I've just graduated from the University of York (Yay!!). I've decided to read an MSc chemical process engineering at UCL (University College London) before trying to enter the chemical industry as a graduate engineer. I want to specialise in engineering to develop my macro-world scientific skills which aren't really nurtured that well when studying the chemistry of atoms and molecules.
Not being native to London, I didn't know where is good for students / what kind of rents to expect, etc. There are many different variables in the equation and it was difficult to know where to start. I've had help from friends and condensed some of the knowledge that I've gleaned from my searching to help you guys get a place that's right for you. A good way to start along to road to renting is to place an ad about yourself and your requirements on various housing websites. This will allow people to view you flatmate profile and what you're looking for. You can match yourself with others looking for the same thing and find a house together or apply to a property and try and form a group to rent that way. This way, you can find people who will be suited to living with you and you get a better chance of finding housemates you can get along with.
Location
Location is the number one thing to consider when starting to think about hunting for property to rent. You need to consider where you're going to live in terms of how much the rent will be there, where your home is relative to your place of work (or study) and, less importantly, where all the local amenities are. Once you have an idea of the area you'd like to live in, you can do searches for houses (or in my case flatshares) in the areas you want. This will make your searches more efficient so you can find the right place faster.
Price
Rent pcm (per calendar month) is the important factor to consider when looking at price. With bills included can make the prospect less attractive but bear in mind how much extra you would have to pay if bills were separate and how much those bills could be. By having the utilities bundled in with the rent of the property, you get may get a better deal. This comes from paying for utilities and the energy you use at a regular rate instead of a crippling bill post-christmas. Prices will vary from place to place and properties in the centre will cost to rent than those at the periphery.
Housemates
If you're particular about your housemates, state it in your application to housing websites. Tell them if you're a smoker and need to be with others or if you're interested in being part of a single gender household. The website will try and advertise you to people of your interest. The websites will also apply filters to their listings to assist you in paring down your options. Alternatively, if you just want a place for yourself, filters can be applied there too to help you find what you're looking for with a minimum of fuss.
Extra Features
As above, if you're in need of specific features in a property, such as parking or a garden, let this be known too and you should get more targetted search results and more specific replies to any ads you place on housing websites.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Make your own candles
I've tried my hand at making candles and have decided to scale up the operation so that I can make some for family and friends. I realised some time ago that the candles that you can buy at the shops are generally quite pricey despite only being very simple. Also, they might only stock certain colours / fragrances and typically, the ones you want are the most expensive. C'est la vie right?
Surprise
Wrong!! You can circumvent this problem by simply making your own candles. I made some prototype candles using 50% used, cleaned and filtered cooking fat and 50% wax for stability. I added some fragrance and their colour is a good clean cream / off-white ivory colour and they look great. Not only does it give you something to add to your interior decor but it also gives a useful outlet for cooking fats and oils which avoids putting them down the sink and helps avoids slow drainage problems.
Cleaning
I made the candles after I had saved the fat from cooking meats for about 2 months. This got me about 1 litre of fats which had settled into many layers. I heated this up with the microwave to melt it. I then poured it into a plastic bottle and added very hot water. The purpose of the water is to wash the fat. Just as washing dirty clothes with water serves to give clean laundry, washing fat with water cleans it, taking both the little burnt bits and the smell of the food with it, giving clean, non-scented fat.
The beauty of this method is that the darkened, dirty water sits below the fat which becomes creamy white after a few washes. The dirty water and solids at the bottom of the bottle can be removed by inverting the bottle before opening the lid and letting the water out. Washing three times generally gets the fat as clean as it's going to get.
Create your ideal candle
This leads you on to the next step: mixing with wax then creating your candles. To do this, add your fat to a pan (it should be a semi-viscous liquid now, after taking the washing water away and cleaning it up). Then add your wax of choice (this can come from any wax source, old candles or new candle wax works just as well). Be sure to cut up the wax before adding to pan to aid the speed of the melting process. Once the wax is melted into the fat and the solution is totally liquid, take the pan off the heat and leave to one side for a moment. Now is the time to add any scents (essential oils work best ~5ml per 100g) or dyes (you may want to get 'real' candle dyes as other
pigments may create harmful when burned.
