London Sporting Venues

Later this year London will play host to the Olympic Games. Many new stadia are being built including the Olympic stadium, the aquatics centre and the veledrome. Even prior to London winning their Olympic bid, though, there were many famous sporting venues in the British capital across a large number of different sports. Some of these are featured below. 

Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium is probably the most famous stadium in Britain and one of the best known in the world. It is mainly a football stadium and is home of the England national team. Amongst the big football occasions that take place at Wembley is the FA cup final. The stadium was originally built in 1923 with the old stadium being characterised by the famous twin towers. It had seating for 80,000 people and was the main stadium for the world cup when it was held in England in 1966. During the world cup Wembley played host to the country’s most famous sporting moment when, in the final, England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time. As well as football, the old Wembley Stadium held many big concerts. Acts such as Michael Jackson and Queen performed there and it was the venue of the Live Aid charity concert in 1985.

The old stadium was demolished in 2003 and has since been rebuilt. The first major event at the new Wembley was the 2007 FA Cup final. It now holds 90,000 spectators. It continues to be used for football and other sports as well as for concerts.

Wimbledon

The world’s oldest tennis tournament and one of the four grand slams takes place over a two week period every summer at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon in south-west London. The tournament moved to the grounds in 1922 when the previous venue in Worple Road in central Wimbledon was no longer considered large enough for the number of spectators it was attracting. The grounds comprise of twenty match courts including the world famous Centre Court, which holds just over 15,000 spectators. The second court, Court Number One, holds around 11,000. It was built in the mid-1990’s to replace the previous court by the same name which had been part of the same structure as Centre Court. This was deemed a safety danger due to them being so close together and the lack of exit points in an emergency. The overall capacity of Wimbledon is around 38,000 per day and the venue will play host to the Olympic tennis tournament. 

Twickenham

Twickenham Stadium is the home of English rugby. Building of the stadium was completed in 1910 and it currently holds 82,000 people. Many music acts have performed there including U2, the Rolling Stones and REM. As well as being the home of the England team other rugby matches are also played at Twickenham. Amongst these is the final of the English Premiership every year and many European finals have been played there.

Lords

Lords is a cricket venue in St Johns Wood. It is named after its founder, Thomas Load, and is home to Middlesex County Cricket Club. It is Britain’s best known cricket ground and holds the world’s oldest sporting museum. The ground is owned by, and is the home of, the Marylebone Cricket Club which is the historical governing body of cricket and who are still responsible for making the rules of the game. For this reason Lords is often referred to as the home of cricket. Thomas Lord built three grounds in total. One was used from 1787 until 1814 with another used between 1811 and 1813. He then decided to build another two-hundred-and-fifty metres from the later construction and this is the current Lords. It holds 10,000 spectators.

Crystal Palace

Part of the National Sports Centre, the Crystal Palace athletics stadium has a capacity of just over 15,000. This can be extended to 24,000 with temporary seating. Until now, and the building of the Olympic Stadium, it has been London’s main athletics stadium. Amongst other events it holds the annual London Grand Prix every August.

Andrew Marshall ©

The Costs of Having a Baby

Most parents would agree that having a baby is expensive. There are many costs to consider that begin before a baby is born. We often hear stories of how expensive bringing up children is, but what are some of the initial costs and costs throughout the first year of a child’s life?

Although a new born baby doesn’t eat anywhere near as much as a full grown adult, they still need feeding. For parents who choose to breastfeed this part doesn’t cost a penny. Formula, on the other hand, will cost around £50 a month to begin with. Later on baby food will be around £30 a month. When it comes to sitting at the table to eat, this may cost between £40 and £80 in the form of a high chair.

           

Another cost of raising a new born child is nappies. On average a child may get through around six nappies a day. With a pack of twenty-four nappies costing around £4, and wet wipes on top of this, it can be around £40 a month.

All parents have different ideas of how to decorate their child’s bedroom. For those who know the gender of their unborn child in advance it can be easier to decorate a bedroom prior to the birth, as they will know whether to go for the traditional pink or blue. An alternative is to choose neutral colours if unsure or start the decorating but without painting. Costs of decorating a bedroom can vary massively depending on what you want to do. While some expectant parents spend a small fortune on such things, it can be done relatively cheaply. One of the most important things in a baby’s bedroom is a cot and bedding, which will set parents back between £200 and £400. Then there is wallpaper or paint to think about and, of course, toys. It total toys cost on average around £200 for the first year of a child’s life.  

