GRUMPY OLD MAN

DOES YOUR CREDIT CARD HAVE THE ABOVE SYMBOL?

If so, you may be at serious risk of fraud. The Sun Newspaper recently published this article:

ROBBED BY RADIOWAVES
*Electronic scam threatens 20m Brits
*Thieves lift bank details by walking past

The threat comes following the introduction of new "contactless” bank cards which shoppers swipe through a reader to pay for goods.

Fraudsters are using mobile card readers, similar to those found in stores, to access bank cards in wallets and handbags. It allows them to steal their victims' details without even touching them.

Fraudsters are using mobile card readers, similar to those found in stores, to access bank cards in wallets and handbags. It allows them to steal their victims' details without even touching them.

Most big chains, including Waitrose, the Co-op, Boots, Pret A Manger and Subway now offer contactless card readers at checkouts.

Customers can swipe debit cards to pay for transactions totalling less than £15 — doing away with the need for chip and pin.

The technology — known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) — transmits details via a radio signal, which is implanted in bank cards which carry a special symbol.

The payment method is intended to cut queuing times in shops — but fraud gangs are taking the same technology to the streets.

According to the UK Cards Association there are 19.6million cards with contactless functionality in the UK and 73,000 terminals in shops and restaurants.

An RFID reader enables thieves to read a stranger's card simply by walking past them — and the devices cost as little as £7 online, We demonstrated how easy it is to commit the crime — known as "RFID skimming” — with a reader we bought for £200.

We used it to skim the details of three people's cards in Greenwich, South East London, after explaining to them what we were about to do.

Our reporter first walked within three feet of dance school manager Amanda Davey with the reader in his pocket.
In seconds the machine bleeped, indicating it had picked up the signal from the card in her purse.

Tony Sales, an anti-fraud expert from security company Rid Fraud, showed us how it worked.

He explained: "You've now got her 16-digit card number, expiry date and name. I can transfer these details to a blank RFDI card, which you can buy online for about £100 for a thousand.

"Then we've got an exact clone of her card, which we can use all day long in shops with contactless checkouts. Or we can simply go shopping online.

"This particular reader has a function called ‘continual scan' so I can walk across a train station platform with it on. By the time I've got to the other end I could have hundreds of details.

The details we took were enough to rack up huge bills with a number of big internet retailers.

Even Amazon, one of the world's biggest internet shopping sites, do not ask for the three digit security code on the back of the card if it is a Visa — which is information that can't be skimmed.

We were able to open a new Amazon account with the details of the skimmed card, link it to our address and buy some books.

Contactless card readers are exploding in popularity. The Olympics site in East London is currently being fitted with 3,000 contactless Visa readers ready for the Games.

(abridged)

P.S. But before you cut up your RFID bank cards or lock them away in a box, there is a simple and cheap trick to ensure your card is never skimmed. Tin foil blocks all RFID signals — so lining your wallet or purse with it is a sure way to keep your card details secure.

Read also:

http://www.channel4.com/news/millions-of-barclays-card-users-exposed-to-fraud

The price of razor blade cartridges has surged by as much as 99 per cent in just three years – driving many men to adopt designer stubble.

The cartridges cost less than 10p to make, but shoppers are being charged as much as £3.49 each.

The biggest player, Gillette, has imposed a stealth price rise by cutting the number of replacement cartridges in its Mach3 Turbo packs from five to four.

The smaller pack did not bring a corresponding cut in the price, leaving men paying at least 20 per cent more.

At Asda, the price per cartridge has risen by 99 per cent over a three-year period.

n 2009, the chain condemned razor manufacturers for their high prices and won plaudits for slashing the cost of a five-cartridge pack of Gillette’s Mach3 blades from £8 to £5.

However, it has since pushed the price back up, to £7.99 for a smaller pack of four, which means the cost per cartridge has risen from £1 to just under £2.

If that were not painful enough, replacement cartridges for Gillette’s top-of-the-range Fusion ProGlide can be as much as £3.49 each.

The high price of razor blade cartridges has led to them becoming the most shoplifted item on the high street, with stores forced to resort to electronic security tags and CCTV to protect their stock.

At the same time, men worried about making ends meet are either trying to make their razor blades last longer, with the resulting scrapes and cuts – or ditching their shaving regime and opting for designer stubble.

(MailOnline)

World temperatures have risen by just 0.29C in the last two decades

* 'Green' policy burdens will cost families £267 a year extra by 2030

World temperatures have remained almost stagnant in the last two decades, new figures have revealed.