Construct your candle
Now take an clean old glass jar (an old Ragu jar washed out with warm soapy water to remove the stickers will do) and using superglue, glue a piece of string or a sliver of cotton material to the bottom of your jar. This will be your candle wick. Tie the end of the wick to a pen/ pencil
and make sure the wick is central in the jar ( if the flame diverts toward the side of the jar, it could cause the glass to crack. Now carefully pour your wax/fats into the jar.
Leave your set up as it is in a cool place and don't disturb it. The wax will set in the jar and all you have to do it trim your wick to about one centimetre in length and then you have a nice new candle.
Surprise
Wrong!! You can circumvent this problem by simply making your own candles. I made some prototype candles using 50% used, cleaned and filtered cooking fat and 50% wax for stability. I added some fragrance and their colour is a good clean cream / off-white ivory colour and they look great. Not only does it give you something to add to your interior decor but it also gives a useful outlet for cooking fats and oils which avoids putting them down the sink and helps avoids slow drainage problems.
Cleaning
I made the candles after I had saved the fat from cooking meats for about 2 months. This got me about 1 litre of fats which had settled into many layers. I heated this up with the microwave to melt it. I then poured it into a plastic bottle and added very hot water. The purpose of the water is to wash the fat. Just as washing dirty clothes with water serves to give clean laundry, washing fat with water cleans it, taking both the little burnt bits and the smell of the food with it, giving clean, non-scented fat.
The beauty of this method is that the darkened, dirty water sits below the fat which becomes creamy white after a few washes. The dirty water and solids at the bottom of the bottle can be removed by inverting the bottle before opening the lid and letting the water out. Washing three times generally gets the fat as clean as it's going to get.
Create your ideal candle
This leads you on to the next step: mixing with wax then creating your candles. To do this, add your fat to a pan (it should be a semi-viscous liquid now, after taking the washing water away and cleaning it up). Then add your wax of choice (this can come from any wax source, old candles or new candle wax works just as well). Be sure to cut up the wax before adding to pan to aid the speed of the melting process. Once the wax is melted into the fat and the solution is totally liquid, take the pan off the heat and leave to one side for a moment. Now is the time to add any scents (essential oils work best ~5ml per 100g) or dyes (you may want to get 'real' candle dyes as other
pigments may create harmful when burned.
Construct your candle
Now take an clean old glass jar (an old Ragu jar washed out with warm soapy water to remove the stickers will do) and using superglue, glue a piece of string or a sliver of cotton material to the bottom of your jar. This will be your candle wick. Tie the end of the wick to a pen/ pencil
and make sure the wick is central in the jar ( if the flame diverts toward the side of the jar, it could cause the glass to crack. Now carefully pour your wax/fats into the jar.
Leave your set up as it is in a cool place and don't disturb it. The wax will set in the jar and all you have to do it trim your wick to about one centimetre in length and then you have a nice new candle.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Pimp your ride
It's summer time and the weather is perfect for doing anything. Riding your bike for example. But your bike is rusty and ancient. Summer time is also good for painting as the dry conditions allow you to air dry things quickly outside without fear of water spots. So you're bored with your bike and want something a bit different? Well you could follow the example of many people who are staying one step ahead in cycling chic and buying hipster fixed gear bikes. You could follow the examples put forward in Patrick Kingsley's blog, start shopping round the independant cycle manufacturers in London for a sharp, garish two wheeler and look the height of hipster bike fashion. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/09/cycling-grand-designs-custom-built?INTCMP=SRCH.
Cost
However, like clothes fashion, it's not a cheap thing. So if you're wanting that custard and rhubarb coloured ride but don't want to pay £££ for it then read on. This post will tell you how to get the bike your heart desires on budget by stripping down your old bike or a frame you have spare and painting it to look the coolest thing screaming through the streets. All this can be accomplished for a fraction of the price.
First and foremost, you'll need access to tools. There aren't many, simply a few sets of wrenches, pliers for uncooperative components and plently of marked bags so you can find all the bits that come off the bike after painting
Dissassembly
Use your tools to disconnect all the systems from the bike, that means saddle, gears, handlebars, brakes; the lot. As you remove components, carefully put each set of components and associated nuts and bolts into their respective bags and seal them to avoid their loss. Also, remove the wheels to make the frame easier to work with.