Travel costs are another thing to consider, with a car seat and pram being the two big costs. It is obviously important that a car seat meets the nationally recognised safety standards. Costs can vary from anything from £30 up to £500. A relatively cheap one does not mean it isn’t as safe. The average car seat will cost between £60 and £80. The price of a pram can vary just as much, with anywhere between £150 and £1000 being the norm. The average family spends around £250.

Babies grow much quicker than adults so rapidly go through clothes. It may not be worth spending too much on items that will only last a short while. For the first six months of a child’s life parents may spend around £300 on clothes.

There are not just the initial costs to think about but costs for the future. Parents may choose to save for their child’s future, possible in the form of a junior ISA, or JISA., as it is often referred to. Expectant parents may also need to make a decision as to whether their current home is large enough, perhaps deciding they need an extra bedroom. 

Having a baby is not cheap and there are many costs that need thinking about. The above is just a rough guide to some of the more obvious costs in the early part of a child’s life.

Andrew Marshall ©

History of the Living Room

For most people a living room is the hub of the home, where people relax and socialise with family and friends. Common living room activities include watching television, reading, playing with children and, for some, eating. The word ‘living room’ was first used in the nineteenth century but in reality they existed well before this. The way that living rooms have been used, their décor and their furnishings have changed significantly over time.

Back in the 1600’s living rooms were called parlours and were used to socialise and entertain guests. They were also used for dining. They were much more formal than they tend to be nowadays and hierarchies were clearly displayed with the use of chairs. The householder, who was always a man, would site in a chair called ‘the great chair’ which was a way of showing his authority and standing. His wife and children would sit in upholstered chairs while others sat on joined stools. In the second half of the seventeenth century musical instruments, books and games began to be introduced into parlours and they became more of a place for relaxation as well as a place for entertaining. Common furniture during the 1600’s included upholstered chairs, large dining tables, pianos, boardgames and books, especially the bible.

In the 1700’s drawing rooms began to be introduced in upper class household. These were typically used for formal entertaining while parlours were more family-orientated relaxation areas. Chairs and tables remained very similar as in the previous century while upholstered chairs and pianos were common drawing room furnishings.

By the 1850’s it was no longer the norm to dine in living rooms as they were used exclusively for relaxation and entertainment. A connected dining room became usual in newly built homes separating eating and relaxation. Décor typically consisted of carpets and rugs and window shutters, while upholstered sofas and coffee tables were popular additions to many living rooms. Musical instruments and books were amongst the things used for entertainment.

To an extent living rooms became more minimalist in the 1900’s and more craftsmanship became used in furnishings. Overall there was more variety. Early in the twentieth century they were still fairly formal, although less so than previously. Technology began to play a central role in the living room with this beginning with radios. The whole family would regularly gather around listening to the radio. Later in the twentieth century there were many changes. Society as a whole became less formal and living rooms followed suit. Televisions began to be introduced and became the centrepiece of living rooms. It also became more common once again to dine in living rooms, with this often depending on the size of a home (whether or not they had a separate dining room). Comfort became more important with sofas and chairs being chosen accordingly.

So far there has been little change in living rooms since the end of the twentieth century. Computers and games consoles have become more prevalent in general and are sometimes found in living rooms. This, rather than being something new, is a continuing trend that began in the late 1900’s.

Andrew Marshall ©

The Security Benefits of Cloud Hosting, Colocation and Managed Hosting

One of the many factors to consider when choosing web hosting is security. For some websites this is something that is of utmost importance. There are differing security benefits for each type of hosting.

An important consideration is whether to opt for shared hosting or dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting is more secure than shared hosting for a number of reasons. It is not impacted by other users and other website that same way as shared hosting can be. Sharing a server with multiple websites can lead to a number of security issues. If the owner of one site on the server is able to load scripts then it can be possible for them to hack into files owned by other users. Depending on the setup and security measures put in place, shared hosting customers may be able to read and execute files owned by another customer. There is also the issue of the way that bandwidth is dealt with. There  may be specific limits set for each site but where this is not the case, and one site uses a large amount of bandwidth, then other sites can be impacted, in a worst case scenario meaning they are offline. Security measures can be put in place with shared hosting but many would argue it cannot be as secure as dedicated hosting.

For websites where security is essential dedicated hosting should be used, but which type of dedicated hosting?

