Friday, March 29

Month: April 2015

What happens when you die
ENGLISH, Life Style

What happens when you die

    What happens to us when we die? It’s a question that has exercised humanity’s finest minds since those humans have been around to have them – and has been recently the subject of a number of groundbreaking scientific studies. Now, a Reddit thread has posed the question specifically to those who have been clinically dead and then revived, and has received hundreds of responses. Though the veracity of the answers has to be taken with a small pinch of salt, the answers from what essentially amounts to a large survey on the subject can be broken down into three categories. There are those who felt nothing at all; those who had an experience of light and some interaction with another person/being; and those who felt they could watch what was happening while they were “dead” wit...
Nigel Farage is fading away without a fight
ENGLISH, Featured, United Kingdom

Nigel Farage is fading away without a fight

    A few minutes later, Survation’s poll was published – 35 per cent believed Ed Miliband had won, 31 per cent thought Nicola Sturgeon. The People’s Champion limped in third, on 25 per cent. He had bested Leanne Wood and Natalie Bennett. That was all. Suddenly, Nigel Farage is mortal. The magic is gone. The lustre is fading. The days when Ukip stood poised to sweep away the old political order seems – if not quite a distant memory – a loose and incomplete one. It’s difficult to put a finger on why. The polls show the party’s support averaging around the low teens. Its campaign coffers have just been boosted by £1 million donation from Richard Desmond . And it continues to strike fear into the heart of its political opponents. “Anyone in the Labour Party who tells you Ukip ...
All-round Bangladesh stun Pakistan
Bangladesh, ENGLISH

All-round Bangladesh stun Pakistan

    It is a special treat, especially for Tigers’ supporters when Bangladesh cricket team is firing on all cylinders, and in the process, stamping their dominance on the cricket field. After ending their 16-year jinx by beating Pakistan in the first game of the three-match series, Bangladesh romped to another resounding victory in the second match by seven wickets and 71 balls in the bag at Mirpur Stadium yesterday. Bangladesh did not just win the matches, they blew away their opponent with their remarkable all-round performance, in batting, bowling and fielding. Playing at home after a successful world cup campaign down under, Tigers adapted incredibly well to the pace and bounce of Mirpur’s wicket when they began batting in the first ODI of the current series. Tamim Iqbal to...
Since you asked: The technology billionaires aiming to disrupt death
ENGLISH, Life Style

Since you asked: The technology billionaires aiming to disrupt death

    I take it you are not sold on the idea that death, just like the horse and cart, might one day be disrupted with the help of some innovative engineering? No. But I have noticed that there’s been a rise in the number of modern day tech messiahs claiming they hold the secret to eternal life. Back in my day we used to call these characters charlatans. But today I understand they are called “transhumanists”. And they come extremely well funded. So you don’t believe in the science of longevity? I have no problem with the science of longevity. I have a problem with those that in my view dish out false hope to people and conflate mysticism with science. Like Ray Kurzweil? You mean the respected scientist, futurist and entrepreneur, currently employed by Google, who has convinced ...
David and Samantha Cameron visit Sikh temple
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

David and Samantha Cameron visit Sikh temple

    David Cameron has donned an orange "patka" headscarf as he visited a Sikh gurdwara - or temple - while campaigning in Kent. The Prime Minister took along his wife, Samantha, who was celebrating her 44th birthday, for the visit to the temple in Gravesend, where they joined around 3,000 worshipers on a parade to celebrate Vaisakhi, a spring festival. The start of the Camerons' visit was delayed slightly after a scuffle appeared to break out among worshipers when a priest objected to speeches being made while prayers were taking place. Mr and Mrs Cameron were taken to a side room in the temple until the dispute was resolved. The Tory leader told the audience the Vaisakhi festival was a "big, bold" sign of their devotion. "I wanted to make sure Downing Street was part of t...
Tower Hamlets set for 20mph speed limit effected from today
ENGLISH, London

Tower Hamlets set for 20mph speed limit effected from today

    Following a positive public consultation, the council is moving ahead to implement a 20mph speed limit across the borough. The 20mph limit will come into effect on Monday, April 13 and applies to all of the borough’s roads, excluding red routes. Eighty per cent of respondents to the public consultation – which took place during October 2014 – were in favour of reducing the speed limit across all of the borough’s non red route roads. The council directly consulted with the emergency services, neighbouring boroughs, local business groups and Transport for London (TfL) about the proposed reduced speed limit. TfL signalled its support for the borough by announcing last week that Commercial Street – operated by TfL and not the council – will also become 20mph to coincide with t...
Miliband: I Am Ready To Lead Better Britain
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Miliband: I Am Ready To Lead Better Britain

    Ed Miliband has attempted to convince voters he can be trusted with the economy pledging to cut the deficit year on year and saying: "I am ready" to lead the country. The Labour leader promised to get the Budget back into surplus "as soon as possible" with a programme that would be independently vetted by the Office for Budget Responsibility. The manifesto, launched by Mr Miliband on the set of Coronation Street and titled Britain Can Be Better, promised to "secure the family finances of the working people of Britain". Mr Miliband opened his speech by saying Britain could be better but said "rebuilding" the country would not be easy and it would "require change". He said the manifesto was not a "shopping list of proposals" he said it started with a clear commitment t...
Tax disc loophole leaves angry drivers facing massive fines
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Tax disc loophole leaves angry drivers facing massive fines

    Thousands of law-abiding motorists are having their cars towed away and having being charged fines of as much as £800 after unwittingly falling foul of car tax rule changes introduced by the DVLA. Figures obtained by Guardian Money reveal that DVLA clampings have risen dramatically since October, when the agency did away with paper vehicle excise duty discs. Before the changes DVLA was clamping about 5,000 vehicles a month, but this has surged to more than 8,000 – with motorists horrified to discover their cars being towed away without even a warning letter from the agency. In total, more than 100,000 vehicles are likely to be clamped this year compared with 60,000 the year before. While most motorists know that tax discs are no longer required, what is catching out man...
London hotter than Istanbul, as Mediterranean heat wave hits UK
ENGLISH, London

London hotter than Istanbul, as Mediterranean heat wave hits UK

    Temperatures are set to rise to twice the average for the time of year next week, as a tropical air-mass builds up over Northern Europe. Although temperatures will dip today and tomorrow, with Londoners today feeling the chill of a 13°C breeze, the UK will warm up significantly next week as temperatures of around 22°C creep in. Accuweather predicts that the UK will be the same temperature as Marrakesh and 11°C hotter than Istanbul next Wednesday, as forecasters suggest the UK will be enjoying a very Mediterranean 22°C, with the Turkish capital at a cool 11°C. However, the UK forecast from the Met Office has cautioned that it will be the south and south east of the UK that enjoy the most sunshine: It states that it will be: “Largely fine and increasingly warm across...
Diana’s personal chef reveals William and Harry forged note asking him to make pizza
ENGLISH, London

Diana’s personal chef reveals William and Harry forged note asking him to make pizza

    For the two young boys, it seemed the perfect ruse. They would swap the note asking for roast chicken to be cooked for their dinner with replacement instructions to serve up their favourite treat – a rather less wholesome pizza. But their juvenile handwriting quickly gave them away. And in the process, one of the more flawed royal plots of modern ages was quickly exposed and thwarted. For the co-conspirators were Prince William and Prince Harry, as former Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace chef Darren McGrady has revealed in a new interview about the eating habits of the royal juniors ahead of the next birth in the household. Traditional British fare was the staple at Kensington Palace when the two boys were growing up. But Mr McGrady told People magazine that whi...