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Tiffany & Co Jewellers Boycot Alaskan Gold Mine Plans

Posted by on Wednesday, 3 November, 2010
Pink Salmon in Alaska

Black Bear Catching Pink Salmon in Alaska

With the price of gold reaching a record high yet again, it is not unreasonable to think that the mining companies are looking at investing in other areas to find more gold, but at what price?

Tiffany & Co, one of the world leaders in retail jewellery, today announced that they would be joining the boycott in support of the Alaskan families who reside and work in Bristol Bay.

This is the third company in a short time that has made this announcement, following in the footsteps of Fraser Hart and Beaverbrooks.

The planned excavation of the Bristol Bay river was being headed by Anglo American and a Canadian partner, Northern Dynasty Minerals.

Although they claim they would not damage the pink salmon inhabitants of the river, jewellers from the UK and USA have said that they would not purchase any old that had been taken from this area, purely on ecological rounds.

The supposed infrastructure would cover approximately 30 square miles of the Alaska river head, with approximately 85 miles of road to access the site. Not only this, local campaigners claim that the estimated contaminated waste from the mine would fill two valleys.

Salmon fishing in the Alaskan districts produces over $320 million a year and employs 12,500 people across the country.

As fishing is in the biggest decline ever, all we can do is hope that the linkingof arms between some of the worlds largest retailers of gold and silver, will be enough combined weight for the companies to abandon plans and look somewhere else.

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Alcohol Is The Most Dangerous Drug

Posted by on Monday, 1 November, 2010
Alcohol More Dangerous Compared To Hard Drugs

Alcohol Compared To Cocaine and Heroin

We live and breath alcohol, either when shopping in our local food store or filling up the car with fuel – whichever the corner, someone is selling it.

Astonishingly, this week see’s a report released which claims that when you combine the effects of alcohol to not only the person who consumed it, but also those who are attacked and beaten through people who have consumed it, that it is the worst drug even when you put it along side crack cocaine and heroin.

Scientists claim that when you combine the effects of alcohol, it is 3 times as greater a problem than class ‘A’ drugs and even tobacco.

What is more concerning was the revelation from the Britain’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs and The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction that heroin and crack cocaine were second and third compared to alcohol in first.

This revelation has sparked national concerns for the younger people of the nation, who are now being led to believe that if drinking is far worse than taking drugs, that they would be far better doing things like heroin and crack instead of going to the pub on a night time with friends for a social couple of beers.

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UK Airport Goes On High Security Alert

Posted by on Friday, 29 October, 2010
UPS Plane Sparks Terror At UK Airport

UPS Aircraft Sparks Bomb Alert

Whilst routine checks were being carried out this morning at East Midland Airport, a suspect package was found which placed the whole airport on high security until they had isolated the package.

The Police were called earlier this morning by East Midlands Airport, to attend the distribution centre after airport security had found the package.

Official spokesperson from the USA said that they had found the suspect package which was a toner cartridge which had been tampered with, and looked like wires had been placed in it with white powder inside.

Tests were carried out and the package was actually found to be harmless, never the less, it sparked a considerable concern amongst UPS staff as they had to move 2 aircraft away from buildings at Philadelphia and another 1 from their Newark, New Jersey depot.

And if that wasn’t enough problems for UPS in the US, they then got reports that Police in New York were attending another suspect package which looked like a bomb, on one of their delivery trucks which was on the road in Brooklyn.

A statement from the Department of Transport was issued earlier and said:  “There is a police operation ongoing at East Midlands airport.”

And a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are aware of the incident and it is a matter for the police. The Department for Transport is taking the lead on this.”

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Cross Fire Between North and South Korea

Posted by on Friday, 29 October, 2010

Tension Between North and South KoreaThe tensions are rising between North and South Korea again today as the North decided to stream two rounds of bullets at it’s Southern neighbours, sparking off some heavy crossfire.

According to local officials, this all started out when the Northern Army sprayed a guard post in the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries where they knew some of the Southern Korean army were hiding out.

It’s unknown if the shots were fired for any reason, or if it was just an accident – but either way this could spark an unrest between the two countries following weeks of negotiation between the two countries to stage military talks.

All of this is not going to help either country during times when the G20 are considering taking action against North Korea. Only yesterday, Canada decided to place trading restrictions against North Korea, as well as diplomatic restrics said Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Lawrence Cannon.

‘Trade between the two contries wil be put on hold until further notice, apart from aid for humanatarian reasons’ said Cannon.

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How Much Would Sex Cost You

Posted by on Saturday, 23 October, 2010

Sex.com - The Ultimate Domain Name Worth $13 million

More Importantly, Can You Afford It?

