Saturday, 5 March 2011

Lord Alan Sugar

Am in the middle of Progressive Property's Super Conference Weekend.
 
Lord Alan Sugar was the guest speaker saturday evening for an hour or so.
 
Very impressive in his simplicity and no bs approach to things.
 
He does not tolerate fools gladly and cut off a few of the usual questions one might expect.
 
But he shared some of his mistakes, what he thinks of high fee charging consultants,
 
and brought things back to down home principles, work hard, be smart.
 
Real highlight. Valued this part of the weekend very much.

Friday, 4 March 2011

Index Home Cheap-Outdoor-Furniture.com

STEEL WOOL

Steel wool is available in seven different grades ranging from coarse to super fine. As an abrasive, it offers certain advantages over sandpaper. For example, it has much less tendency to scratch the surface, it is easier to clean, it can always be used wet, it will produce a finer and smoother surface, and it is so flexible that it can reach into corners, cracks, and carvings where sandpaper cannot. A principal disadvantage of using steel wool is that it sheds fine metal particles during the rubbing operation. These particles must be completely removed before preceding with the next step in the finishing schedule. They are unfortunately harder to detect than the wood particles left by sanding.

TRACK RAGS, CLOTHS, AND PADS

Soft, clean, lint-free cloths are used at every stage in the finishing schedule to lightly dust the surface after each coat has thoroughly dried. Cheesecloth, muslin, and lint-free cotton cloths find the widest use in finishing.

TYPES OF WOOD

The ability to identify the different types of wood used in furniture construction is very important in wood finishing. This knowledge should include not only the ability to recognize a particular wood, but also an understanding of how it reacts to different types of finishes. This requires a more sophisticated knowledge than simple recognition.
WOOD FINISHING

Wood finishing can be either the most satisfying or the most frustrating of experiences for the beginner. It is both an art and a skill, with the latter being acquired largely through experience and practice. However, with careful attention to detail and an understanding of the basic fundamentals of wood finishing, the beginner will achieve considerable success.

 

http://www.cheap-outdoor-furniture.com/#

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Thursday, 3 March 2011

BBC News - Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigns

3 March 2011 Last updated at 11:18

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Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigns

File picture of Ahmed Shafiq on 20 January 2011 Mr Shafiq was appointed days before President Mubarak was forced out of office

Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has resigned, the country's ruling military council has announced in a statement.

A former transport minister, Essam Sharaf, has been asked to form a new government, the statement adds.

Mr Shafiq was appointed days before President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office following days of anti-government protests.

Protesters saw Mr Shafiq as too closely associated to Mr Mubarak's rule, observers say.

"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and appointed Essam Sharaf to form the new government," the army said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Mr Shafiq was appointed by Mr Mubarak just days before he stepped down on 11 February after several weeks of popular protests against his rule.

It had been one of the protesters' key demands that Mr Shafiq and other top ministers appointed at the end of the Mubarak rule step down.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

image of Alastair Leithead Alastair Leithead BBC News, Cairo

President Mubarak may have gone, but the protests in Cairo have been continuing as people have been demanding the "old guard" of politicians step down. At the top of their list was Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik.

As a result his resignation, announced by the Armed Forces Supreme Council on its website, has been broadly welcomed by opposition groups. But a big demonstration is still planned for Friday in Tahrir Square where hundreds of people have been camping out.

The appointment of Essam Sharaf as the new prime minister is designed to placate them.

He's a former transport minister who opposed Mr Mubarak's government after stepping down from the cabinet, and supported the revolution.

The response from those demanding more change has been mixed, with some saying all politicians who served under Mr Mubarak should go while others think the new administration should be allowed to get on with the job of constitutional reform and elections.

Mr Sharaf's appointment is significant as he spoke out in support of the revolution and took part in the street protests, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Cairo.

It is a major step towards appeasing the demonstrators who have continued to camp out in Tahrir Square, as Mr Sharaf was a vocal opponent of the Mubarak government since his resignation as a minister five years ago, our correspondent adds.