Cloud Hosting

From a purely physical point of view a website is not stored on a physical server with cloud hosting.  Data in the cloud is encrypted and secured in multiple data centres and some claim this makes it safer than storing data on one server in a single location. With other forms of hosting a website will be offline, possibly for a long period of time, if the building where the server is stored burns down or all power is lost. This is not a problem with cloud hosting as it is stored on several “virtual servers” meaning unaffected ones can pick up the slack where there are problems with a single server.

Colocation

There are many security benefits of colocation compared with hosting a site at your own premises. Data centres have all of the necessary security measures put in place, such as measures to ensure only authorised personnel can gain access to different areas, CCTV and fire protection. It is unlikely a small business, for example, will be able to have as stringent security measures as this at their own premises due to the costs that would be incurred.

Managed Hosting

Managed hosting carries some of the same security benefits as colocation, such as the strong onsite security. There are also additional benefits, though. Compared with looking after your own server (as is the case with colocation) there is the benefit that a websites hosting will be constantly monitored so if there is a security breach it will be spotted immediately and quickly resolved.  

There is much to consider when choosing web hosting and security is just one of these. There is less likely to be security issues when a site is hosted on a dedicated server. Cloud hosting, managed hosting and colocation all have their own security benefits.

Andrew Marshall ©

The Roles of Belfast, Southampton, Cherbourg, Queenstown and New York in the Titanic

Recently the one-hundred year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic passed. The world’s largest passenger cruise liner at the time, it had been claimed that the Titanic was unsinkable. This was quickly proven wrong; after setting off on its maiden voyage on 10 April 1912 it hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean less than five days later and 1,514 people lost their lives. Below are five towns and cities that played their part in the Titanic’s journey, from its construction to the rescue of the 710 survivors.

Belfast

The story of the Titanic began in Belfast in Northern Ireland where it was built between 1909 and 1911 by a company called Haaland and Wolff Shipyard. White Star liners had commissioned the building of three Olympic class cruise liners; the Olympic, the Titanic and the Britannic. These were the three largest liners from White Star. Haaland and Wolff had more licence than most ship builders, playing a large part in turning the original White Star sketches into a final design.

Construction of the Titanic took place on Queens Island in Belfast Harbour, which had since been renamed the Titanic Quarter. Just to be able to build ships of this size three existing slipways had to be demolished and turned into two new slipways. The Olympic and Titanic ships were built alongside each other, the Olympic construction beginning in December 1908 with construction of the Titanic getting underway on 31 March 1909. Building the Titanic was a dangerous undertaking with safety precautions and equipment much different than they are today. A total of 246 people were injured during its construction and eight people died; six on the ship and two in the shipyard.

On 31 May 1911, exactly two years after construction began, the Titanic was launched from Belfast in front of 10,000 spectators. It was towed to a fitting-out berth where the engines, funnels and superstructure were installed and the interior was fitted. Trials took place on 2 April with the ship certified as seaworthy following these. That evening it finally left Belfast ready for its maiden voyage.

Southampton

Southampton, on the south coast of England, was the location of the Titanic’s departure. In 1907 White Star began to use Southampton as a major port, mostly for transatlantic cruises. At the time Southampton Dock was not large enough to accommodate this need meaning a new dock had to be constructed solely for this purpose. This was sixteen acres in size and forty foot deep and was named the White Star Dock. There were three services a week between Southampton and New York and at this time travelling by ship was the only way of reaching the United States from Europe. The Titanic departed from Southampton with over 2,000 people on board on 10 April 1912 in front of a large crowd. When the ship sunk a few days later the loss of life was felt in Southampton more than anywhere else, as around eighty percent of the crew members were from the town.

Cherbourg

Cherbourg in France was the first of two stops to pick up passengers. Compared with Southampton Cherbourg was a small port without the facilities required to service such a ship. At 6.30 on the evening of 10 April the ship anchored off the shore of Cherbourg and two small boats then serviced it and bought passengers on board. An hour and a half after its arrival it left Cherbourg and headed north towards Southern Ireland.

Queenstown

Queenstown on the South Coast of Southern Ireland was the last passenger pick-up of the Titanic. It anchored off Roches Pint in Cork Harbour the day after leaving Cherbourg. As in Cherbourg it was serviced by other boats due to the restrictions of the port. Eight people left the ship and 123 joined for the onward journey.

New York

New York Harbour was due to be the final destination of the Titanic but it never made it. Instead survivors reached New York via another ship, Carpathia. Carpathia responded to distress calls from the Titanic and arrived a few hours after the ship had sunk. The 710 survivors were taken on board and then reached New York, and 40,000 waiting spectators, three days later.

