

Cheap Bike Gear For Austria

2010-02-10T12:31:00.003Z

Its all very exciting in our house at the moment, we're going on a bike trip to Austria with a couple of friends in May, so we're starting to make preparations - usually over a pint or two.

Being a biking holiday, there's not quite as much leeway for being glamorous as a holiday in Spain as luggage space is more restricted for a start. Its quite interesting getting a bike kitted out for touring, there is some good quality cheap bike gear around, but you have to hunt about a bit.

I've bought the maps and phrasebooks to back up the satnav, so we just need to sort out the route, then all the other little things should fall into place.

British Airways Reduce Flights to Australia

2010-02-04T16:18:00.003Z

British Airways has announced it will be reducing flights to Australia in the next four months.

Its daily flight from Sydney to London via Singapore will cease in March, leaving just one daily 747 service, via Bangkok. It will do the same for 18 days in May and will cut services slightly in April and June. A company spokesman said it was in response to "weak demand", but stressed that bookings were improving.

British Airways and Quantas's alliance has allowed BA to step back from flights to Australia in recent times, leaving Quantas to operate its Sydney - London service. Competition has become more fierce on flights to Australia from Middle Eastern airlines, such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways.

BA is expected to posts an operating loss of around £200 million for the nine months to December 31st - for the same period last year, they reported a £89 million profit.

Discount Retailers Increase Prices

2010-02-01T10:55:00.002Z

Discount high street retailers such as Primark and Matalan have raised their prices on women's clothing by a whopping 13 and 14% respectively, whilst middle of the road shope such as Next, Marks and Spencers and Debenhams have kept their prices stable or even reduced them.

The main causes for price rises are the return of VAT to 17.5% from 15% and the rising cost of raw materials due to inflation. Retailers with a lower profit margin are bound to be hit hardest by increasing costs, whilst shoppers can benefit from discounts applied by more profitable businesses, especially on higher value items such as furniture.

Even though average priced are falling for retailers such as M&S, the price of their entry level products has risen, showing that the price squeeze is affecting all markets. Unfortunately the price drop won't affect prices of flowers for Valentines day, but bargains may be had in other areas.

Spanish Car Hire Holidays

2010-01-28T09:23:00.002Z

When going on a holiday to Spain's Costa del Sol, few people use Malaga as a base when they leave the airport, they usually continue onto their holiday resorts.

Malaga itself has a lot to offer - the old quarter is next to a Roman theatre and Moorish palace, in contrast to the shopping centre and vibrant social life. If hiring a car in Spain is your next holiday, then Malaga is an excellent choice for a base.

Art fans will love the new Picasso museum and the train from Fuengirola to Malaga also stops in Benalmadena and Torremolinos, perfect for days out. Getting to Malaga is cheap too, there are frequent flights from many European destinations, which can even be improved upon with a bit of hunting about and haggling.

Haiti Eartquake 2 Weeks Later

2010-01-27T10:12:00.002Z

Two weeks after the Haiti earthquake struck, aid is getting through to the people, but reports are coming through that it is chaos - there are more needy people than food to feed them and aid agencies cannot control the queues in some instances and have had to deploy measures such as tear gas and rubber bullets.

The situation in Haiti is such that it if extremely difficult to distribute anything over non existent roads in absolute chaos. Haiti is an island. Getting supplies to an area within a mainland is easier. This is also a culture where people are permanently on the edge and order/civility consistently tested.
The thing about a natural disaster is that no one can really predict how it will take shape even though they happen with regularity. The elements of nature will always confound and test us. No amount of committed or concerted unity will actually result in instant magic results in Haiti or anywhere else subject to the larger forces of nature.

Flower and Garden Festivals

2010-01-22T09:38:00.002Z

I didn't realise there were so many holidays and celebrations throughout the year to do with flowers and all things horticultural.Gregory McNamee's blog post on Britannica 'Holidays for Gardeners: Mark Your Calendar' features a comprehensive list of gardening festivals and events around the world, well worth a read.

The practice of giving flowers on Valentines Day dates back to the 1700s when Charles II of Sweden introduced Europe to the Persian custom of the language of flowers. The red rose has become the traditional Valentines flower and is widely known as the the flower of passion and love.