Pre-paint Prep
To get a decent paint job, make sure that you have the right kit to begin with. You'll need:
Sandpaper / aka glasspaper - various grades coarse to fine (200 grit to 800 grit with a few grades in between to give your steed a full deep colour)
paint stripper
thick waterproof gloves
dustmask - to avoid breathing in paint fumes and paint dust
various paints - White primer to give an even base coat
Any colour spray paint you want
clear laquer spray ( to protect your nice new colour scheme)
Masking tape (to a specific colour scheme onto your frame)
newspaper (to cover any great areas of the bike you don't want to be sprayed)
cardboard (to protect the surroundings from spraying)
Firstly, sand your frame and apply paint stripper. Do this in a well ventilated area and be careful with the paint stripper as if it can remove paint from a bike, it's liable to do worse to you. I recommend Nitromors, available from most DIY shops. Apply with a sponge / rag and with gloves applied. Use till the original colour is dulled and the surface of the frame is roughed up so the paint will stick.
Now wash the frame with soapy water to remove any dust and remaining paint stripper. Allow to dry. Get your primer and give the frame 2 / 3 good thorough coats with sanding with the coarse sand paper and washing in between to ensure the primer is sticking and giving good cover. I got my spray paints from
Once priming is done, sand and wash the frame again to give a surface for painting with the top coat. Apply your top coat in about 4/5 layers with sanding in ever finer grades of sandpaper, finishing with 800 grit 3(the finest grade). After this stage, your bike should have a deep rich colour and any semblance of the original colour should be a distant memory.
To finish the job, use a couple of coats of clear laquer to cover the bike in a thick, scratch resistant coating to prevent your 'new' bike from being scratched. Be warned that all of the spraying stages should be performed in a well ventilated area to avoid the toxic effects from the spray paint propellant.
All Done
Afterward, reassamble your bike and ride around in style on your garish new ride. Should be able to accomplish this for less than £60.However, if this is too much effort for you and the garish colours aren't your thing, send your frame off to a chromers and they'll coat your frame in chrome for ~£250-300 http://www.ashfordchroming.com/get-chroming-prices
Good luck. Send in your photos and comments.
Cost
However, like clothes fashion, it's not a cheap thing. So if you're wanting that custard and rhubarb coloured ride but don't want to pay £££ for it then read on. This post will tell you how to get the bike your heart desires on budget by stripping down your old bike or a frame you have spare and painting it to look the coolest thing screaming through the streets. All this can be accomplished for a fraction of the price.
First and foremost, you'll need access to tools. There aren't many, simply a few sets of wrenches, pliers for uncooperative components and plently of marked bags so you can find all the bits that come off the bike after painting
Dissassembly
Use your tools to disconnect all the systems from the bike, that means saddle, gears, handlebars, brakes; the lot. As you remove components, carefully put each set of components and associated nuts and bolts into their respective bags and seal them to avoid their loss. Also, remove the wheels to make the frame easier to work with.
Pre-paint Prep
To get a decent paint job, make sure that you have the right kit to begin with. You'll need:
Sandpaper / aka glasspaper - various grades coarse to fine (200 grit to 800 grit with a few grades in between to give your steed a full deep colour)
paint stripper
thick waterproof gloves
dustmask - to avoid breathing in paint fumes and paint dust
various paints - White primer to give an even base coat
Any colour spray paint you want
clear laquer spray ( to protect your nice new colour scheme)
Masking tape (to a specific colour scheme onto your frame)
newspaper (to cover any great areas of the bike you don't want to be sprayed)
cardboard (to protect the surroundings from spraying)
Firstly, sand your frame and apply paint stripper. Do this in a well ventilated area and be careful with the paint stripper as if it can remove paint from a bike, it's liable to do worse to you. I recommend Nitromors, available from most DIY shops. Apply with a sponge / rag and with gloves applied. Use till the original colour is dulled and the surface of the frame is roughed up so the paint will stick.
Now wash the frame with soapy water to remove any dust and remaining paint stripper. Allow to dry. Get your primer and give the frame 2 / 3 good thorough coats with sanding with the coarse sand paper and washing in between to ensure the primer is sticking and giving good cover. I got my spray paints from
Once priming is done, sand and wash the frame again to give a surface for painting with the top coat. Apply your top coat in about 4/5 layers with sanding in ever finer grades of sandpaper, finishing with 800 grit 3(the finest grade). After this stage, your bike should have a deep rich colour and any semblance of the original colour should be a distant memory.
To finish the job, use a couple of coats of clear laquer to cover the bike in a thick, scratch resistant coating to prevent your 'new' bike from being scratched. Be warned that all of the spraying stages should be performed in a well ventilated area to avoid the toxic effects from the spray paint propellant.
