London 'risks being pigeon-holed as financial city' - Daily Telegraph
Brands such as Prada and Samsonite have already listed in Asia, while companies such as Manchester United and Aston Martin are understood to be looking to raise funds on markets such as Singapore. In contrast, recent IPOs in London have included Russian sugar and grain producer Rusagro, Glencore and Russian bank Nomos.
New London firefighters take to the streets in protest - TheDay
New London — Firefighters demonstrated throughout the city Monday morning because they say an opinion piece by Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio that ran in The Day Sunday misinforms the public about the safety needs of the city.
In the article Finizio compared the fire needs and services of New London to those of surrounding towns such as Waterford and East Lyme.
The firefighters also lined the walkway to City Hall Monday night and many attended the City Council meeting wear dark blue T-shirts opposing the cuts in the department personnel.
Twenty-five of the department’s 66 active firefighters recently received pink slips informing them their last day on the job would be June 30. There are also six vacancies in the department.
“This is a public campaign that is messing with people’s lives,” firefighter Michael Leonard told the council.
“We don’t sleep while we’re working and then we go home and we can’t sleep because our jobs are on the line. The mayor is playing games with people’s lives.’’
Earlier in the day, Battalion Chief Keith Nichols, who was standing across the street from City Hall holding a sign that read, “Compare this facility to other surrounding ‘larger communities,’” said New London is densely populated with older structures.
Nichols said city firefighters often have to climb several stories to get to a fire or an emergency. He noted that there are dozens of building in the downtown area alone. Nearby towns, he said, don’t have this infrastructure.
“It would be absolutely devastating to the fire department and to the city if we lose these jobs,” said Nichols.
He said the fire department has to protect several colleges, a hospital and the United States Coast Guard Academy. “Other towns don’t have to contend with that,” he added.
Resident Peter Lynch was also standing with four other firefighters outside City Hall.
“This is an urban community,” said Lynch. “We need fire protection. We can’t afford not to have this protection.”
Finizio could not be reached to comment.
Those who would lose their jobs include veteran firefighters who have been with the department for more than 12 years and the city’s latest hire, Al Mayo, who had a tumultuous hiring process during the past six months but is now the first black firefighter hired by the city in more than 30 years.
Ten police officers also received layoff notices.
The City Council last week approved for the third time an $83 million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, which would require an 8 percent increase in the tax rate.
Rocco Basilica, president of the New London firefighters union, said firefighters were standing at sites throughout the city Monday morning, including Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, the Coast Guard Academy and 202 Colman St., an apartment building that is home to many elderly people.
“We are trying to educate the public about what these cuts really mean,” said Basilica. “The budget that we have supports the whole fire department and yet we still have 25 layoffs on the table.”
London 2012: British High Commissioner Boosts Team Nigeria - THISDAY Live
VP Arrest Warrant Plunges Iraq into Crisis
20 Dec 2011
'Our house, in the middle of One's street': Madness transform Buckingham Palace into terraced housing with amazing light show - Daily Mail
By J J Anisiobi
|
The most iconic and prestigious building in London was transformed with some very clever lighting, last night.
London based band Madness turned the Queen's house, Buckingham Palace, into their very own terraced street thanks to some amazing visuals.
Viewers watched on in awe as the band took to the roof to sing some of their classic hits accompanied by the creative light show.
Scroll down for video
Play it again: Madness took to the roof of Buckingham Palace to play at The Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert, last night
Palace with a view: The band can be seen high above the main stage
Pretty impressive: Viewers were left in awe of the amazing light show which turned the palace into terraced housing
The 80s band had the 12,000 strong crowd looking on open mouthed as The Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert got into full swing.
Suggs, the lead singer of the seven member group, stood at the front and sang Our House and It Must Be Love, as streets from around the country were projected on to the front of the palace.
First, a row of terraced houses was shown complete with a big red bus and black taxi cab going past it before it changed to a town house.
Veterans: Suggs and co rocked Buckingham Palace with a revamped version of their hit Our House
They call it madness: The seven piece band jumped around and sang in front of the 12,000 strong crowd
The old school: Former kings and queens of England including Henry VII were shown on the front of the palace
The ska band gave a nod towards their host when they changed the lyric in Our House from 'in the middle of our street' to 'in the middle of one's street'.