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Sex is always in the news today, with people selling products or services that are related to the internet for the pleasures of others who enjoy different things.

But whilst the word SEX is more commonly used in the english vocabulary, it still gets seen as being a cheap word.

That is not the case for SEX.COM – which went before the high court this week as the previous owners of the domain name, Escom LLC, have filed that Clover Holdings Ltd are the successful bidder for the elite web address.

Back in 2006, Escom LLC paid a few dollars short of $14 million for the domain, which at the time was the highest recorded price for a domain name. And whilst we are still in a quiet global trading period, no one expected the domain to reach close to the original price paid back in ’06.’

Obviously Clover Holdings Ltd could see something worth buying, because the bid they put forward to secure the purchase of the domain was for $13 million.

A spokes person for Sedo.com, one of the worlds largest domain name aution sites and market places said: “It still holds the record for being the most valued domain name.”

A bankruptcy judge will sit on the 27th October when the papers for the offer dor the domain name will be put before him.

No one from Clover Holdings Ltd was available to comment.

So, as the old saying goes, “Sex DOES pay!”

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Teachers TV Service Takes A Huge Blow

Posted by on Friday, 15 October, 2010
Ten Alps TV Plc

£2 Million Wiped off Geldof's Share Value within 1 hour.

At a time when eduction is in the media spotlight in the UK, the board of directors and chairman at Ten Alps TV must think their world is crumbling beneath them.

Today the Cheif Executive of Ten Alps TV, Alex Connock,  held a press conference to announce their dissapointment over a letter he recived only 24 hours before outlining that the British government had pulled the plug on Teacher TV, losing the firm nearly £10 million a year in revenue, and a sudden colapse in their share value.

This announcement came as a shocking blow to the owners of Ten Alps, one of them being Sir Bob Geldof.

After such a sudden knee jerk reaction, the shares in Ten Alps dropped nearly 35%, losing just over 0.05pence -  leaving the boses searching for idea’s in how to keep the service running without the revenue from the UK Government.

Whilst being interviewed after the announcement, Sir Bob Geldof confirmed that he had just experienced nearly £2 million wiped off his shares for the media based company, yet still seemed to be pretty up beat about the whole process and saying: ‘this is the biggest shock we have ever experienced.

Ten Alps also confirmed that they wanted to keep the service going, so would look at making it into a subscription system whilst only serving the people who are on their list already. So should you wish to use the lido swimming pool before the close of the season, you will have every Tom, Dick and Harry drop in for a brew and a piece of cake.

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British Weather Helps Business Economy in South Wales

Posted by on Saturday, 2 October, 2010

South Wales Business Boom Due To Weather and Ryder CupJust another typical week on ‘Costa UK’ with the weather playing a major part on not just the Golf, but the economy surrounding the Ryder Cup.

Due to the sudden rain on the opening day of ‘The Ryder Cup’ – and the problems trying to get the course to drain over the following 24 hours, Golf was going to be potentially taken into an extra day so they could complete the EU ‘v’ USA challenge at Celtic Manor in South Wales.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as thousands of spectators who were due to fly back to their home countries on Monday, ended up spending the rest of their allowance getting accomodation for another night so that they could watch the completion of the competition.

Some fans who had travelled from the USA also booked a second night, as many flights that were booked to go on the Monday could not be re-scheduled until the Wednesday.

The Ryder Cup organizers had already stated that anyone who had a ticket for the Sunday, would be allowed access on the Monday without having to pay any more.

An official spokesman from marketing group Cardiff and Co said: “Obviously the weather was disappointing and the event organisers have worked very hard to deliver an outstanding event for Wales. As the weather continued to affect the play through the weekend, it was inevitable it would result in people staying longer in the city region.”

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UK Border Agency Has Successful Summer Clamp Down

Posted by on Wednesday, 29 September, 2010

UK Border and Immigration Agency Whilst the trumpets are being signalled for the next round of political initiatives, the Labour party have been issued with a new leader.

But, during the months of campaigning, the politicians have been keeping a quiet eye on the UK Border Agency during their summer clamp down of illegal workers.

Throughout the summer months, the UK Border Agency have been systematically raiding both business and residential properties across the country, including Cornwall, Leicestershire, Cumbria, Nottinghamshire and Shropshire.

And with a good hit rate, they have managed to arrest illegal workers who do not hold the correct documentation for working in the UK. With an average of between 2-3 workers at each business raid, the UKBA have managed to issue prosecution notices which have totalled close to £30,000 per business owner for not meeting the required standards expected.

The majority of cases that were reported either involved a fast food outlet, or a restaurant – as these types of places struggle to keep employee’s for more than a few months, and at extremely concerning pay rates.

