New research on the long-term health of 2 groups of older veterans READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-research-on-the-long-term-health-of-2-groups-of-older-veterans

A retired lawyer by the name of Robert Ransome has published his research into the planning consents or lack of them for all the private car parks he knows exist. It is clear that in most of the places no PP exists and is required by law so the arguments we have used here have been reinforced by his work and the ParkingPranksters commentary on the whys and wherefores. There is alos some clarification over whether retrospective permission can be given and the answer is NO so those who got caught out by Parking Eye's lies have recourse to remedy if they wish to choose it. the problem is that you have to get the local trading standards people interested and they rarely look into matters that are of little concern as far as things like public safety go but it is always worth getting a compaint lodged so they can collect the data for the future. The research is linked to the parking pranksters web page ( the dot com, not the blog) but is linked via the blogspot. My first fight with a private parking co was with Parking Eye over a NTK issued at Lidl in Addiscome Rd Selsdon more than 7 years ago. I took them on regarding the lack of PP and was helped by the fact that Lidl's main car park used to be the pub next door they flattend but failed to tell the Valuations Agency and the local council so a relatively easy victory it set the scene for how the parking companies hide behind the skirt tails of the landowner when they are threatened with having to pay business rates for being there ( Lild forgot to tell the council and VA that they had turned the pub into a car park so the land hadnt been assessed for business rates). I know the upshot was that PE just passed the buck and Lidl landed a bill for another £50k on their rates becasue they denied that it was a separate business. I suppose Lidl paid up as they could then give PE the boot if they desired to do so but my gut feeling is that the contract was so poorly worded they didnt fancy testing it. So, look up the relevant place and even if your ticket is from a hotel or residential development the law is the same, they need PP, even if it is given on the nod upon application.

A friend of mine who is doing some research into today’s workplace for her university course has asked me to post this up although I have done it in my words as hers seem a little to complicated for me to understand and would like your honest answers, please not the political correct answer also. A 48-year-old ex-soldier was medically discharged from the army due to mental health issues over 15 years ago. He held down a job for 5 years at first working in a support role for a IT company but is illness got worse and he was forced to give up working, and was put on the sick with a lifetime recommendation in 2005. He is on the maximum amount of anti-depressants he can be safely given, and has tried to take is life several time over the last 17 years, but has not responded to any other treatments offered by the NHS and has now been “parked” as untreatable. Due to the recent rule changes to sickness benefits were mental health is no longer considered as a barrier to work, he is no longer able to claim Employment Support Allowance, and he is put on job seekers allowance and must try and find a job. His mental health issues have worsened over the years and he finds it now difficult to talk to people he doesn’t know well, and although he has a short fuse, he has never been physically violent to anybody, but does shout at people and then walk away. He needs several days in bed to recover from downer episodes and these may occur at short notice. He also suffers for frequent flash back episodes and has been reported to be in a drunken state after, although he is a teetotaller. The job centre says he must apply for up to 30 jobs per week in the local area but all his qualifications are now out of date, and he cannot afford the renewal fees or get any grants for over £20.000 it would cost to bring the up to date. What role would you realistically see him in at you work place or would he even stand a chance of working at your firm,

Hi All A company called GhostArk last year put a device on the market for pre-order called a GhostArk. If you pre-ordered the device you got a discounted price and two models were available. Orders were taken around August last year and we were told the devices would ship in December. In December they told on a post on Facebook in a video comment the unit would no longer have a built in speaker and would come with an external speaker at no extra charge. This upset a lot of people as the device is no longer an all in one as you have to carry the speaker around with you. They also informed us there would be a delay and the first 200 units would ship by the end of January 2016. People have started receiving their units but most of them are faulty with various issues below: Switches breaking Off (Poor Quality). Switches actually stuck (Seem to be glued?) Units not powering on (On/Off Switch Issues). An SD card needs to be inserted in the unit for it to work but most units do not recognise the card. Overheating Issues. There are lots on complaints on their Facebook page requesting refunds and the company common response is email tech at ghostark.com People have done this and some get no answer or silly answers not relevant to their question? I wish to get a refund the reason being it is no longer the item I ordered as it no longer has an internal speaker and have emailed tech at ghostark.com but have not had a reply which is very common? The company have just announced a statement on Facebook. Their page is GhostArk. All those customers who have received the first batch of GhostArk devices and who have reported problems related to the shielding system or box assembly can kindly send the defective devices back to Moko Technology in the form of registered letter at this address: Moko Technology 4F, 2nd Building, Guanghui Technology Park, Mingqing Road, Longhua, Shenzhen, China 518109. Phone: 86 13128850716 and inform us by writing an email to tech at ghostark.com in order to communicate shipping and the problems encountered; we will send you another, perfectly functioning, GhostArk device. However the shipping is expensive ( I was told around £46 by royal mail insured up to £250.00). My wife paid for this using her credit card company (was going to be an xmas present) and they (her credit card company) have informed her that I must send it back and get a receipt of posting so my wife can then make a claim with them. I then have to fill out a form to send to her credit card company with attached posting receipt. The question is how do I proceed? Do I pay the postage to progress the claim through my wife's credit card company? Any help appreciated TimbreWolf

just recieved a letter from ipsos ,asking me to take part in a survey at home , 45 mins max ,regarding the experience i have had on the work placement i have been on , also the job club.they say i will recieve a financial benafit at the end of the survey, but dont mention how much,i will get.should i do the survey or ring the number given to opt out.