All Done
Afterward, reassamble your bike and ride around in style on your garish new ride. Should be able to accomplish this for less than £60.However, if this is too much effort for you and the garish colours aren't your thing, send your frame off to a chromers and they'll coat your frame in chrome for ~£250-300 http://www.ashfordchroming.com/get-chroming-prices
Good luck. Send in your photos and comments.
Financial meltdown
The news is hitting the media today that those high up in the Eurozone are in fact, conceding that a default / debt rollover are inevitable http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jul/12/greece-set-to-default-massive-debt-burden. The journalists report that those in the financial sector are saying that the focus should now be on the manner in which the default is allowed to occur. The emphasis is very much on a stable process and one that should involve some private sector involvement to prevent other sovereign nations from footing the debt bill.
Foresight
It is often said that this kind of event would be helped by the people at the wheel having foresight, the gift to see things happening before they happened. This should have been a black and white, clear cut case that Greece, no matter the words and efforts of its people to deal with its debt, would default. It is not a strong economy, it has a bad track record on collecting taxes from its citizens, it provides very generous pensions to people who retire early relative to other europeans and don't put that money back into the exchequer through their working lives. Given these constants, those in the financial sector should have been able to call the stick a stick. This would have reduced the amount of meetings and stress on the Greek people and would have freed up a lot of time for the leaders to come to a good plan forward out of the mire of indebtedness.
This however is a very quick and much less stressful method of approaching the problem. The financial sector makes a lot of money on comission and as such, has liased with the governments of the EU countries and has created a bailout package which costs a lot of money to implement and there will be plenty of interest on the debt accrued for the financial sector to mop up before giving the remnants back to the countries who loaned in the first place.
It seems that this final call for the default of Greece was in fact heeded after much delaying by those at the top. They delayed this point as long as possible so that the 'risk of contagion' to other struggling EU countries can be correctly quantified and
and appropriate action plans enacted.
Contagion
There is a much-touted phrase on the lips of financial sector workers and government ministers and that is 'risk of contagion'. When used in conjunction with the imminent default of Greece, the risk of contagion means the risk of the same thing happening to other EU countries. The prospect of many EU countries defaulting is a grim one. The fallout will last for a long time and does little to provide a 'way back' to liquidity http://tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/economics/comments/the-sovereign-default-option-is-costly/. The list of consequences of a sovereign default is short but is a very strong incentive to stay solvent:
1)Because your country cannot pay its debts and defaults, your currency loses value. This means that any financial institutions holding your money as a store of capital will drop it like a soiled nappy. This will cause a rapid rise in inflation and leave your citizens to carry the can as their real living standards will drop considerably. Be prepared for rioting, protests and massive numbers of people becoming unemployed.
2)Because, through default, you've proven your country cannot pay its debts once, any further lending post-default from other countries will come at a hefty interest rate. This will make accessing necessary capital for government projects very difficult. This will effectively 'freeze-out' your country from financial markets worldwide and you will have to fend for yourself or accept cripplingly high repayments on your debt, much like the extortionate African debts of old.
3)As your country (both government and private sector) cannot borrow money, your banks cannot lend to small and medium businesses ( the source of most job creation needed to get your economy back on its feet and providing growth). This means that your citizens often will not be able to obtain capital for their own business start-ups.
Mixed outlook with a chance of dominoes
Before the news broke this morning (12/07/11) there were a few blogs from people close to the financial sector who said that it would probably better that Greece defaulted and 'got on with it'. This mild speculation doesn't equate to substantiated claims that default was definately on the cards but the fact that these same articles continued that the Italian government is undergoing hasty financial maneuvers implies future woes there too.
Whilst talking about the future of the Eurozone financial situation, one must look West to Spain and Portugal as Spain has unempolyment nudging 9% and massive debts to service too. Its economy is weak and has suffered a lot from reduced tourism from the UK and elsewhere. It has troubles similar to the US (unemployment, massive debts and an ageing population who need care (and therefore, cannot contribute to the exchequer)) but where the financial world has a lot of confidence in the US system, Spain doesn't enjoy such support.