Temperatures across the globe rose by around a third of a degree last year from the average of 14 degrees Celsius recorded between 1961 and 1990.

In some years, temperatures rose by just 0.29 degrees C while in others they rose by .53 degrees.

The findings come as consumers feel the full force of a raft of environment policies introduced by the coalition and the previous Labour government in the name of climate change.

By 2030, ‘green’ policy burdens could cost families an extra £267 a year and have already raised current energy bills by £78 annually.

The figures on global temperatures were published by Environment Minister Gregory Barker in a parliamentary answer to Tory MP Anne Main.

The figures were unveiled as an environmental guru and maverick scientist admitted that he may have been ‘alarmist’ about climate change.

James Lovelock, who warned that billions would die before the end of this century and only the Arctic would be fit for human habitation, said: ‘The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened.’

The 92-year-old told MSNBC in America: ‘The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now. The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. Twelve years is a reasonable time… it (the temperature) has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising.’

He said: 'The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing,' he told 'We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear cut, but it hasn’t happened.

'The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world.

'[The temperature] has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising - carbon dioxide is rising, no question about that.'

(MailOnline)

I hate to say "Told you so", but for many years I have been very sceptical about global warming. It has been a big con, based on false information, and it has cost us plenty as governments and big business have jumped on the bandwagon.

And don't start talking to me about wind-power!

Is your toilet full of lime-scale and other nasty stains that you just can't get rid of with conventional methods? Don't worry just reach for the fridge, and grab yourself a Coke!

Approach your toilet with a can or bottle of Coke, depending on the amount of stains you have to clean, and pour it into and around the bowl.

Let it sit for one hour whilst the phosphoric acid in the Coke removes your stains, and then brush and flush it clean! Nice and Shiny! Done!

(YouTube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPCx9J6tROk

The astonishing array of fake brands made in China.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130030/Nake-King-Burger-Anmani--astonishing-array-fake-brands-China.html#ixzz1sBhKVPj1

'Wakey wakey, Mr Beasly. Two o'clock in the morning and we think you're well enough to go home now'

How to peel a potato using just water, both hands, and NO knife

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RV_3xpnUnHQ

DOES THAT INCLUDE SERVICE?

The cup of tea is an iconic symbol of Britain enjoyed across the country by everyone from builders to barristers.

But put the words ‘high’ or ‘afternoon’ before tea - and it could cost you a fortune.

Delicate pastries, silver platters and cucumber sandwiches mean the afternoon meal has become the preserve of the posh - served up with an equally exclusive price-tag.

Top-of-the-range teas can now cost up to £85 a person in some London hotels, Which? has reported.

But the consumer watchdog says it’s the London hotels that really take the biscuit.

And the prize for most expensive tea in London?

The Lanesborough, which offers an £85 afternoon tea, accompanied by a glass of Prestige Krug Champagne.

Afternoon teas at the sought-after Ritz, where it’s advisable to book months in advance, start at £42, rising to £64 if you fancy a little fizz with your tea.

In the report entitled: ‘The cost of afternoon tea - high tea or highway robbery?’, Which? senior travel researcher Guy Hobbs said: 'Can the swanky surroundings and silver service really justify such an enormous mark-up on the price of a cuppa and a few cakes?'

'Now I understand you’re not just paying for the tea; it’s all about the experience, the historic setting, the choice of 200 types of tea, the classically trained pianist in the corner, the expert advice of the tea sommelier and the chef’s artistry with choux pastry.

'And someone’s got to polish each silver teaspoon every time it’s used.

'But at these prices, it’s hard not to start wondering how much the constituent ingredients would cost you in a supermarket - £3? £5? Surely not more than a tenner?

'And it’s then that your cup of oak-smoked Earl Grey could start to leave a bitter taste.

'Especially when you consider that afternoon tea is such big business. And numbers are expected to rise during the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics.'

(Daily Mail)

London has a brand new traffic-calming measure and it's a project of Olympic proportions.

These 300ft white pillars are part of a sleek new cable car system which will ferry Olympics spectators over the River Thames between the two Games venues.

Gondolas will glide over cables suspended between the futuristic towers, which link the 02 Arena on the south bank of the Thames to the ExCel exhibition centre in east London.

The O2 will host events including the gymnastics and basketball finals, while the ExCel centre features seven Olympic events and six Paralympic sports.

Up to 34 gondolas will run across the river, each carrying a maximum of 10 passengers.

Transport for London (TfL) hopes that up to 2,500 people will use the cable cars every hour - the equivalent of 40 buses.

As well as reducing pressure on the capital's road system, the gondolas will offer tourists and commuters panoramic views over the London skyline.

