An exciting development has been patented in the US,by a United Emirates University to help prevent damage to buildings hit by earthquakes
The purely mechanical method relies on giant spherical steel balls contained in a cage which can move with physical stress caused by the seismic movement and absorb the stress and thus protect the building.
The beauty of not needing a power source makes the design suitable for regions where power outings are common and where power supplies are likely to be taken out by a catastrophic event such as an earthquake.
Thanks to Rebecca Curran and Ken Banks and BBC Online news for the Headline
Well I’m sure the food must be very tempting when you are on an oil rig and perhaps the idea of going to the gym is not very appealing after a hard physical shift.
Still you have to be trim to fit in the harnesses and there is a weight limit for aircraft and winches ( when needed). Seems it all came to a head a few years ago when the powers that be realised that 2200 workers were above the limit of about 19 stone.
Give them credit that number has been reduced to 800 workers who have yet to lower their weight before the deadline in two months. Actually I’d like to congratulate this mass weight loss, it is truly inspirational.Though I’m sure there was some natural wastage (excuse the pun) from people leaving the industry.
So best wishes to the 800 workers who still need to trim down, you can do it if you want to .
Thanks to George King and BBC Online News for the Headline
A record number of 16.9million parking charges were issued by Private Companies in 2025/2026. So most drivers have come across a situation where they are trying to park and want to get a ticket, but there is no signal and there is a sign saying no card or cash payments .
It really doesn’t matter how old you are, some oldies “love” technology, most don’t.No one should be forced to sign up for applications or indeed scan bar codes ( which are notoriously scammy).
Recently on holiday in Cornwall we got a ticket, my partner thought it had gone through, but it hadn’t so we got a fine on our return home. It was stressful in the car park , we must have spent about half an hour trying to pay and then stressful when we got home. I do actually believe we tried ringing the number for customer service help but we couldn’t get through. My partner paid the fine as the letter was quite threatening.
The latest twist to the sorry scenario is that Cornwall Council has put a sign up in their Council run Car Parks to say that they have had to increase parking charges as they have lost money for Council supplied social services that they used to pay for with EC grants, but that they could no longer apply for as the UK was no longer part of the EC and that the increased parking charges are now used to pay for local services. I suppose moving to cashless and card less payments was another way for them to save money.
Rightly or wrongly I reduce my stress levels by going to places where the parking isn’t complicated. Hence we go to National Trust sites( parking included in membership, ticket machines run on solar power, but you can always leave your card in the window of the car.)Also we do tend to park where there is free parking, some places just seem to think it helps local businesses which it does.
We frequent coffee shops and local shops because we can park for free. There is no doubt in my mind that hospital car parks should be free to those who have appointments or are visiting sick relatives. That to me is a no brainer.
There is something called the British Car Park Association (is your car park a member )and what do the B.C.A think of fining vunerable people, not sure anyone has asked them? However, parking is a money maker for many organisations both Public and Private. Do they really want to make things easier for us or anyone for that matter? The answer is no.
Thanks to Josh Cann and BBC Online News for the Headline
Being a dog owner, this is a subject close to my heart. I have to tred carefully myself to ensure that where my dog goes to do his business is clear of any mess. If we all picked it up and disposed of it in a poo bin I wouldn’t have a problem.
Why in a beautiful coastal area with a lovely beach anyone would want to foul it with their dog is unbelievable.Pleased to say that the Isle of Man’s approach focuses on education first and the law second.
The gentleman who will patrol the three areas chosen already runs a part-time dog waste clearing business, so this role in which he and others will approach owners who are failing in their duty is a very natural progression to what he is already doing. The local authorities are giving it a three month trial to see if the situation improves.
thenotsomightyom 