Hello, sorry for posting in this section but I followed a music licence related-post I found through google. I am a PhD student and I am writing a publication on classical music. I'd like to show in my publication 4 musical fragments taken from 4 different musical pieces of 4 different authors, two of whom from the beginning of the twentieth century and the remaining from the mid-century. I would like to ask if I have to license the material and, if yes, how or where I can find more detailed information about. Luca

Hello, I am student of University of Wales Trinity St Davids Swansea Metropolitan and as a research for my degree I am writing about online banking, its threats and benefits, adoption and security risks. Was wondering if there is any chance anyone can give me some information about their opinions about online banking, what they think of it, why they use it or not, what they think could be improved or changed. Also I am going to post (if Admin of this page agrees) a link to my online survey about it. Its completely anonymous and I won't be taking any personal details of you. I would be really grateful for any help with my research also details of results will be posted on website created just for my research purpose. Links to survey and the website will be posted within next few days as long as it is approved by Admin of this website. Thank you for your time and interest in helping me with my dissertation research.

I am currently doing research for the debt management program i am making, and had a wow omg moment there are over 550 Debt Collection Agency across the UK and my list is still growing. Maybe i shouldn't have been surprised but it did take me aback.

*** NEWS RELEASE ** NEW RESEARCH REVEALS LACK OF AWARENESS OF SUPPORT FOR FUEL COSTS AMONGST THOSE ON LOW INCOMES A new survey commissioned by Turn2us, part of national charity Elizabeth Finn Care, has found that people on low incomes are unaware of the potential support available to help with their fuel bills. This is despite the fact that nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed are uncertain if they can meet these costs this winter without experiencing financial hardship. Over a third (37%) of people living in low income households* have never checked their eligibility for welfare benefits and tax credits, and over two-fifths (45%) are currently not claiming benefits that they may be entitled to. Claiming benefits entitlements can not only boost income to help pay fuel bills but can also act as a trigger for eligibility from various fuel poverty programmes. The research also found that over two-thirds (70%) are unaware that energy suppliers have to offer cheaper ‘social tariffs’ to their most vulnerable customers and over two-fifths (43%) are not aware of the government’s Warm Front scheme which provides funding for insulation and heating improvements – despite the fact that they are on a low income and could be eligible for assistance from these schemes. Furthermore, over one in three (36%) have never or can not remember when they last checked they were on the cheapest energy tariff available to them. These results are particularly worrying in light of the findings that the costs of last winter’s fuel bills caused over two-fifths (44%) to feel stressed, nearly one in seven (14%) to suffer illness or physical pain as a result of cold conditions and over one in eight (13%) to fall behind on their bill payments. Shockingly, over half (55%) said that if they were struggling to meet their fuel costs, they would resort to switching off their heating altogether or only heating one room at a time and two-fifths (41%) would cut back on other essentials including food, yet only 6% would consider approaching a charity to see if they were eligible for a grant. The official definition of fuel poverty is where a household has to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain an adequate level of warmth. There are currently an estimated 4.75 million households in fuel poverty in the UK, around three-quarters of which are on a low income**. Turn2us is running its second annual Acting on Fuel Poverty campaign throughout the winter to highlight the support available to those struggling with their fuel costs, and has launched a dedicated campaign microsite at www.fuelpovertymap.org.uk. The microsite directs users to sources of help including the Turn2us Benefits Calculator to work out which welfare benefits and tax credits they might be entitled to, the Turn2us Grants Search database which provides access to over 3,000 charitable funds, information pages on increasing energy efficiency and energy efficiency grants, and a link to the Which? Switch energy tariff comparison tool for users to check they are on the best tariff available to them. The microsite also includes an interactive fuel poverty map for users to find out, according to the official definition, if they are in fuel poverty and compare different areas across the UK. Alison Taylor, Director of Turn2us said: “Our latest research findings show that there is a need for individuals and families to have access to clear information and independent guidance to help them find support with rising energy costs. Our fuel poverty microsite brings together a number of tools which are free to use – all in one place, which can help households identify whether they can maximise their income and reduce their energy costs ahead of the arrival of their winter bills.” Helen*** worked as a nurse for many years before she had to leave work due to ill health, and on a limited income, she found herself struggling with her household bills. Her house was damp and living in a rural village, Helen would travel to the nearest town library once a week to keep warm for a few hours. It was here that searching on the internet, she came across Turn2us. Helen identified through Turn2us that she was eligible for a charitable grant which paid for the damp in her home to be fixed and gave her some extra money to put towards her bills. Helen said: “The money I received has been a lifesaver and has had a huge impact on my quality of life. I now live in a warm home and the extra money for bills has really taken some of the pressure off.” Turn2us is working in partnership with a number of charities and organisations across the UK for the Acting on Fuel Poverty campaign, who will help to increase awareness of the help available for those in fuel poverty and how they can access it. For more information about the campaign, please visit www.fuelpovertymap.org.ukand www.turn2us.org.uk.

Has anyone else received this letter from the DWP? It seems a good idea to participate and tell them of my bad experience. But I was wondering if anyone has had the interview and knows what kind of questions they ask. What kind of answers are asked for - is it multiple choice or otherwise? do they focus on technical details or personal satisfaction? Any advice or information would be most welcome.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2167529/Amelia-Earhart-Explorers-set-mission-aeroplane-75-years-vanished.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Hello, I am a student at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and I am currently carrying out research for my dissertation on the motivations behind online grocery shopping. With this research, I am interested in finding out the advantages and disadvantages of online grocery shopping according to consumers, and the motivations behind starting up online grocery shopping (for those who have tried it out). It would really be appreciated if you would post your thoughts on online grocery shopping - . I will use the findings from this forum to construct a questionnaire which will be posted online in the next month. I do ask however that any responses must be made by consumers between the ages of 18 and 65 and I can assure that any views will remain anonymous. Thank you for your help.