Ridden with inaccuracies, half truths, and plain old news.
Archive for September, 2009
Swedish Army Girls Complain About Unsuportive Bras
Sep 30th
Female members of the Swedish Army have complained that the Bras they are provided with are not of a high enough quality for combat. They say the regulation issue bras are sub standard and often burst open during strenuous exercise. They are also highly flammable according to a report in the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper.
Around 5% of the Swedish army are female and women have been able to sign up since 1980. the soldiers say that the unsuitable underwear has forced them to buy their own bras and that any issues with the men’s underwear would have been solved straight away.
An unnamed source at the Swedish army has said ‘we need to solve this problem as soon as possible, the last thing we want is the girls bursting out of their bras all the time.’
Retailers Concerned About Christmas Spending
Sep 30th
Retailers are concerned about the possibility of a frugal Christmas despite signs of stabalisation on the high street. Some companies reported rises in sales in September after four months of reduced spending. There is still concern however that some stores will be forced to close for good if they do not do well over the holiday period.
The golden quarter has the ability to make or break. The first quarter of next year will see further distress in the retail sector. I think there will be a few [retailers] coming down with the Christmas decorations.
Retail specialist Robin Knight
A recent survey of consumers found that most intended to spend 15% less than last year on Christmas presents. They expect to spend around £267 on presents and £28 on decorations. Food and drink remains a priority however with an average spend of £182.
One of the most well know names on the high street Marks & Spencer have reported an improvement in sales with the three months to September 2009 only seeing a 0.5 percent drop like-for-like sales from last year. Christmas is a very important time for M&S and a good Christmas would help them to end 2009 on a positive note. Last year they used unprecedented sales to try and lure in hesitant shoppers towards the end of November. They are hoping that their Christmas hampers and other gifts will boost this year’s earnings.
Nescafé: Coffee At Its Worst?
Sep 29th
The new Nestle intant coffee advert is a true triumph of marketing. It attempts to convince the viewer that their freeze dried soluble coffee substitute is ‘fresh’ and ‘bright’ and ‘Coffee’. The advert features a man trekking through the jungle catching glowing coffee beans in a jar with a sense of wonder. The tag line is ‘Nescafe – Coffee at its brightest’.
Anybody who has even consumed a cup of instant coffee knows it is anything but bright. It has a bland one-dimensional flavour with no depth. The taste is in no way comparable to real, great Coffee. I understand that there is a place for instant coffee, I even keep some in the house for emergencies/ unwanted guests, but there is no way is can possibly be considered fresh. Most instant Coffee is made from 100% Coffee beans with nothing added but the process is far from natural. Freeze drying involves:
- Agglomerated wet coffee granules are rapidly frozen (slow freezing leads to large ice crystals and a porous product and can also affect the colour of the coffee granules).
- Frozen coffee is placed in the drying chamber, often on metal trays.
- A vacuum is created within the chamber. The strength of the vacuum is critical in the speed of the drying and therefore the quality of the product. Care must be taken to produce a vacuum of suitable strength.
- The drying chamber is warmed, most commonly by radiation but conduction is used in some plants and convection has been proposed in some small pilot plants. A possible problem with convection is uneven drying rates within the chamber, which would give an inferior product.
- Condensation – the previously frozen water in the coffee granules expands to ten times its previous volume. The removal of this water vapour from the chamber is vitally important, making the condenser the most critical and expensive component in a freeze drying plant.
- The freeze-dried granules are removed from the chamber and packaged.
None of this really matters of course, if people want to drink instant Coffee it’s their loss but it’s no big deal. Nestles human rights record is however a big deal. Nestle recently began buying milk from a farm owned by Robert Mugabe’s Wife Grace. The farm was seized from its original (white) owners in order to be given to landless black Zimbabweans along with many other farms in Zimbabwe, this never happened however and now Nestle are directly paying the Mugabes.
Nestle has previously caused controversy by marketing Intant Milk to mothers in developing countries. They allegedly encouraged mothers to use formula rather than breast milk despite the possible risks from mixing milk powder with unclean water. There is nothing ‘bright’ about that.
Government Scrappage Scheme Extended
Sep 29th
The Governement’s car and van scrappage scheme was statred last May and proved to be quite popular. The original £300m set aside for the project is due to run out by February although some have said that it may not even last that long. The scheme offers £2,000 off the price of a new car to customers trading in one at least 10 years old.
At the Labour Party conference Lord Mandleson has pledged to provide funding for another 100,000 cars and vans. This extra investment means that the scheme is likely to last until next February or perhaps sooner if it remains popular. A slight change has been made to the rules of the scheme in regard to used vans. which only need to be 8 years old now rather than 10.
Travel Guide: Geneva
Sep 28th
Geneva is the second largest city in Switzerland after Zürich and sits on the bank of the Rhône near to lake Geneva. The cities inhabitants enjoy a high quality of life and Geneva has a reputation as being peaceful and friendly. It is an important financial centre and many Genevans work in the finance industry. The city is compact and welcoming with picturesque views backed by snow capped mountains.
Geneva boasts a wide range of museums and galleries to cater for most tastes. It is home to the Red Cross Red Crescent Museum and the Palace of Nations, home of the United Nations. The CERN museum of particle physics is an interesting destination for those interested in what is going on underground at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Travelling around the city is easy thanks to the network of Buses, Trams and Trolleybuses. Taxis can be hired although like everything in Switzerland they can be expensive for travellers. Car hire in Geneva is an option although the weather can be an issue during winter. Geneva has good rails links and trips into France can offer a welcome break from the City.
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