Current Affairs Articles

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Daniel Yergin @ Tuesday, 6th May 2008 @ 3:33 PM

Ten dollars a barrel. That was the price oil fell to in 1998, just 10 years ago. In 2008, oil has been nine times higher, around $90 a barrel, and briefly skirted with $100 a barrel just a few weeks ago. What was unimaginable 10 years ago has happened. How has it happened, and what does it tell us about the future? Financial crisis swept Asia and other parts of the world in 1998, bringing an end - as it turned out only temporarily - to a period of great economic expansion. Oil dema... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Amy Nutt @ Monday, 28th April 2008 @ 12:50 AM

Different countries have different legal punishments for those producing counterfeit money and the punishments are quite tough. The reason why the punishments are harsh is because counterfeit money reduces the value of actual money and causes inflation due to the increase of money being circulated throughout the economy. What this is is an artificial increase in the amount of money in the money supply that is not authorized. This severely devalues the currency and results in losses that ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Friday, 18th April 2008 @ 3:15 PM

Recently Britain saw its oldest migrant set sail from the shores of blighty, moving to a new life in New Zealand. His main reason for moving was because England was too crowded and the wide open spaces in New Zealand appealed to him. Eric King Turner at the ripe old age of 102 is moving with his wife Doris on an unforgettable journey that will enrich his life. Setting out from Southampton on a twelve thousand mile cruise to his new country of residence this adventure would almost equal his time ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Friday, 18th April 2008 @ 1:28 PM

Most people would like to think themselves aware of fire safety risks in the home and workplace. However, sufficient training to cope with fire is practically non-existent within the general public. While we all like to think we would know what to do in the event of fire, it is only professionals who have had extensive training to recognise the types of fire and risks associated, that are equipped to battle the inferno. The issue of insufficient training amongst the general public has co... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Friday, 18th April 2008 @ 8:54 AM

Though the housing bubble deflated about two years ago, its true effects are only now beginning to emerge. In late 2006, when the economy first began to show signs of weakness in the housing market, most economists predicted that a recession was very unlikely, and that any downturn in real estate prices would be localized and mild. In reality, a global downturn is now a real threat, with the final price of the credit crunch projected to exceed $1 trillion dollars. Not only have falling h... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Friday, 18th April 2008 @ 8:44 AM

I read a post recently where a real estate agent was posting about whether they should leave the real estate profession. The market had slowed in their area and their income stream had decreased rapidly. They worried that if the market didn't pick up soon, they would have difficulty making mortgage payments. It certainly seemed sensible to me. What surprised me were the responses the post received. Everyone told them not to give up hope. It was a series of quotes that resembled ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Thursday, 10th April 2008 @ 1:35 PM

With the ever-increasing fashion for size zero, it has become apparent that more and more women are relying on chauffeur car hire to get them from A to B. For us mere mortals, chauffeur car hire is a luxury we experience on rare occasions. Prom nights are a big thing for young girls when daddy employs chauffeur car hire for them and they cruise around the town, getting tipsy on cider, yelling obscenities from the windows and feeling like rough royalty. For the celebrities, chauffeu... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Wednesday, 9th April 2008 @ 10:21 AM

The car hire industry has long been viewed as somewhat of a dinosaur in terms of technological development and implementation. Many will remember booking a hire car for their holiday only to find a spluttering little 'box on wheels' that is just as likely to break down than get you from A to B. Things are changing however, the industry has recognised the importance of providing quality car hire options for travellers. A major influence on the car hire industry has been the inc... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Patrick Omari @ Tuesday, 8th April 2008 @ 2:59 PM

Congestion charge is not a very new idea. Cities such as Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Orange County in California and even Stockholm have been trying and testing this idea since the 1970's through to early 1980's. Economists first mooted these ideas in the 1920's. Serious research into this idea was done in the 1960's. Historically, private toll roads, funded by turnpike trusts, were common from the late 1600's until the Local Government Act 1888 passed ownership and responsibi... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Patrick Omari @ Wednesday, 2nd April 2008 @ 8:34 PM

Today I must leave early. I have been trying to hide my head under the desk. I am avoiding the gazing eyes of Stevo. Being within his shooting range, I have not been very succesful. Why all the fuss, you may ask. It is because only yesterday I paid a glowing tribute to Heathrow Airport and its reported sophistication and land mark opening of the multi-billion pound Terminal 5. Now that he has made me swallow the humble pie, he wants me to put the record straight by informing the public th... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Derek Dashwood @ Saturday, 29th March 2008 @ 8:17 AM

