After the stress of waiting for exam results, for many students it’s time to reap the rewards of their hard work and prepare for university. It won’t be long until Freshers’ week, when students at universities all over the country will meet new people and discover their new home, before the studying begins. Make sure your time at uni gets off to a flying start by making the most of Freshers’ week 2019. It’s a time for socialising, joining new groups and societies, making friends and settling in to the place you’re going to call home for the next three…
The Ongoing Rise of Train Fares
Rail commuters are facing a train fares hike – with the rise pushing the price of the average season ticket above £3,000 for the first time in history. While train companies are trying their best to make improvements to their transport system to ensure a pleasant journey for their passengers, this has resulted in continual fare increases over the years. Rail chiefs claim new trains, in particular, are benefiting from having more money spent on meeting passengers’ needs. More leg-room, air conditioning and faster journeys are among the improvements that are being implemented. © dennizn / Shutterstock.com How do…
Should Airline Pilots be Allowed to Strike?
Passengers are facing the threat of peak season travel disruption due to a proposed British Airways pilots’ strike. An ongoing row over pay has led to the possibility of the pilot walkout later this month. A bid by airline bosses to stop the strike by taking the pilots’ union to court on a legal technicality failed. This has given the pilots free rein to walk out – ruining thousands of passengers’ travel and summer holiday plans. There has been an on-going dispute about pilots’ salaries and how they think they should be earning more money. British Airways is a repeat…
How can we Help Solve the Plastic Problem?
We all hear plenty of news in the media about plastic pollution – but just what is the problem with plastic? It’s easy to become immune to the negative news stories because we read them so often, but in reality, should we be taking more notice of the impact plastic waste is having on our planet, so that we can do something about it? As one individual person, you may feel there’s nothing much you can do, but as a consumer, you have the power to change your own shopping habits to embrace more eco-friendly practices. If everyone changed their…
Palm Oil: The Real Dangers
Palm oil can be found in a multitude of products, due to the fact it’s very versatile. This makes it stand out from a lot of the other oils on the market. Its many different properties mean it can be found in almost 50% of the items we purchase at the supermarket! However, while it’s a useful product for the human race, its continued use is causing a disaster in the animal kingdom. © Richard Carey / Adobe Stock Uses for palm oil Everyone will have noticed palm oil being used in a multitude of cooking applications. At room…
Could Vegan Fast Food help Save our Planet?
A new school of thought suggests that vegan fast food can help save our planet. Over the past four or five decades, the meals available for vegetarians and vegans have increased in variety and numbers. Even fast food chains are creating vegan alternatives to beef burgers. Now environmental campaigners are suggesting that the trend towards plant-based foods, rather than meat, is better for the planet. Pressure groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have long campaigned for a reduction in livestock farming, claiming it’s cruel to the animals and bad for the earth. © EdNurg / Adobe…
What’s Happening to Supermarket Plastic?
Plastic pollution is accumulating in the environment, causing huge problems for our planet and wildlife. By the beginning of the 21st century, plastic waste had spread everywhere, from the tops of mountains to the bottom of the ocean, as people didn’t seem fussy where they dumped their rubbish. One of the biggest offenders is single-use plastic, such as fast food wrappers, plastic cups, straws and packaging from foods bought in the supermarket. Sandwich wrappers, salad boxes, other food containers such as shrink-wrap plastic, cutlery and plastic carrier bags have become persistent polluters. © showcake / Adobe Stock Environmental crisis…
Battle of the Sizes!
The problem of how clothing sizes differ from shop to shop has been the scourge of consumers for decades. While a female shopper might be a perfect UK size 10 in one fashion retail store, she might struggle to fit into a 12 in the next. This leads to extreme frustration; with people unsure what size they really are. The annoyance of taking a beautiful outfit, seemingly in your size, into the changing room, only to find the zip won’t fasten, is something most women will have experienced. © georgerudy / Adobe Stock Self-esteem issues A familiar scenario is…
Not Enough Fish in the Sea!
The famous saying, “There are plenty more fish in the sea,” has become an analogy for telling someone they’ll meet the right person one day after a relationship goes wrong, but the literal meaning of the saying may soon no longer be true, as our marine population continues to decline. We may well be saying there are “not enough fish in the sea” one day, if we’re not careful, as factors such as over-fishing and pollution are depleting the planet’s marine life at an alarming rate. The declining populations of certain species are causing particular concern. © Igor Chaikovskiy /…
Cigarettes: The Tax Man
Health experts estimate smoking will kill around one billion people in the 21st century – leading for calls to increase the price of a packet of cigarettes by 50%. Making them less affordable could potentially save millions of people from suffering an early death from lung disease, cancer and heart disease, say researchers. According to Canadian research carried out by the University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, implementing a price hike, so a pack of 20 cigarettes would cost around £20, could save millions of lives. It is claimed people on low incomes who give up smoking as…