Travel ban

The military council, which has been running the country since Mr Mubarak stepped down, has previously ordered the government to run the country's affairs for six months "or until the end of parliamentary and presidential elections" and is also examining constitutional reforms.

On Monday, Egypt issued a travel ban on ousted President Mubarak and his family.

Mr Mubarak is believed to be living in his villa in Sharm el-Sheikh, but in poor health, and has not been seen or heard of publicly since stepping down.

Asked to form a new government.
The real power is whoever controls the food, water, supplies, all the little things that one needs in life.

The people will be of course, extremely wary of what happens next.

BBC News - Murdoch BSkyB takeover decision defended by government

3 March 2011 Last updated at 19:37

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Murdoch BSkyB takeover decision defended by government

Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt

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Watch: Jeremy Hunt says the deal ensures Sky News will be 'more independent'

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has defended his decision to allow Rupert Murdoch's controversial bid for BSkyB to proceed.

Mr Hunt said that undertakings made by News Corporation would ensure greater independence for Sky News.

But shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis said Labour had "serious concerns" about the decision-making process.

He questioned why the minister had decided not to refer the takeover to a full Competition Commission inquiry.

"Public interest not political expediency will determine our judgment on whether this revised package goes far enough to avoid the need for a Competition Commission enquiry," Mr Lewis said.

The culture secretary said that media plurality in the UK would be strengthened if the deal went ahead.

He explained that the chairman and the majority of board members of Sky News would be independent under the terms of the offer made by News Corp.

Continue reading the main story

Start Quote

Correspondence published today between Mr Hunt and News Corp indicates that News Corp has - under pressure - made greater concessions than it wanted to”

End Quote
image of Robert Peston Robert Peston Business editor, BBC News

This would mean James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's son, stepping down as chairman, he said.

Rival media groups dismissed News Corp's offer as a "whitewash" and said they would "vigorously contest" it.

An alliance including the Guardian, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror and the Telegraph said they would be "examining all legal options".

The proposed takeover is now open to consultation until 21 March, after which Mr Hunt will make a final decision.

Unless he changes his mind, it will then be down to BSkyB and its shareholders whether to accept an offer from News Corp.

'Suspicious'

News Corp, which owns the Sun, the News of the World and the Times and the Sunday Times, is looking to take over the 61% of BSkyB that it does not already own.

Steve Hewlett

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Watch: Deal is 'status quo plus' says media commentator Steve Hewlett

BSkyB, basically, how really good is the news, perhaps the real value lies in what they put on the system that controls our thoughts.

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Mortgage lending boost

Mortgage lending boost


03-03-2011

HOMEOWNERS received a double dose of good news yesterday as research showed house prices and mortgage lending are both up.

Britain’s biggest building society reported rising house prices and the Bank of ­England said net mortgage lending was £1.8billion in January, the largest monthly total since February 2010.

The value of the average home is now £161,183 after the Nationwide property index revealed prices rose by 0.3 per cent in February.

This is only the second gain since May 2010, as the market wins back ground it lost because of winter’s severe weather.

The increase in mortgage lending was a significant tFamke Janssenurnaround from the ­previous month, when it had contracted by £268million.

Eric Stoclet, of Crown Mortgage Management, said: “The nation’s property ­owners will be encouraged by figures from Nationwide.”

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “A modest rise in mortgage approvals in January reported by the Bank of ­England and a small pick-up in house prices in February reported by the Nationwide represents some rare recent better data on the housing market.”

There was also a seven per cent rise in the number of mortgages approved, increasing to 45,723.

However, despite bouncing back from December’s 21-month low, the number of home loans in the pipeline remained well down on the 70,000 to 80,000 approvals a month economists consider to be consistent with a stable housing market. It is also less than half the levels of more than 100,000 a month seen during the credit boom.

The Nationwide said it expected the housing market to be “sluggish” during 2011

 

Hopefully with the olympics, we will see a boom in 2012 as an influx of money and energy come into the UK.


www.express.co.uk/

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