The city of Richmond on west coast Canada includes many youths recently arrived from countries who are used to some of their new neighbors in Canada as blood mortal enemies. Yet, by working with the families, and most of all the children, the city of Richmond has a low violent crime rate, a fraction of most comparable American cities. It has taken many discussions between varying groups, to finds ways to live quite strange different lives in harmony. And yet in this lovely island city b... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Amy Nutt @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 12:07 PM

A speed limit is the fastest speed that one is allowed to travel on roadways in a motor vehicle. Speed limits are usually set by legislative bodies and enforced by law enforcement. The speed limits that are set are usually what is appropriate for the driving conditions on a particular road. If the road is narrow or very curvy, it may have a lower speed limit than a road similar to it that is a little wider and has less curves. Highways, however, are quite unique in their speed limits for... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Patrick Omari @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 10:30 AM

Today is an important day in the history of Heathrow Airport. An Airbus SAS's A380 superjumbo made its first commercial landing in London today. Heathrow Airport opened in 1946 and has become the United Kingdom's largest Airport and the world's busiest international airport and is only 24km from London center. The airport currently has 5 terminals.The 5th terminal was opened by the Queen on the 5th of March 2008. The Singapore Airlines Ltd. flight arrived in the U.K. ca... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Thursday, 27th March 2008 @ 7:08 AM

What is it that makes people think that designer sunglasses equal anonymity? That hiding behind huge pieces of black plastic mean nobody can see them or guess who they are? And let's face it, no matter how big the designer sunglasses are they still only cover a portion of the face! Do they really believe that if they can't see us, we can't see them? Celebrities would be much better off to leave off the shed loads of make-up, leave off the massive designer sunglasses and lea... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Derek Dashwood @ Sunday, 23rd March 2008 @ 8:54 PM

Some gentle areas of earth are able to welcome in peace peoples of many nationalities and language groups, who in turn are finding ways to live together. They have adapted to living amidst strange people, and if each respects the rights of the other they can get along. Even while feeling they may continue, at least in the sanctity of their own home, their rights to live their lives as they have been brought up to feel comfortable with. And that is the central issue to us all, really: if ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Friday, 21st March 2008 @ 9:35 PM

Two months ago the Democrats were looking at numerous positive signals for their chances in the November election. First the polls of a generic Democrat versus a generic Republican showed Democrats leading by a spread of over 10 points. The leader of the Democratic field, Barack Obama, enjoyed a substantial lead over the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. To make matters better for the Democrats the Republicans were going through an ideological schism. The conservative wing ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Thursday, 20th March 2008 @ 10:30 PM

Car Hire companies provide a valuable service for their customers, allowing travel for a relatively inexpensive price and at the customer's leisure. There are certain challenges however that the car hire industry faces that unfortunately drive up prices and forces them to increase security measures to protect their fleets. In a world where financial problems are evermore rife and thieves are becoming increasingly organised, the extent that some car hire companies will go to is an understand... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Thursday, 20th March 2008 @ 10:05 PM

Unfortunately for smaller high street travel agencies the encroaching of big business is becoming increasingly apparent. As with the many independent retailers on our high streets such as greengrocers, butchers and video stores, independent travel agencies are facing the same problems of being able to match the prices and services of the large multinational companies. With the increasing homogenisation of our high streets this is a bad thing, the consumer may get better deals, but will c... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Thursday, 20th March 2008 @ 9:27 PM

In this day and age you cannot avoid this nasty 'health and safety' attitude that permeates everything. Every news paper reports everyday some sort of madness or another that cannot happen without health and safety training. There are chestnut trees that the council cannot plant due to the fact that conkers may fall on somebody. And, god forbid, children should find any conkers, they are not allowed to play the good old fashioned conker game that we all remember so well because ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Thursday, 20th March 2008 @ 11:19 AM

Recent elections have rarely been as heated as the '08 race for the Democratic nomination between freshman Illinois Senator Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. From the televised bickering of their national debates to the recent jabs over NAFTA, the fight has hung on tiny margins several times throughout their respective campaigns. March 4 was a significant day for the primary candidates because Hillary Clinton managed to, for at least the second time, defy the odds and win t... more...