The consortium of builders behind the project has been led by contractor Mace, whose past projects include the London Eye and the Shard, the iconic pyramid-shaped skyscraper under construction near London's Tower Bridge.

Though they bridge a gap just two thirds of a mile wide, the cable cars have cost an eyewatering £60m to build.

The cost of the project was estimated at around £25m last year, and it was intended to be funded entirely by private investors.

Despite a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Dubai-based airline Emirates, worth £36m, the cable cars will now have to be financed with public money.

Ken Livingstone, Labour's candidate for the London Mayoral Election, has slammed the costly project as 'the most expensive cable car in history'.

The crossing will bring London in line with other major cities which use cable cars for transport, including Barcelona, Cologne, Lisbon and New York.

It is not yet known what a trip on the cable car will cost, but TfL has said it will definitely be payable by Oyster, the pay-as-you go card which already functions on London buses, underground trains and the Docklands Light Railway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g0yZSJWXpE&feature=player_embedded#!

TfL says:

From summer 2012, the cable car will allow pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists to cross the river Thames within five minutes, from terminals at Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks.

The crossing will encourage regeneration in the area and provide access to visitor attractions.

(Daly Mail)

A vaccine that can train cancer patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells has been developed by scientists.

The therapy, which targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, could provide a universal injection that allows patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

Preliminary results from early clinical trials have shown the vaccine can trigger an immune response in patients and reduce levels of disease.

The scientists behind the vaccine now hope to conduct larger trials in patients to prove it can be effective against a range of different cancers.

They believe it could be used to combat small tumours if they are detected early enough or to help prevent the return and spread of disease in patients who have undergone other forms of treatment such as surgery.

Cancer cells usually evade patient's immune systems because they are not recognised as being a threat. While the immune system usually attacks foreign cells such as bacteria, tumours are formed of the patient's own cells that have malfunctioned.

Scientists have, however, found that a molecule called MUC1, which is found in high amounts on the surface of cancer cells, can be used to help the immune system detect tumours.

The new vaccine, developed by drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics along with researchers at Tel Aviv University, uses a small section of the molecule to prime the immune system so that it can identify and destroy cancer cells.

A statement from Vaxil Biotheraputics said: "ImMucin generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only 2-4 doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses.

"In some of the patients, preliminary signs of clinical efficacy were observed."

The results are still to be formally published but if further trials prove to be successful the vaccine could be available within six years.

(From an article in the Telegraph)

HM Revenue and Customs has stated that there are no plans to change the way multinational companies are taxed, despite a claim that online retailer Amazon has paid virtually no UK Tax.

A report in The Guardian said Amazon generated UK sales over the past three years of between £7.6bn and £10.3bn. It said if the same profit margin as in the US was applied, this would create taxable profits of between £266 to £360m, - yielding notional UK corporation tax of up to £100m.

However all payments for online orders are now registered in Luxembourg where the Amazon.co.uk business is based and the company paid minimal tax here.

Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network told Sky News that in 2010 the British operation made an estimated profit of at least £125m.

"On that basis they should be paying tax of £35m plus in that one year alone. They did pay tax, but it was £1.9m," Mr Murphy said.

"So they have avoided a substantial tax bill in the UK as a result of the structure they have chosen to use."

Amazon, which launched in the UK 14 years ago, has a large distribution centre in Swindon and is the country's most popular retail website with growth in numerous consumer sectors.

Mr Murphy said that although the tax structures are legal, it is "blatantly a trick" used by multinational companies.

"They rely on us to provide the infrastructure, the roads, the people who are trained," Mr Murphy said.

"They get an unfair competitive advantage over local UK businesses and unsurprisingly, the High Street is emptying. This is really bad for small British business."

(Sky News)

SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD

The scrapping of the cane has led to a deterioration in children’s behaviour at school, according to teachers.

Sanctions available to schools since corporal punishment was abolished 25 years ago are ‘totally inadequate’ at reasserting authority in the classroom and lack the same deterrent effect, they said yesterday.

While rejecting a return to the cane, members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers condemned existing sanctions such as detention and suspension.

'Novel’ punishments are needed to allow teachers to reassert their authority in the classroom, they said.

Delegates at the association’s annual conference voted unanimously for research into ‘effective’ disciplinary methods.

‘When corporal punishment was abolished nothing was put in its place that had equivalent deterrent powers,’ said Julian Perfect, a teacher from London.

Laws forbidding state schools from using the cane or slipper to discipline pupils were introduced in 1987, and a decade later in independent schools.

