London borough refuses ‘ugly’ broadband cabinets, and faster Internet speeds - TECH.BLORGE.com
While some people would happily have a house-sized cabinet outside their house if it meant they could enjoy lightning-fast Internet, one borough in London has rejected broadband cabinets nowhere near as big as that. For purely aesthetic reasons.
Working online from home means I need a fast and stable Internet connection. If it goes down, slows down, or is interrupted in any way I can’t get my work out and consequently don’t get paid. And I’m far from being alone in this new Internet-centric world we find ourselves living in. Businesses increasingly need fast and stable Internet connections to compete.
Unfortunately for businesses located in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea the look of the area means more to the council than Internet speeds. According to BBC News, Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council has blocked 96 of the 108 broadband cabinets BT needs to install in order to deliver faster Internet speeds to its customers.
The council’s reasoning is that the larger cabinets would ruin the “historic streetscape.” In other words they’re just too ugly. Granted the cabinets aren’t as visually appealing as they could be – they’re green metal boxes – but this is function over form. They do what they’re meant to do and nothing more.
There are already broadband cabinets installed across the borough, but these new ones are required to deliver increased speeds from the current 16Mbps to 76Mbps. The difference in size is minimal: the current boxes are 1.15m high by 1.37m wide, while the new boxes are 1.6m tall by 1.2m wide. This is hardly an epic change for the worse.
This is a classic case of a council out of touch with the way of the world. Schemes to protect the look and feel of an area are fine in principle, but when they start to affect the needs of the people living in the area then there should be some flexibility. And access to the Internet is a need rather than a want for many people in this day and age.
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London 2012 Olympics: cricket legend Steve Waugh to be Australian Athlete Liaison Officer for Games - Daily Telegraph
"Last time around I think I maybe had one night off. I would just get up first thing in the morning and go right through to midnight and it will be the same again in London. I just love all sports – especially when Australia is competing!"
Waugh has backed London to be a success. But, perhaps unable to suppress anti-English feelings, he predicts it will be no better than the Games held in his homeland, in 2000.
"It is the buzz of the city [that's getting me excited] – everyone is ready for it," he continued. "The venues are fantastic, there are sell-out crowds, there is a real buzz and great history of sport in the UK and the people are really behind this.
"It's a great city and they are fantastic spectators, the English. They'll be cheering for their home crowd, which is natural, but the Australians will get a lot of support. They'll be surprised.
"I've played Ashes tours and there's an amazing amount of Aussies living in the UK and they will make some noise. We'll get very good support.
"London 2012 has a real feel about it of Sydney 2000. I think it will be just as good."
Made in London: the city's local entrepreneurs in profile - Daily Telegraph
Jon Penn, 32; Creative Design Products
Jon is the director and co-founder of Spinning Hat, a London-based company that designs gifts and toys, and of recently launched Goodfibres, a company that prints T-shirts with designs chosen by members of its online community. His first success came after he designed the Bottle Spy, a bottle opener with an electronic dial that logs the number of bottles it has opened. It won the eco-friendly Gift of the Year award in 2008 and Jon has been designing products ever since. Spinning Hat's products have been made available in over 30 countries; major stockists include Next, John Lewis and Paul Smith. Penn now has offices in Hong Kong and the US, as well as a main base at the Silicon Roundabout at Old Street. He attributes part of his companies’ success to their London base: “It’s certainly good for creativity; it’s very much the place to be for creative minds. It’s a buzzing place at the moment.” Global sales for Spinning Hat are this year forecast at over £3.5 million.
Preston Benson, 31; Real Estate
A business studies graduate of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, American Preston Benson quit his unfulfilling job at a Chicago accountancy firm to move to London and pursue a career in real estate. Without any contacts, he began working directly with individual families and concentrated on negotiating high-end property deals. He ultimately developed Go Native, a company that provides temporary housing solutions to businesses operating internationally; it turns over more than £29m annually. Preston is now commercial director of Bursha Holdings, a property investment company with a portfolio estimated at around £60m. Preston’s entrepreneurial drive began at the age of six. His parents were strict with pocket money and so he set up his first business “literally the cliché of selling lemonade on the street in America”. He links his success as an adult to his childhood desire to earn enough money for “that WWF action figure”.
Yuvraj Jatania, 25, and Virraj Jatania, 23; Discount and Cashback Card Business
Virraj Jatania, left, and Yuvraj Jatania.
