Blockade erected outside closed BHS store to keep homeless couple out
A homeless couple have been evicted from a doorway outside a former BHS store - after a huge BLOCKADE was built. Since the department store shut it has become a home to many homeless people who have set up a mini shelter there. Among those to bed down there in the doorway for the night was Justin Wilson, 41, and Tia Bamford, 30. But they have been turfed out after a 10ft wooden barrier was put in place this week...
Too much stress at work can increase the risk of getting cancer
Working in a stressful job for 15 years increases the risk of getting cancer, according to new research This prolonged exposure raises the risk of lung, colon, rectal and stomach cancer - along with non-Hodgkin lymphoma that develops in the vessels and glands, according to the first study of its kind. Researchers say the results raise the question of whether chronic psychological stress should be viewed as a public health issue. The unique study assessed the link between cancer and...
What is the RE100 alliance?
This week Gatwick Airport - which can ship over three million passengers in any given month - pledged to become carbon neutral by the spring as the airport prepared to join the the RE100 alliance at Davos for the World Economic Forum. It will join over eighty of the world's most influential companies committed to 100 per cent renewable power, an initiative that will scale up to all companies if successful. The transition toward a low carbon economy is top on the agenda at...
Creating non-recyclable waste is stupid, but here’s how we can stop it
Despite the idiots who complained about the 5p plastic bag charge (viewing it as another tax rather than an incentive to actually use/waste less), single use plastic bag use by shoppers in England has plummeted since the introduction of the charge eighteen months ago. It is estimated that plastic bag consumption has dropped by around 85%. Even though plastic bag use has fallen, they are still used and thrown away in huge numbers and with reckless abandon (around 500m of them every year...
Kubo and the Two Strings: DVD Review
by Leslie Byron Pitt Despite critical acclaim Kubo and the Two Strings only just claimed back its relatively small $60 million budget with its box office gross. We shouldn’t always run to the bean counters to try and attain a film's sense of value, but it’s important to notice that out of the four feature films that stop motion company Laika have made, the return has been the weakest. This is despite the kind words that have been bestowed on...
Exploding Student Debt Ripples Through UK’s Economy
Student debt in the United Kingdom was well on its way to reaching crisis proportions before the recent changes in student finance instituted by the government. With the changes, student debt and the accompanying economic and societal problems it is creating is expected to triple from its present level of about £101 billion to more than £298 billion in 30 years. Although the $1.3 trillion in student debt in the United States dwarfs the UK’s debt load, on an individual...
PM’s Brexit speech leaves unanswered questions for the UK’s engineering & technology sectors
In a major speech to diplomats at London's Lancaster House today, PM May promised a clean break from the EU and Britain will leave the single market membership; leading to Nick Clegg to call the Toires "UKIP-lite." Theresa May finally put a tiny bit of meat on the bones with a 12-point plan for leaving the EU - two months before she pulls two-year exit trigger Article 50. She is aiming for an "associate membership" of the customs union and, arguably,...
Rail enthusiasts builds 45ft replica of Liverpool’s Lime Street Station in his house
A rail enthusiast who fell in love with a train station as a child has now recreated it in full - in his bungalow. Trainspotter John Holden, 69, has built a 45ft replica of Liverpool's Lime Street Station in his house. John has fond memories of trips to Liverpool as a youngster and first had the idea for the model while still a schoolboy. But it took almost 30 years for his dream to come to fruition. John has been...
Thrifty mum feeds family of five and dogs for £38 a week
A thrifty mum-of-three has garnered a legion of online followers after wowing friends with her healthy budget meals. Feeding a family of five and her dogs for just £38 a week, Danielle Ross has clocked up 22,000 followers on Facebook. The self-described "budget queen" is now saving hundreds of pounds a month. Mrs Ross, 30, is a spa host at a local spa and has three young sons and a 35-year-old husband, David. She said: "If I wasn't sticking to...