But Mr Perfect pointed out that subsequent governments had failed to give teachers sufficient sanctions.

He added that while teachers have statutory authority to discipline pupils whose behaviour is unacceptable, governments have failed to suggest methods for making authority ‘meaningful’.

(Abridged from an article in MailOnline)

UK RANKED 18TH OUT OF 20

The UK has been placed behind the likes of Costa Rica, Israel and the United Arab Emirates in a global league table of happiness.

Despite being one of the richest nations in the world, the UK has been ranked as only the 18th happiest in an authoritative United Nations report, behind much poorer countries.

Britain was placed six places behind Costa Rica – a country where average income levels are less than one quarter of those in the UK.

The relatively high level of family breakdown in the UK is one reason why we may have been pushed down the list.

The table was topped by wealthy Scandinavian nations – with Denmark, Finland and Norway ranked as the three happiest respectively.

The idea of a national happiness score in order to determine policy has been used in Britain.

Last year a controversial £2million survey ordered by David Cameron concluded that three quarters of the population rated themselves as ‘seven out of ten’ on a well-being scale.

THE HAPPINESS LIST:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. Sweden
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Ireland
11. USA
12. Costa Rica
13. Austria
14. Israel
15. Belgium
16. Luxembourg
17. United Arab Emirates
18. United Kingdom
19. Venezuela
20. Iceland

(From an article in MailOnline)

Under the Government's new Snooper's Charter all conversations over the internet, including social networking sites and Skype, plus emails will be recorded.

Police and security services will be able to demand details of who is having the conversation and what time it takes place, but will need a court order to listen to or read the content.

Opponents say it will bring the same kind of surveillance to the UK which takes place in China and Iran, while supporters say it's a tool in the fight against terrorism.

(The Sun)

'...so, happy birthday, Megan. Grandad sends his love and says to any government snoopers listening: "S off and get a proper job you nosey b*!"'

(Mac in MailOnline)

A third of Britons have booked their summer holidays to coincide with the Olympic Games.

Around 10 million will attempt to avoid the chaos that will be offset by the world's largest sporting in the capital.

Nearly two thirds of those planning to leave the country said they were heading to Europe, with Spain named as the most popular destination.

The most popular reason for leaving is to escape the visiting crowds.

That is followed by not wanting to endure the blanket coverage on TV and a dislike of sport.

Nearly 1.3 million people are expected to flee London while half a million foreign tourists will flock to those areas to watch the games.

And 170,000 parents will take their children out of school early to ensure they miss the event.

Ttravel agent Bridget Keevil of Travel Stop said: 'We have had customers who just want to get away from it all while the Olympics are on.

'We have seen a definite rise in inquiries and bookings for that period - some people have said they want to get as far away as possible - even to places like Vietnam and Thailand.'

(MailOnline)

"Cooking With Poo" by Saiyuud Diwong beat other shortlisted titles including "The Great Singapore Penis Panic: And the Future of American Mass Hysteria" and "Estonian Sock Patterns All Around the World".

The book is published by Urban Neighbours of Hope. The recipes are healthy and the pictures are legal: “poo” is Thai for “crab” and is Diwong’s nickname.

In a Telegraph poll in February, only 24.63% of readers voted for the book to win the award. The most popular choice among Telegraph readers was "Mr Andoh's Pennine Diary: Memoirs of a Japanese Chicken Sexer in 1935 Hebden Bridge" which had 30.3% of the votes (406 voters).

The Diagram Prize has been running since 1978. In total, 75 submissions were received for the 32nd instalment of the prize.

The winner was chosen via a public vote at thebookseller.com and its sister consumer website welovethisbook.com. In total, 1,363 votes were cast.

Horace Bent, The Bookseller’s legendary diarist and custodian of the prize said: “Given that this year the three most voted-for works contain the words ‘poo’, ‘sexer’ and ‘penis’ in the title, it appears that this year’s prize will go down in history as a blue year.

"But there is nothing wrong with that. Many of the world’s greatest writers have dabbled in off-colour humour, so I find Cooking with Poo a fitting winner.”

Top 10 previous winners of the award

10. Versailles: The View From Sweden (1988)

9. American Bottom Archaeology (1993)

8. Last Chance at Love - Terminal Romances (1981)

7. Highlights in the History of Concrete (1994)

6. Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality (1986)

5. How to Avoid Huge Ships (1992)

4. Butterworths Corporate Manslaughter Service (2001)

3. Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice (1978)

2. If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs (2007)

1. How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art (1989)

(Telegraph April 1 2012)