Other popular Valentines Day flowers include lilies, alstroemeria, iris, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, carnations, tuberoses and freesias, just like buying lingerie, make sure your chosen bouquet is comprised of the recipients preferred flowers.

To take good care of any flowers you are lucky enough to receive on Valentines Day, it is important to store them in water in a cool place to prolong their life.

Interestingly, in Denmark, rather than fresh flowers, people send pressed white flowers, known as snowdrops to each other on Valentines Day.

Flights To India

2010-01-20T10:26:00.005Z

Holidays to India are becoming more popular in recent times. What is it that attracts people there?

Flights to Chennai - Chennai is known as the "Gateway to Southern India". It was previously called Madras, established by the British and developed as the British Empire expanded. Today, Chennai is famous for its cultural events and Kollywood with a growing industrial base.

Flights to Hyderabad - Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh and is one of the largest cities in India. Hyderabad is also known as the City of Nizrams and is a mixture of ancient palaces and modern offices and buildings. The food can be spicy, derived from a combination of Mughlai and traditional Hyderabadi.

Flights to Mumbai - Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai is India's largest city. It is a place of majestic skyscrapers and sprawling slums. The people in Mumbai are from a diverse range of backgrounds and speak over 12 different languages.

Flights to Thiruvananthapuram - Thiruvananthapuram, previously known as Trivandrum is the capital city of Kerala and built on seven hills on the west coast of India. Thiruvananthapuram derives from Thiru-anantha-puram, meaning the city of Anantha or the abode of the sacred Serpent Anantha on which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu trinity, reclines.

Hire a Car in France

2010-01-12T12:10:00.003Z

After the fuss about staycationing lately, it may be that holidaying abroad in somewhere like France could work out cheaper than the UK. Car hire in France has seen a boost lately with the traditional self drive French family holiday making a comeback, with many now utilising French airport car hire facilities.

To get the best skiing deals in the February half term, it is best to avoid resorts such as Courchevel 1850 or Val Thorens. Much cheaper deals can be found in outlying areas connected to the piste and ski lift network. The other alternative is to go somewhere where the half term doesn't coincide with our such as the US or Canada.

French summer holidays also have the advantage of more dependable weather over the UK, especially considering the past couple of summers we have had over here. Nice is always very popular, situated right by the sea, there is plenty to do whether you stay in one place or take a nice hire car to explore further afield. Nice itself boasts a number of must-see attractions, such as the Cours Saleya Flower Market, the Matisse Museum, ancient Roman ruins and the Russian Cathedral.

Whether skiing or catching a bit of sun, hiring a car in France is the easiest way to get around.

Christmas - Too Much Food

2010-01-07T15:10:00.002Z

Christmas is over for another year and we are entering the brave new world of 2010. The furniture has survived the extra weight of Christmas food for the most part, but the sofas are showing signs of strain.

A week or so of mostly lazing about, trying to find something decent to watch on telly - I must say, I thought it was particularly dreadful this year. Doctor Who was about the only thing worth watching apart from reruns of Pirates of the Caribbean.

I'm not too bothered about presents these days, especially as this year we've bought several new toys - an LCD TV, new bike and a PS3, so we can't complain.

We did go to see the relatives in the New Year for a couple of days, and managed to come back with yet more food to eat before the diet starts. Its a good job this cold weather didn't kick in a few days earlier or it would have been a pretty horrid trip back. The recent weather has caused absolute chaos across many parts of the country and it looks like there is more to come over the weekend.

So, New Year, new challenges - first one is to lose the Xmas inches.

Copenhagen Climate Change Summit Ends With No Binding Deal

2009-12-21T12:10:00.002Z

Five nations, including the US and China have reached an agreement at the recent Copenhagen climate change summit, but it is not legally binding.

Gordon Brown has called it "progress" and intends to lead a campaign for a legally binding contract. President Obama said it was a foundation for global action, but admitted there was "much further to go".

Several nations, including Tuvalu and Venezuela said they will not accept the deal in its present form. In order for the deal to be seen as an official UN agreement, all 193 nations at the talks must sign it.