As a result, Spain will find it hard to recover from the downturn it has experienced on its own and it may need a bailout to restore itself. As Spain has a massive dependance on tourism, the downturns in other countries will hold off consumer money from entering the Spanish economy and will delay self-recovery further.
portugal endures the same problems as the other member states and will probably need some great assistance from other EU countries and the IMF. Ireland, often overlooked as it has already been doled out a £65bn bailout will also struggle to service its debts as the housing market is depressed after the property bubble burst and there is no wealth creation within the country from small and medium business. This problem is exasterbated by the failure of banks to lend to these job creation powerhouses. Again, a loss in tourism is a big hit to the local economy and as a result, the wider Irish economy.
Solutions
Looking at the situation as a whole, the Euro future looks bleak and lots of restructuring and 'technical defaults' will be needed to ensure that the member states stay united and retain their ability to compete on the world stage. The risk of contagion is a myth in that there are inherent flaws in the financial and social systems of these countries and this mismanagement of the country must be rectified so the waste can be trimmed from the system and the governments can run their countries more efficiently. More must be done to support the fledgling small businesses as they are the route out of the mess. Low interest micro-loans and government grants for business innovation are the way to solve these crises and though the provision of this money by the government will cost in the short term, the long term stability of the country will more than cover it.
Foresight
It is often said that this kind of event would be helped by the people at the wheel having foresight, the gift to see things happening before they happened. This should have been a black and white, clear cut case that Greece, no matter the words and efforts of its people to deal with its debt, would default. It is not a strong economy, it has a bad track record on collecting taxes from its citizens, it provides very generous pensions to people who retire early relative to other europeans and don't put that money back into the exchequer through their working lives. Given these constants, those in the financial sector should have been able to call the stick a stick. This would have reduced the amount of meetings and stress on the Greek people and would have freed up a lot of time for the leaders to come to a good plan forward out of the mire of indebtedness.
This however is a very quick and much less stressful method of approaching the problem. The financial sector makes a lot of money on comission and as such, has liased with the governments of the EU countries and has created a bailout package which costs a lot of money to implement and there will be plenty of interest on the debt accrued for the financial sector to mop up before giving the remnants back to the countries who loaned in the first place.
It seems that this final call for the default of Greece was in fact heeded after much delaying by those at the top. They delayed this point as long as possible so that the 'risk of contagion' to other struggling EU countries can be correctly quantified and
and appropriate action plans enacted.
Contagion
There is a much-touted phrase on the lips of financial sector workers and government ministers and that is 'risk of contagion'. When used in conjunction with the imminent default of Greece, the risk of contagion means the risk of the same thing happening to other EU countries. The prospect of many EU countries defaulting is a grim one. The fallout will last for a long time and does little to provide a 'way back' to liquidity http://tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/economics/comments/the-sovereign-default-option-is-costly/. The list of consequences of a sovereign default is short but is a very strong incentive to stay solvent:
1)Because your country cannot pay its debts and defaults, your currency loses value. This means that any financial institutions holding your money as a store of capital will drop it like a soiled nappy. This will cause a rapid rise in inflation and leave your citizens to carry the can as their real living standards will drop considerably. Be prepared for rioting, protests and massive numbers of people becoming unemployed.
2)Because, through default, you've proven your country cannot pay its debts once, any further lending post-default from other countries will come at a hefty interest rate. This will make accessing necessary capital for government projects very difficult. This will effectively 'freeze-out' your country from financial markets worldwide and you will have to fend for yourself or accept cripplingly high repayments on your debt, much like the extortionate African debts of old.
3)As your country (both government and private sector) cannot borrow money, your banks cannot lend to small and medium businesses ( the source of most job creation needed to get your economy back on its feet and providing growth). This means that your citizens often will not be able to obtain capital for their own business start-ups.
Mixed outlook with a chance of dominoes
Before the news broke this morning (12/07/11) there were a few blogs from people close to the financial sector who said that it would probably better that Greece defaulted and 'got on with it'. This mild speculation doesn't equate to substantiated claims that default was definately on the cards but the fact that these same articles continued that the Italian government is undergoing hasty financial maneuvers implies future woes there too.
Whilst talking about the future of the Eurozone financial situation, one must look West to Spain and Portugal as Spain has unempolyment nudging 9% and massive debts to service too. Its economy is weak and has suffered a lot from reduced tourism from the UK and elsewhere. It has troubles similar to the US (unemployment, massive debts and an ageing population who need care (and therefore, cannot contribute to the exchequer)) but where the financial world has a lot of confidence in the US system, Spain doesn't enjoy such support.