Brothers Yuvraj and Virraj Jatania are co-founders and managing directors of Pockit, the first prepaid card provider, which enables users to make savings on household essentials in high-street stores by providing discount codes and cashback on purchases. Virraj began the business directly after leaving university and his elder brother left Ernst & Young to join him. Together, they took six months to put together a business plan and Pockit launched officially in November 2011. They currently have approximately 2,000 cardholders and expect to have around 40,000 members by the end of the year. They have already secured discount deals from companies such as Aviva, TalkTalk and M&S. The recession has proved a blessing of sorts for the brothers. It has meant that consumers are looking for new ways to save money and the company is securing large numbers of new members every day, Virraj is optimistic about Pockit’s future: “it’s very exciting times.”
Smruti Sriram, 25, Charity Student Award Scheme
Smruti founded the Wings of Hope achievement award in 2004 when she was 18 and on a gap year. The award scheme assists school students in setting up businesses that make contributions to good causes; it earns proceeds from these businesses and corporate sponsors. Smruti pitched the idea to countless head teachers and the project was accepted by 25 schools. It is now active in 400 schools and 20,000 students have participated in the programme over the course of five years. Current corporate sponsors include PWC, and Wings of Hope workshops have been led by individuals such as the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. Students are allowed free rein in the types of endeavours they undertake and the structure of the scheme has been redeveloped to take the participants’ ages and interests into account: “When we used to get dropouts of different schools participating in the scheme, we had to really analyse, because students can be quite fickle, and can’t be bothered if they don’t see quick wins”.
Alexander Amosu, 36; Luxury Products
Alexander is the founder of Amosu Luxury Ltd, a company that sells high-end bespoke exclusive products for “the elite”. It is most famous for making the world’s most expensive suit at £70,000 and a diamond-encrusted mobile phone costing £125,000. He has also recently ventured into Africa with a company called Kamson Luxury Group, which is introducing established brands into the African market. It is currently involved in the Nigerian launch of OK! magazine. Alexander moved with his family to the UK from Nigeria when he was three years old and grew up on a council estate in Kilburn. Aged 18, he set up a cleaning company for pregnant women. It generated revenues of £3,500 a month and provided him with capital for his next enterprise, R&B Ringtones. He founded the company after he learned how to compose ringtones on his mobile phone at the age of 21. Selling ringtones that resembled popular songs, the company earned £6.6m over four years and was sold for £9m in 2004. Alexander was a millionaire by the time he was 25.
In conversation: read about the group's thoughts on why London is an exciting place to do business and what makes a successful entrepreneur here.
London 2012 - Kenya looks for answers in Oregon - Yahoo! Eurosport
The proud distance running nation of Kenya hopes to find a solution to 44 years of Olympic frustration when the African country holds its men's 10,000 metres trial in Oregon.
Fourteen Kenyans will line up in a special race at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon, hoping to get a step closer to becoming the first countryman to win Olympic gold at the distance since Naftali Temu in 1968.
Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Micah Kogo, former world track or cross country medallists Eliud Kipchoge, Paul Tanui and Moses Masai and world junior champion Dennis Masai all will be aiming for a top three finish and a chance to win in London.
"Optimistic I am, but I would not want to be naive," Athletics Kenya Olympic team manager Joseph Kinyua told Reuters when asked about ending the drought. "At 10,000 metres there are very many good athletes."
He specifically mentioned Britain's Mo Farah and runners from sporting rival Ethiopia, which has produced the last four 10,000 metres Olympic gold medallists, two each by Haile Gebrselassie and reigning champion Kenenisa Bekele.
Kenyan officials made the somewhat controversial decision to hold the trial in Eugene to take advantage of its low altitude and London-like weather. Other team selections will be determined in Kenya later this month.
"I don't think there is any problem," Kinyua said of the decision. "If you're doing one thing again and again and it doesn't give you the result you expect, it is only fair that you try a different method.
"Do you know the definition of a mad man? He is a person who does the same thing, the same way all the time."
Ethiopia has already gone out of country to pick its 10,000 metres team for London, doing so at Hengelo in the Netherlands last weekend.
RFU Championship final: London Welsh 29-20 Cornish Pirates - BBC News
London Welsh sealed the Championship title and a chance of securing a Premiership place after beating Cornish Pirates 66-41 over two legs.
Welsh are now expected to take legal action over the Rugby Football Union's ruling that they are not eligible for promotion to the top flight.
Matt Evans went over for Pirates but Alex Davies' fifth penalty put Welsh ahead before Hudson Tonga'uiha's try.
Ryan Storer reduced the deficit but Jack Moates rounded off Welsh's win.
An RFU report said the Exiles had not achieved the minimum standards criteria to go up but the Richmond-based side are expeted to explore "all possible avenues" to gain promotion after seeing off Pirates in the final.