In another superb display the palace was transformed into a large doll house with some of the rooms opening in a surreal moment.
Kings and queens of old including Henry VII were also shown on the building as the crazy band members relished the occasion and danced slightly off beat upon the roof.
Colourful: The band were almost not visible from their small section on the roof, but the pink spotlight helped show them up
Full house: One projection showed some silhouettes of staff, including a chef, dancing in the palace
The last performance on top of Buckingham Palace was done by Brain May at the last Golden Jubilee when he played the national anthem.
The magnitude of yesterday's performance outshone that of the Queen guitarist and the stunning visuals played a big part of it.
The creative lighting made by a company called Trunk Animation Limited.
They said ahead of the concert: 'Tonight you’ll be able to see the fruits of our labour at the Queen’s Jubilee Concert.
Affectionate: Madness performed It Must Be Love as large hearts were flashed across the palace for the audience
Night time highlight: The impressive projections were created by Trunk Animation Limited
House share: The Queen met the band backstage after the concert and didn't seem to mind the fact they had played on her roof
'We’ve been working like demons on animated visuals which will be projected onto Buckingham Palace during the performances.'
They added: 'We’ve had a sneak peek at rehearsals and it looks spectacular. Our visuals are for two songs by Madness so keep your eyes peeled.'
Celebrities watching the concert from the comfort of their living rooms took to twitter to congratulate the band on a great performance.
Piers Morgan said: 'Madness on the roof - literally. Superb. #jubileeconcert', and added 'I want to be on that roof. #madness #jubileeconcert'.
Have you taken any pictures of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations? From The Thames to your town to last night's concert, we want to see them. Send them for publication - with lots of caption detail - to Mail Online on the email address: mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk
Poetic justice: The group changed the lyric in Our House from 'in the middle of our street' to 'in the middle of one's street'
VIDEO: Scroll through to 1 min to see the Madness performance at the Diamond Jubilee Concert
London 2012 unveils look of Victory Ceremonies - International Olympic Committee
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has unveiled the podiums, costumes, flowers and make-up that will be used during the Victory Ceremonies at this summer’s Olympic Games. Students at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London worked closely with LOCOG over the last eight months to develop the designs.
The unique royal purple podiums – designed by students Gaetano Ling, Hong-Yeul Eom, Luc Fusaro, Heegun Koo and Yan Lu – feature dynamic lines representing the energy that the Games and athletes represent.
The elegant and dynamic costume designs – created by students Thomas Crisp and Trine Hav Christensen – represent London’s unique architecture and also feature a modern twist. When designing the costumes, the students were inspired by Greek mythology as well as British heritage. The presenter escorts will also wear a hat, created by former student Zara Gorman. The inspiration for this design includes the architecture of the London 2012 venues, combined with traditional aspects of British tailoring and sportswear.
Floral bouquets will also be presented to athletes along with medals during the Victory Ceremonies. The victory bouquet has been designed by internationally renowned florist Jane Packer and represents the vibrancy of the Games. The four sections each hold a different variety of the rose, an iconic British flower, and are divided by traditional herbs. These ingredients are designed to provide an unusually eclectic fragrant mix.
The make-up that will be worn by all the athlete and presenter escorts and medal and flower bearers has been provided by Max Factor, part of Worldwide Olympic Partner Proctor & Gamble (P&G). The unique look has been created by award-winning make-up artist Caroline Barnes, with the purple and gold shades creating a simple, modern design as well as a natural and fresh look.
Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: “The Victory Ceremonies mark the moment athletes can celebrate and share their achievements with fans in the stadiums and a worldwide TV audience. I’m delighted that we have worked with not only with established British designers but also with the next generation of designers to create this special moment for them.”
The moment they turned The Palace into "Our House in the middle of our street" was a masterstroke. It put the royal family right at the heart of the community and showed that -- for all the pomp and ceremony that often surrounds them -- they are actually just another british family, making the best of the situation they find themselves in.
- NK, UK, 05/6/2012 09:51
Report abuse