As a result, Spain will find it hard to recover from the downturn it has experienced on its own and it may need a bailout to restore itself. As Spain has a massive dependance on tourism, the downturns in other countries will hold off consumer money from entering the Spanish economy and will delay self-recovery further.
portugal endures the same problems as the other member states and will probably need some great assistance from other EU countries and the IMF. Ireland, often overlooked as it has already been doled out a £65bn bailout will also struggle to service its debts as the housing market is depressed after the property bubble burst and there is no wealth creation within the country from small and medium business. This problem is exasterbated by the failure of banks to lend to these job creation powerhouses. Again, a loss in tourism is a big hit to the local economy and as a result, the wider Irish economy.
Solutions
Looking at the situation as a whole, the Euro future looks bleak and lots of restructuring and 'technical defaults' will be needed to ensure that the member states stay united and retain their ability to compete on the world stage. The risk of contagion is a myth in that there are inherent flaws in the financial and social systems of these countries and this mismanagement of the country must be rectified so the waste can be trimmed from the system and the governments can run their countries more efficiently. More must be done to support the fledgling small businesses as they are the route out of the mess. Low interest micro-loans and government grants for business innovation are the way to solve these crises and though the provision of this money by the government will cost in the short term, the long term stability of the country will more than cover it.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Race to the poles
Freezing temperatures, fatal falls through the ice, any body parts not covered by thick thermal clothing quickly, painfully, turning black. This isn't Captain Scott's race to the South pole, it's the reality of energy resource extraction. Energy companies are increasingly braving these dangerous conditions in the hope of realising the massive untapped potential for fossil fuels extraction.
Energy woes
In recent years, energy prices have been rising incredibly. This has been hurting many motorists at the pumps and families when their energy bill arrives in the post. This may seem like a general trend which is unavoidable and should be borne as another one of life's constants but the bigger picture is much more grim.
Volatility
Within the sphere of general fuel price rises, there are the ups and downs over monthly periods
due to wholesale gas / oil price rises and falls. This volatility is not due to supply and demand and there physically being more oil extracted from one day to the next but due to futures markets and speculation ( the selling of the oil produced in a country at a later date, at the price that it was at today). This allows traders to make short term gains on the highs and lows of oil prices. Oil and gas spot prices (price at any one time on the oil / gas market) are also affected by the news and industrial data concerning the performance of a well or the confidence of the market in a ability of a company to satisfy the demands of their energy consumers.
Conflict
A major factor in the price of energy on the market is the conflict and military activity in an area.
The recent conflicts in northern Africa (specifically Libya and Bahrain) are a prime example of what conflict and warring can do to the price of energy. Libya exports 2% of the world's oil. This may seem like a small amount in the big picture but when it was revealed that during the Gaddafi conflict that oil exports were stopped or seriously reduced, the oil price shot up as there was increased competition between the nations of the world for the oil that remained on the market at that time. It's no secret that the increased economic activity of China and India has created a greater demand for more fossil fuels at a time when their production is reaching an unavoidable plateau using traditional sources.
Innovation
To circumvent the problem of limited capacity and dwindling confirmed resources, energy companies have been looking in more and more extreme environments from which to extract the remaining oil from the earth. This search for the remaining pockets has led energy companies to the poles. A few years ago, there was a furore between the UK government and the
Argentinian government over the sovereignity of the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas to the Argentines). The Falkland Islands are close to Antarctica. The same islands were fought over decades ago by the same countries but for different reasons. Now the reason is oil. After preliminary tests and drilling, it appears that there are oil reservoirs in earth under the sea in the territorial waters of the Falkland Isles. This means that the UK government can sell / lease the fields to private industry to generate income and energy. Not surprisingly, the Argentine government wanted in on the action as it has suffered from a collapsed economy in recent times.
A clear and present danger
This leads us from the South to the North pole, energy companies have been scouring the globe for easy energy deposits and the other major location for exploitation is the area around the North Pole and Northern Canada. There has been much made of the extraction of oil and gas from the tar sands of Canada and Alaska but more recently, the focus has been the drilling for oil in the waters around the North Pole and the resulting mini oil spills that result during the erection of the drilling rig and initial well tapping.
This has the potential to create an environmental catastrophe on the scale of the Gulf disaster of 2010 or the Exxon -Valdez disaster of Alaska not too long ago. History has many examples of oil drilling gone wrong but there is not a lot of scope for cleaning up a disaster on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon rig in an environment as raw and difficult to work in as the icy Northern wastes.