Having proposed to play their matches next season at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium, where the second leg of the final was played, an RFU statement said that not having primacy of tenure at their chosen ground was one of "various failures" in Welsh's promotion bid.
Three Premiership sides share grounds with football clubs; London Irish with Reading, London Wasps with Wycombe and Saracens with Watford, while Sale will share with Super League side Salford City Reds next season.
On Wednesday club president John Dawes said chairman Bleddyn Phillips would take the "ultimate" action to ensure Welsh do go up .
Having won at Pirates 37-21 last week , Welsh fought back from a seven-point deficit which threatened their first-leg advantage, to secure the Championship title having finished the regular season in fourth place.
Aaron Penberthy's drop goal had put Pirates ahead, Alex Davies then levelled for Welsh before Rob Cook's penalty and a second from Davies made it 6-6.
Evans gave Pirates a clear lead with the opening try of the match, picking up on a loose ball after Cook's punt forward bounced into open space deep in the Exiles' half.
Cook then added the extras before Davies failed with a penalty attempt on the stroke of half-time.
The Exiles fly-half was successful with his next two attempts with the boot after the break, closing the gap to one point and putting the hosts nine points ahead on aggregate.
Davies added a fifth penalty before Tonga'uiha, who had scored in the first leg, broke through the Pirates defence to touch down and Davies then added his first of two conversions.
Pirates responded with a consolation try as replacement prop Ryan Storer forced his way over after a scramble on the line before Cook added the extras.
But Welsh were not yet done as a fine move saw Ed Jackson feed the ball to Jack Moates, who crossed over to add the gloss to their victory.
LINE-UPS
London Welsh: A. Davies, Ajuwa, J. Lewis, Tonga'uiha, Scott, Ross, R. Lewis, Lahiff, George, Tideswell, Mills, Corker, Beach, Denbee, Jackson.
Replacements: Ma'asi, Moss, Bateman, Purdy, Russell, Moates, Jewell.
Cornish Pirates: Cook, Evans, Pointer, Locke, D. Doherty, Penberthy, Cattle, Rimmer, Ward, Paver, McGolone, Nimmo, D. Ewers, Burgess, Maidment.
Replacements: Storer, Elloway, Myerscough, Marriott, Kebsel, Cooper, McAtee.
Referee: David Rose (RFU)
Hammersmith Apollo in London sold by HMV to Stage C - BBC News
Entertainment venue Hammersmith Apollo which has held concerts by bands from The Beatles to Queen, has been sold by its owner HMV.
HMV agreed to sell the west London art deco venue to American-German joint venture Stage C for £32m.
The 9,000-capacity venue was taken over by entertainment retailer HMV in 2010.
HMV chief Simon Fox said: "The Hammersmith Apollo is an iconic London venue and it has been a privilege to own it over the last three years."
The venue opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, as part of a wider turnaround.
It has played host to many famous performances, including David Bowie's last concert as alter-ego Ziggy Stardust in 1973.
It is also the eponymous venue in the BBC stand-up comedy series Live at the Apollo.
Stage C is jointly owned by London's indigO2 operator Ansco Music Club, a subsidiary of US company Anschutz Entertainment, and a subsidiary of Munich-based CTS Eventim.
The sale is conditional on banking approvals, shareholder approval and Stage C securing regulatory approvals.
With 252 stores in the UK, HMV said the sale allowed it to focus on its core retail business, while the proceeds from the disposal would be used to reduce the group's outstanding debt.
The sale follows a decision to place its HMV Live division, which runs 13 venues and a number of festivals including Lovebox in London and Global Gathering near Stratford-upon-Avon, under review.
The entertainment retailer recently surprised the City by forecasting a return to profit in 2013 despite estimated losses of about £19m for the past financial year.
The England team welcomed fans to the Vauxhall BBQ on Wednesday - FA.com
The England team welcomed fans to the Vauxhall BBQ on Wednesday
On Wednesday evening, following their afternoon on the golf course with journalists and members of the media, the Three Lions ended a relaxing day at the team hotel in Hertfordshire at the Vauxhall England BBQ.
The informal event organised by The FA and Vauxhall, a week before the team departs for Euro 2012, brought together coaching staff and players, along with sponsors, fans, competition winners and selected members of the media, as they prepared for the meeting with Belgium.
"We've talked about The FA and England being a more inclusive, more confident organisation, good tourists and so on," said FA Chairman David Bernstein at the BBQ.
"Today epitomises that. It has been fantastic to see everyone together, the media, the sponsors and others with the players. It's been relaxed. A fabulous day."