Andrew Marshall ©

Solicitors Southampton

The Different Types of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has become an important tool for many businesses. It allows them to hold meetings with colleagues and customers in other locations. Video conferencing comes in many forms with many setups available. There are a large variety of options for different circumstances and different types of conferences and meetings, whether it is between two individuals, two groups of people, or several people in a number of locations.

The most basic form of video conferencing is where two groups are sitting around a table in their respective locations and there is one central camera at each location filming those present. This is then relayed to the other location where it is viewed on a single large screen at the front of the room.

There are other occasions where a wall can be covered in large screens where each participant at another location is individually shown on one monitor each. Sometimes they will even be life-sized, giving more of an impression of them being in the same room. As well as the common case of having large screens at the front of the room for all to see, in some cases each individual will have their own monitor rather than having a shared one.

A video conference does not have to be between two parties (whether individuals or groups) but can be between several. It is more complex where there are three or more parties as they all need interlinking, but there are video conferencing solutions that can offer this service. Where this is the case there may be several screens within each location, with each screen showing those at one of the other locations. For example, where there are four locations involved in a conference, each may have three monitors, with each of these dedicated to one of the other locations. In other, less advanced, video conferencing suits it may be necessary to switch between locations as required.

Often monitors are not only used to show those in other locations, but also to show documents. By bringing up a text document, a spreadsheet or a presentation on a computer it may be possible to show this to other participants via their own monitor. In some cases this is very useful and means those in different locations can discuss a document while all being able to view it.

You don’t have to be in a large video conferencing suite to communicate via this technology. With the right software it is possible to use a PC or laptop with a webcam to join a video conference. This is good for those who are often travelling for work as they can still be involved in meetings simply by using their laptop. This is most useful when one person needs to have a meeting with another individual or one person is involved in a meeting with several others who are all in the same rooms as each other. It is not so suitable where several locations are involved due to the restrictions of the screen size.

The use of video conferencing is on the increase. There are all sorts of video conferencing solutions available for businesses to use depending on their circumstances, whether it is two individuals needing to communicate with each other, two groups of people, or a number of people in several different locations.

Andrew Marshall ©

Some of the Reasons for Divorce

These days roughly half of marriages end in divorce and around a third of first marriages eventually break down. There are many reasons why a marriage may end with the main legal reasons being adultery, unreasonable behaviour and irreconcilable differences. Of course, in most cases it is a lot more complicated than this, so what are some of the main underlying reasons for couples splitting?

Financial Reasons

This is something that has been particularly highlighted in recent years due to many having financial difficulties. Many couples manage to work through such problems, but for others it can eventually lead to a divorce. Money trouble is generally stressful and stress is never good for a relationship. Such problems can lead to contempt, especially where one spouse feels the other is to blame. A dramatic change in the state of a couples finances (especially a negative change) can have a major impact. Suddenly going from being comfortable to struggling can be very testing. The general frustrations of financial woes can add to the more obvious direct impact.

It is not just financial hardship that can negatively impact a marriage but differing opinions regarding money. Everyone has different ways of dealing with money, such as how much to spend and how much to save. If these are vastly different it can lead to difficulties within a marriage. This also goes for issues relating to work. For example, couples may have different ideas of whether both should work or only one of them. This is particularly the case if they have children.

Adultery

In many ways, this is the most obvious thing that can lead to a divorce. If one person within a marriage has an affair it is often a catalyst for a separation. It can be difficult for the other person to forgive and the trust may be permanently gone.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse and addiction has a major negative impact not only on the users themselves, but also on their family. Amongst other things, it alters someone’s personality and can make them impossible to deal with. Some couples do manage to work through these issues together, but often this is not the case.

Lifestyle Differences

Everyone is different to some extent, so being different does not mean a marriage cannot work. However, there are times when two people are just too different or their differences are too incompatible. Sometimes differences can work alongside each other but sometime they cannot. If two people have completely opposing ideas of how they would like to live their lives, it can mean they effectively live apart. If both people have strong religious beliefs or cultural ways of doing things that oppose each other, and both are unwilling to compromise, then it can lead to conflicting ways of living their lives together.

In-Laws

If someone doesn’t get along with their husband’s or wife’s family then it can put strain on a marriage. In most marriages each person will be spending time with their in-laws, especially at times such as Christmas. The same thing applies to each other’s friends. While you don’t have to be best friends with your spouse’s family and friends, not being civil with them can lead to problems.

FamilyLaw

Andrew Marshall ©