The future is uncertain
As energy prices go up, more work goes into trying to discover more sources of fossil fuels to help bring the price of energy down. The sporadic, desparate nature of new oil discovery will mean that in the near to mid future, black-outs and times of limited electricity supply will become the norm. To avoid this embarrasing situation, more and more money will be diverted to helping solve the supply problem. This will, as it does now, often involves oil companies aggresively lobbying governments to pass legislation to permit more drilling in the previously off-limits areas, this sort of activity looks set to contine. Don't be surprised if, as a result of desparate attempts to obtain more fuel, we see more animals coated in oil on our TV screens and blighted oil-slick seas.
Energy woes
In recent years, energy prices have been rising incredibly. This has been hurting many motorists at the pumps and families when their energy bill arrives in the post. This may seem like a general trend which is unavoidable and should be borne as another one of life's constants but the bigger picture is much more grim.
Volatility
Within the sphere of general fuel price rises, there are the ups and downs over monthly periods
due to wholesale gas / oil price rises and falls. This volatility is not due to supply and demand and there physically being more oil extracted from one day to the next but due to futures markets and speculation ( the selling of the oil produced in a country at a later date, at the price that it was at today). This allows traders to make short term gains on the highs and lows of oil prices. Oil and gas spot prices (price at any one time on the oil / gas market) are also affected by the news and industrial data concerning the performance of a well or the confidence of the market in a ability of a company to satisfy the demands of their energy consumers.
Conflict
A major factor in the price of energy on the market is the conflict and military activity in an area.
The recent conflicts in northern Africa (specifically Libya and Bahrain) are a prime example of what conflict and warring can do to the price of energy. Libya exports 2% of the world's oil. This may seem like a small amount in the big picture but when it was revealed that during the Gaddafi conflict that oil exports were stopped or seriously reduced, the oil price shot up as there was increased competition between the nations of the world for the oil that remained on the market at that time. It's no secret that the increased economic activity of China and India has created a greater demand for more fossil fuels at a time when their production is reaching an unavoidable plateau using traditional sources.
Innovation
To circumvent the problem of limited capacity and dwindling confirmed resources, energy companies have been looking in more and more extreme environments from which to extract the remaining oil from the earth. This search for the remaining pockets has led energy companies to the poles. A few years ago, there was a furore between the UK government and the
Argentinian government over the sovereignity of the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas to the Argentines). The Falkland Islands are close to Antarctica. The same islands were fought over decades ago by the same countries but for different reasons. Now the reason is oil. After preliminary tests and drilling, it appears that there are oil reservoirs in earth under the sea in the territorial waters of the Falkland Isles. This means that the UK government can sell / lease the fields to private industry to generate income and energy. Not surprisingly, the Argentine government wanted in on the action as it has suffered from a collapsed economy in recent times.
A clear and present danger
This leads us from the South to the North pole, energy companies have been scouring the globe for easy energy deposits and the other major location for exploitation is the area around the North Pole and Northern Canada. There has been much made of the extraction of oil and gas from the tar sands of Canada and Alaska but more recently, the focus has been the drilling for oil in the waters around the North Pole and the resulting mini oil spills that result during the erection of the drilling rig and initial well tapping.
This has the potential to create an environmental catastrophe on the scale of the Gulf disaster of 2010 or the Exxon -Valdez disaster of Alaska not too long ago. History has many examples of oil drilling gone wrong but there is not a lot of scope for cleaning up a disaster on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon rig in an environment as raw and difficult to work in as the icy Northern wastes.
The future is uncertain
As energy prices go up, more work goes into trying to discover more sources of fossil fuels to help bring the price of energy down. The sporadic, desparate nature of new oil discovery will mean that in the near to mid future, black-outs and times of limited electricity supply will become the norm. To avoid this embarrasing situation, more and more money will be diverted to helping solve the supply problem. This will, as it does now, often involves oil companies aggresively lobbying governments to pass legislation to permit more drilling in the previously off-limits areas, this sort of activity looks set to contine. Don't be surprised if, as a result of desparate attempts to obtain more fuel, we see more animals coated in oil on our TV screens and blighted oil-slick seas.
Become an Independant Trader
No Income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee. It's a lyric wholly associated with the stereotypical peckham market traders of Delboy and Rodney Trotter. Their antics down the market and in their Aladdin's cave of goods (flat) made for a very entertaining comedy. However, the reality is that this grass roots commercial business is the way many young entrepreneurs make their money as their starting ventures (Alan Sugar and Richard Branson to name a few). This is a very good way to get into the world of business as there are few, low start-up costs and the fun atmosphere with other like-minded people.