In its present form, the deal promises £18.5bn for developing nations to cope with climate change over the next three years and £61bn a year by 2020.

The five nations that have come up with the deal are the US, China, Brazil, India and South Africa. The countries have, according to Obama, "agreed to set a mitigation target to limit warming to no more than 2C and, importantly, to take action to meet this objective". It also includes a method to verify emissions reductions of industrialised nations - a measure China had initially refused to go along with.

The Copenhagen talks were disrupted earlier in the week when the G77-China delegation walked out over concerns they were being overlooked. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters: "I will not hide my disappointment regarding the non-binding nature of the agreement here...In that respect, the document falls far short of our expectations."

French President, Nicholas Sarkozy said ""The text we have is not perfect,.... If we had no deal, that would mean that two countries as important as India and China would be freed from any type of contract....The United States, which is not in Kyoto, would be free of any type of contract. That's why a contract is absolutely vital."

Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven was not impressed with the climate change deal either: "The city of Copenhagen is a crime scene tonight, with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport.....There are no targets for carbon cuts and no agreement on a legally binding treaty," he observed. "It is now evident that beating global warming will require a radically different model of politics than the one on display here in Copenhagen."

Men's Guide To Buying Lingerie

2009-12-17T10:42:00.002Z

The Christmas lingerie buying ritual can be a real nightmare - the world of silk, knickers and cup size can cause even the bravest of men to develop an involuntary twitch.

The advice from seasoned lingerie advisors is to that doing a little homework can ease a lot of the stress, just like you would if you wanted a new motorbike. Men generally go into the lingerie department with a general idea of what they want, but a bit sketchy on specifics and scared of making a mistake.

Before you leave the house, chaps, refresh your memory about what fabrics, colours and styles your lady wears and make sure you know what size she is. Its almost impossible to guess what size someone is just by looking at them, and she's not going to be too pleased if its miles too small or big.

Also bear in mind that what you would like to see her in, isn't necessarily what she would want to wear herself, so skipping past the bright red satin might be a good idea. Don't be afraid to ask the assistants for advice about the latest fashions - they've helped hundreds of men negotiate the lingerie minefield. If all else fails, go for black. It's always glamorous and sophisticated and never goes out of style.

Another Codeshare Agreement For Etihad

2009-12-16T10:57:00.003Z

Etihad has entered into negotiations for yet another codeshare agreement, this time with ANA. ANA has applied to the Japanese government for regulatory approval, and assuming goes well, the codeshare will come into effect on 1 March 2010.

ANA will add its 'NH' code to the four weekly flights to Abu Dhabi and Nagoya from 1st Feb 2010 and in return, flights between Nagoya and both Sapporo and Fukuoka will have an 'EY' code.

From 28 March 2010, the codeshare agreement will be extended to include ANA operated services between Narita and Osaka Itami. This coincides with Etihad's new Japanese flights between Abu Dhabi and Narita.

The good news for passengers enrolled in the frequent flyer programs of bot airlines is that they will be able to accrue and use mileage on both operator's flights.

Abu Dhabi is already developing links with Japan in the fields of energy and the environment. Abu Dhabi, already possessing rich energy sources of its own is expected to expand its tourism and business in the coming years, helped by the recent acquisition of a permanent place in the F1 calendar. It has a prime location in the UAE, close to Dubai and with easy access to the rest of the Emirates.

Noughties Hottest On Record

2009-12-08T15:08:00.003Z

Data released by the Met Office and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has shown the first decade of this century to be "by far" the hottest on record, with 2009 being the fifth warmest in 160 years.

The statistics are being made available to the delegates from around the world at the Copenhagen climate change conference. Average global surface temperature has risen by 0.15C per decade since the middle of the 1970's, it is only in continent of North America that temperatures were cooler than average.

WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud said that the final analysis would not be complete until early next year; but the UN agency always issues a summary during the annual climate negotiations in order that delegates have the latest information.

1998 has been cited as the warmest year, coinciding with strong El Nino conditions. La Nina has since contributed to more depressed temperatures, but another strong El Nino is now developing, with the possibility of a new global record temperature in the next year or two, according to NASA's GISTEMP unit. Other researchers however, believe that temperatures will stabilise for up to a decade as other natural cycles keep the ocean's surface relatively cool, with rapid warming taking place after that.