Duncan Aldred, Managing Director of England Team Sponsor Vauxhall added: "Best wishes to the whole team. We're all fans, so come on Engalnd and let's have a great tournament."
Check out the video above for a behind the scenes look at the BBQ...
England take on Belgium on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley Stadium giving them a perfect send-off to Euro 2012. For fans not able to be at the game, you can watch it live on ITV1 or follow our updates right here on TheFA.com or via @thefadotcom on Twitter.
GM's Vauxhall announces new Astra at UK plant - Yahoo Finance
LONDON (AP) -- General Motors' Vauxhall plant in northern England will build the company's top-selling Astra vehicles, the automaker said Thursday — a relief for U.K. politicians who had lobbied its American owner to keep the plant open.
The announcement comes after workers at the Ellesmere Port plant, near Liverpool, overwhelmingly backed a job deal which turned the factory into a 24-hour-a-day operation, a key cost-cutting measure pursued by parent company GM Europe.
GM Europe lost $700 million in 2011 and has been struggling to turn around its Opel and Vauxhall brands. It had been feared the company would close the Ellesmere Port facility in favor of consolidating production elsewhere — such as its headquarters in Ruesselsheim in Germany or Gliwice in Poland.
In a separate announcement, Opel said that the Ruesselsheim plant would switch to producing other models.
GM's announcement — which comes with a 125 million pound (nearly $200 million) investment and 700 extra jobs — is a break for leaders such as British Business Secretary Vince Cable, who fought to keep the British plant open.
Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking from the northern city of Manchester, called the decision "a fantastic vote of confidence."
"The U.K. government gave this its full backing. The unions supported the necessary changes. The workforce has responded magnificently. It is a British success story," he said.
Cable, who at one point traveled to the U.S. to plead the plant's case, told BBC television that no financial inducements were offered to General Motors Corp. to keep the U.K. facility open, saying the move underlined that Britain is "a good business environment for the motor industry."
Production of the new car is due to begin in 2015, with at least 160,000 vehicles scheduled to be produced every year.
Quick-up truck: Vauxhall's Aussie-inspired Maloo hits UK shores - Daily Mirror
YOU’VE got to love this car for its name alone: Maloo. Or to give it its full name, the Vauxhall VXR Maloo.
The Maloo is what Australians call a ute or utility vehicle, and it is the most splendidly over-the-top vehicle that I’ve driven for years.
In Oz it’s badged as a Holden but Vauxhall, in a glorious burst of humour, has decided to import the vehicle into the UK and sell it through half a dozen specialist dealers.
Under the bonnet of the Maloo sits the same 6.2-litre V8 motor that you’ll find under the bonnet of a Corvette, Camaro and Vauxhall’s own VXR8 saloon (which is also a Holden).
The motor kicks out 425bhp which is enough to propel your garden clippings to the local recycling centre at 155mph.
Or accelerate them from rest to 60mph in 5.3sec.
The cabin is just like a car’s or, to be more accurate, like the VXR8’s.
Leather bucket seats, lots of comfort and plenty of equipment.
In the 1960s Chevrolet in America made a half pick-up half car called the El Camino and Ford made a rival called the Ranchero.
Both, like the Maloo, came with seriously powerful V8 engines.
You don’t use a £51,500 pick-up truck for hauling building materials.
Besides, with fuel consumption ranging from single figures to high twenties at best, you’ll soon bankrupt your business using a Maloo for everyday work.
It’s for posing or taking a few surfboards down to the beach (it doesn’t matter if you don’t surf, of course).
The Maloo could do with some slightly louder exhausts, which I’m sure would be possible to add later.
With the standard exhaust the V8 sounds a bit neutered, with more open, fatter pipes the Maloo would make a proper roar.
The Maloo feels remarkably civilised, the six-speed gearbox needs a positive shove of the hand and the clutch a strong left leg but it all works nice and smoothly.
The steering is remarkably accurate and the handling not at all like a pick-up.
You could take a Maloo on a track day and have a lot of fun with it.
You can fit 1,208 litres of stuff into the load bay at the back of the Maloo which isn’t an awful lot for a pick-up truck.
The bay is covered by a gigantic lid that also serves a purpose as a mobile gym because it weighs a ton.
Presumably you can remove it if you want to carry a jet ski or something equally suitable for the Maloo image.
I can’t imagine that Vauxhall will sell many Maloos here.
But I’m glad that in among the electric cars and hybrids being fired at us there’s still a daft, pointless and truly outrageous motor that comes along once in a while.
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