Before you begin
A good place to start before you set up shop is having a good idea of what you want to sell. Selling something that has a human element to it, like wooden carvings, or artisan products that have your personal 'stamp' on them will sell better than something simple and general. People looking for something a bit different will buy into these products and you will make good sales figures. The blog on the Guardian website (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/dec/04/the-market-stall-apprentice) should be of great help to you on this and many more general aspects of running a market stall.
Something you can make yourself is also a good idea as you can make more profit out of the product as there is less money going to middle-men who refine the goods that you sell on. You also have complete control over the exact composition of the products you're selling. This allows
you to directly source the materials and gives scope for making more profit as you find cheaper
alternatives to the raw materials that you usually use. A good rule of thumb is marking-up the products you sell by 3 or 4 times if you're selling directly to customers and by 2 or 3 times if you're selling on to shops or suppliers who will then sell on. This allows them to sell your products on for a profit themselves. By making your products yourself, you avoid this reduced mark-up and as a result gain more revenue per product.
Sell, Sell, Sell
Idenitfying the selling point (USP) your products encompass will allow you to state to your customers what makes your stuff better than the competitors in shops and on other stalls. Anything you can do to help your customers feel like you're selling to them individually or to make them feel like you're giving them special treatment will make your brand, your set-up more exclusive and potential buyers will buy into this. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on which of your products are selling the best and then make a note to buy more of this product to sell more, harking back to The Apprentice episode of last week (8 July 2011).
Be yourself, be happy
There are many tips one can take to help be a good trader on start-up but first and foremost, you must have some basic skills in maths to keep a good record of what prices you're getting for your stock and how much stock you have sold. A good manner with people and a good sense of banter can really bring the crowds in too. Being an approachable salesperson makes it more likely that customers will come and see your wares. Being a positive, well-humoured character will make people more relaxed around your stall and more open to buying your stuff.
Keep it legal
To ensure that you're trading within the law and not selling illegally, ensure that you contact your local authority and ask about the steps you need to take to make sure you're above board. Ask lots of questions so you have all the facts about trading and how you can get involved trading in your local community.
Before you begin
A good place to start before you set up shop is having a good idea of what you want to sell. Selling something that has a human element to it, like wooden carvings, or artisan products that have your personal 'stamp' on them will sell better than something simple and general. People looking for something a bit different will buy into these products and you will make good sales figures. The blog on the Guardian website (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/dec/04/the-market-stall-apprentice) should be of great help to you on this and many more general aspects of running a market stall.
Something you can make yourself is also a good idea as you can make more profit out of the product as there is less money going to middle-men who refine the goods that you sell on. You also have complete control over the exact composition of the products you're selling. This allows
you to directly source the materials and gives scope for making more profit as you find cheaper
alternatives to the raw materials that you usually use. A good rule of thumb is marking-up the products you sell by 3 or 4 times if you're selling directly to customers and by 2 or 3 times if you're selling on to shops or suppliers who will then sell on. This allows them to sell your products on for a profit themselves. By making your products yourself, you avoid this reduced mark-up and as a result gain more revenue per product.
Sell, Sell, Sell
Idenitfying the selling point (USP) your products encompass will allow you to state to your customers what makes your stuff better than the competitors in shops and on other stalls. Anything you can do to help your customers feel like you're selling to them individually or to make them feel like you're giving them special treatment will make your brand, your set-up more exclusive and potential buyers will buy into this. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on which of your products are selling the best and then make a note to buy more of this product to sell more, harking back to The Apprentice episode of last week (8 July 2011).
Be yourself, be happy
There are many tips one can take to help be a good trader on start-up but first and foremost, you must have some basic skills in maths to keep a good record of what prices you're getting for your stock and how much stock you have sold. A good manner with people and a good sense of banter can really bring the crowds in too. Being an approachable salesperson makes it more likely that customers will come and see your wares. Being a positive, well-humoured character will make people more relaxed around your stall and more open to buying your stuff.
Keep it legal
To ensure that you're trading within the law and not selling illegally, ensure that you contact your local authority and ask about the steps you need to take to make sure you're above board. Ask lots of questions so you have all the facts about trading and how you can get involved trading in your local community.
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