The data released by the Met Office comes from over 1,500 of the 5,000 land surface monitoring stations worldwide. "This subset release will continue the policy of putting as much of the station temperature record as possible into the public domain," said the agency's statement.

"As soon as we have all permissions in place we will release the remaining station records - around 5,000 in total - that make up the full land temperature record.

"We are dependent on international approvals to enable this final step and cannot guarantee that we will get permission from all data owners."

Mr Jarraud said that weather agencies belonging to the WMO had agreed in 1995 that they would, in general, make data "essential for the protection of life and property" freely available, but added that some agencies did not release all their data.

"But whether they all release or not will not alter what we are saying, because the vast majority is already open."

Making The World A Smaller Place

2009-12-01T12:51:00.003Z

The advent of commercial flights all over the world has made destinations we could only dream about even three generations ago just a few hours away.

The present recession has hit the aviation industry with massive losses being recorded in some airlines and others ceasing to exist. However, the worst has passed now and some airlines are negotiating codeshares and other mutually beneficial arrangements in order to move forward.

Etihad Airways and Air Malta now allow passengers to buy connecting flights to Abu Dhabi via Frankfurt on a single ticket. It also means Etihad has a choice of 80 connecting flights from Dubai.
Etihad is expanding in India too. It is to connect India with North America, focussing on the corporate travellers, and also plans to introduce flights to Cape Town and Athens.

In order to reduce the impact of the recession in India, Etihad chose to replace its wide bodied fleet with narrow bodied aircraft and redesign its routes so that it reached a wider range of destinations in North America.

The end result is a success for Etihad, working with other airlines has enabled it to continue expanding and escape the worst effects of the recession.

Travelling Around Europe

2009-11-24T15:08:00.002Z

My hubby and I are going on out first motorbike rideout in Europe next year. We will probably take the channel tunnel to France and then amble around maybe to Germany, Luxembourg and see some nice scenery.

On a tour like this, its nice not to set a strict timetable, if we really like a place, we will stop over for two nights instead of rushing to get to the next B&B. We're only in the preliminary planning stage at the moment as its not until next May, out first planning meeting with the two friends we are going with is scheduled for a couple of weeks time at the pub.

Some other friends of ours went to Spain for a couple of weeks and opted to hire a car in Mabella, using it to explore whilst staying in Marbella as a base. We wont be going as far South as that this time, perhaps next time we'll strike towards the Spanish coast. I can see the attraction of staying in one place such as Marbella and going to areas of interest nearby, but this time we would prefer to do a proper tour and take in lots of different sights.

This is exactly why we bought the GSX 1400 so it'll be very interesting to find out how it copes with extended use. We don't envisage any problems, everything we've chucked at it so far it has taken in its stride and there's no reason this should be any different.

M&S Delivery Promotion

2009-11-19T10:26:00.001Z

Hot off the press! Marks & Spencer is running a 1p delivery promotion from 18th - 28th November. The way it works is that a £3.49 discount is applied to standard delivery at the checkout, slashing the delivery charge to 1p for a limited time to any UK mainland address.

There really is no time like the present to order that must have M&S dress for Christmas. Standard delivery for large technology items and furniture is free, whilst flowers, fruit baskets and Made to Measure shirts all have delivery included in the price.

Marks and Spencer is also involved in some controversy at the moment too, with regards to one of their TV adverts. According to the BBC, eight people have complained about M&S's "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without...." advert starring Philip Glenister is sexist. The advert features Glenister, best known for his portrayal of sexist DCI Hunt in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, replying "That girl prancing around in her underwear." Neomie Lenoir, a French lingerie model and regular in Marks and Spencer adverts, dressed only in her bra and knickers, then asks "Moi?".

A spokesman for Marks and Spencer said: "We're surprised by the ASA complaints regarding Philip Glenister's appearance in our TV ad.

"Our research shows that his on-screen character in Ashes to Ashes is extremely popular with our customers and his lines in the ad are in keeping with that role."