One particular case which was unearthed by the UKBA found that one employer was giving his illegal workers only £15 per day, plus food and accommodation, bringing the total earning on average of £125 per week for around 85 hours – or just under £1.50 per hour.

But, now that these outlets have been found guilty once, the agency then keeps a close eye on them for the following 12 months to make sure they don’t follow the same path again.

And now that they have finished the purge on this style of business, they will continue into the winter with more raids on ‘Hand Car Wash’ businesses which set up at either shopper car parks in town centres, and petrol forecourts that have closed and gone out of business.

Statistics show that there is between 2 and 3 of these outlets in any town, which obviously should keep them busy for a long time to come.

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Helicopter Charter on the Increase in 2010

Posted by on Wednesday, 22 September, 2010

Atlas Helicopter Charter HireHelicopter Hire Demand on the Increase.

Chief Executive of Atlas Helicopters today announced that the hire and charter of small 4/5 seater helicopters has been making a slow but impressive up turn, with both business and private hire seeing an increase in demand.

Mike Burns, who is the Chief Executive and also pilots at Atlas, claims that they are seeing an increase despite the much publicised economic conditions. He said, “We are more than delighted that our charter service is growing again, but it just goes to show that there is always a demand for this type of travel, especially within the business sector.”

One of the major issues since the economy started to slow down and companies scaled back on their employee base, is that most of the business owners now have to travel, more often to secure deals. So, with the cost of standard travel increasing, helicopter charter is now becoming something considered more often.

With general congestion on the roads increasing, rising costs of commercial flights and a rail network that never runs on time, helicopter charter companies could have it in the bag as they have kept the same prices since 2008 plus, they can also land at local airfields to where their clients live.

“All in all, we have one of the most convenient modes of transportation, removing all the stress of long car journeys and public transport failure, with the added bonus of being able to cover more miles in far less time,” he added.

So, with more miles being covered and less hotel expenditure, it’s pretty obvious to see that helicopter travel could probably be the up and coming way to commute back and forth on long journeys.

Unsurprisingly, we decided to do a comparison for a business owner travelling by car from London to Edinburgh – one nights accommodation in a 5 star hotel, evening meal and drinks, then back on the road again to London the next morning.

Total cost – £690 plus 36 hours away from the office.

Charter a helicopter from London to Edinburgh, wait and return to London the same day.

Total Cost – £1700 – and only 9 hours away from the office.

Yes it is over double the cost, but in productivity, you could make it back with an extra day in the office.

Atlas have a fleet of AS355 Twin Squirrel’s, one Bell 206 Long Ranger – plus the addition of larger helicopters as and when they need them through short term lease. But as Captain Burns was quick to point out, “If business keeps rising like it is, expansion may soon be on the cards which is an exciting prospect for the business.”

There is one thing for sure, if it was my business, I would be straight on the phone to a charter company – but then so would you after reading this, wouldn’t you?

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Wild Chimps Give Human Hunters The Slip

Posted by on Monday, 13 September, 2010

Chimps Give Hunters The SlipNo matter where you look in an African jungle, professional hunters are laying snare traps in an attempt to catch wild chimps for the meat value.

Researchers have found that these wise chimps in the rainforests of Guinea are beginning to understand what the traps look like, giving them the slip.

What is more interesting is that the chimps are now actively searching for the deactivated traps, and are managing to set them off without being harmed.

Primatologists Mr Gaku Ohashi and Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa who study the chimps and their social behaviour, have found that very few chimps activate snares near human settlements, and the only time they were being caught were from the wire noose which is normally hidden under growth or leaves.

Mr Ohashi and Prof Matsuzawa who are both from a team of researchers from the Primate Research Institute in Tokyo, have witnessed on multiple occassions the primates hitting the snares with sticks in a bid to activate them.

Whilst being interviewed by the BBC, Mr Ohashi said; “They seemed to know which parts of the snares are dangerous and which are not.”

Most of the time, the chimp would grasp the snare stick which holds the wire loop, and shake it until the sapling came away, setting the trap off. But in all cases, the chimp would avoid touching the dangerous part of the trap, which is the wire loop.

One strange part to this is that chimps have a habit of learning based on trial or error. This also answers another question about the primates memory – where by they obviously watch other primates in great detail setting off traps and remember exactly to the last detail how it is done.

In one case, Mr Ohashi said that he had winessed a juvenile observing an adult male deactivating a snare trap, and only moving in to handle it once the snare was safe.

Understandably, trial and error would not play a major part to this style of learning, because if they ever got it wrong, they would be snared and trapped with extremely slim hopes of breaking free, thus meeting their final moments within the snare.

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