Roughing it in style in Peru July 15, 2012 OF ALL the things one might expect to find at the bottom of a steep dell in the Peruvian rainforest, the rusted iron hulk of an ancient steamboat would not be high on the list. And yet I’m looking at just that scene: decades after the boat somehow came to rest here, its old funnel [...]
House prices stall in June but annual picture remains solid July 12, 2012 AFTER six months of growth, house prices inched down in June, according to a report released today by LSL Property Services. The average UK house price crept down to £224,102, a 0.1 per cent fall on the month, said LSL. On an annualised basis, however house prices were up three per cent. “Despite the recession [...]
Hip, hip, odrome! July 12, 2012 LEICESTER Square, 1900. Inside the newly opened Hippodrome, polar bears and elephants parade about and a troop of acrobatic dwarves dive from the Gods into a tank – across the room, Harry Houdini is performing some of his most spectacular acts. At its peak, the Hippodrome, built by Victorian theatre architect extraordinaire Frank Matcham, was [...]
Proms to kick off with an all-English menu July 12, 2012 The Proms start today, and so begins London’s most impressive yearly cultural festival. Naturally, rather than be eclipsed by that other London event this year, something to do with sport, the Proms has joined forces with it, forming a key part of the the London 2012 Festival. Opening night of the Olympics, then, will be [...]
Don’t stop your boozing to eat July 12, 2012 London’s restaurant scene has continued to blossom recently – and luckily for those who favour the liquid diet, most of them come complete with adjoining bars. The first and latest of such venues is the Zédel Brasserie, Bar & Cabaret, opened by the partners responsible for destination dining like The Wolseley. Alongside the Parisian brasserie, [...]
FILM | SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD July 12, 2012 Cert 15 | By Steve Dinneen * Seeking a Friend For the End of the World is terrible name for a movie. In the event, it acts as a handy indication of what you’re going to have to endure. In content, if not tone, it’s pretty close to Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia – a film [...]
House prices to remain below peak until 2024 July 11, 2012 UK house prices may not return to their peak until well into the 2020s, claimed a report from PwC yesterday. House prices reached a peak in 2007 that they may not reach until 2017 in cash terms, and 2024 relative to consumer prices, the report said. Average prices are expected to plateau for the next [...]
It’s time to Kickstarter your life July 11, 2012 CROWD FUNDING is the latest buzz-word in Silicon Valley, with entrepreneurs and mad scientists alike asking the public for micro-investments of a few dollars (or a few thousand) to fund the production of their projects. Kickstarter is the reigning king of the sector, with thousands of companies raising funds through its website. Public investments are [...]
The new A-Class really is all class July 10, 2012 It’s fair to say the A-Class didn’t exactly set the world alight when Mercedes-Benz first launched it back in 1997. It has always seemed like the odd one out in the Mercedes-Benz line up and the poor relation to its larger siblings. Matters weren’t helped by a stuffy image and poor performance compared to its [...]
June house prices in fastest drop since October July 10, 2012 British house prices fell last month at their fastest pace since October as demand failed to pick up and the number of properties being put up for sale dropped off, a survey showed on Tuesday. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) seasonally adjusted house price balance fell to -22 from a downwardly revised -17. [...]
