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Unemployment rate in Wales rises above the UK average

A man searching for job vacancies
Wales' unemployment rate is the fourth worst across the UK regions
The number of unemployed people in Wales has risen over the last three months, official figures show.
The total number out of work in Wales is 133,000, amounting to 9% of the workforce, above the UK average of 8%.
However the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance fell by 2,000 to 75,700 from the previous quarter.
Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said the economic recovery "still has some way to go". Opposition parties called the figures "devastating".
Only Yorkshire/Humber (9.6%), north-east England and the English West Midlands (both 9.5%) have a higher unemployment rate, with Scotland's standing at 7.8% and Northern Ireland's at 6.4%.
Twelve of the 22 local authority areas in Wales showed increases in the claimant count rate in March 2010 compared to the previous year, with six showing falls and four showing no change.
The biggest increases in the rate were in Anglesey and Cardiff. The largest falls in the rate were in Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent and Neath Port Talbot.
'Global recession'
Mr Jones said the latest labour market figures showed some encouraging signs, with the claimant count going down by 2,000.
"However they also show economic recovery still has some way to go as we take our first, faltering steps out of the recession," he said.
"I have always been clear that this global recession has hit Wales hard and all of us have to work together to make sure Wales moves towards recovery."
Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said the figures in Wales again showed a mixed picture.
"There is some encouragement in the fact that the claimant count in Wales is down, the number of those people in employment has risen in Wales, and economic inactivity is down as well," said Mr Hain.
"It is a matter of concern that the ILO [International Labour Organisation] survey figure of unemployment is up in Wales and across the UK, this survey includes students who are looking for work.
"We are redoubling our efforts to support those people who have lost their jobs, to find retraining and employment.

MAN FLU

Symptoms
ManFlu can manifest itself in many ways, the list below will outline some of the more common symptoms but the list could go on for ever, think of it as a score card, the more of the symptoms you tot up below, the more severe his symptoms will be and will probably go on developing more from the list if you do not nip it in the bud and carry out some of our recomendations without question and with unconditional love, only that way will you be sure of a full recovery and that ManFlu will not lay dormant and come back at a later date only more severe !

Watch for these signs that your man may be suffering
  • He cannot give you a concise breakdown of his symptoms and relies on 'it hurts everywhere'.
  • his is a competitive ailment, so if you point out you suffered from the same thing but struggled through and recovered he responds: "Oh, but this is much worse."
  • He retreats to bed or the sofa and appears nervous at the thought of moving, especially when the word 'work' is used or if the phrase "get it yourself" is used in anger.
  • He may be found watching daytime programmes such as Jeremy Kyle or his favourite football DVD.
  • Men suffering from man flu are often unable to carry out their normal chores. If challenged they may sigh heavily, look martyred and state: "I am ill you know".
  • The patient may also pore over an A-Z guide to health problems or trawl medical sites on the internet, with a resulting rise in the number and severity of symptoms.
We try to update the list of common symptoms as we continue our research. We can only do this with your help, if you feel you have something you can add to the list please contact us, it is only with your help that we can fully understand the extent and severity of symptoms that men can suffer from when suffering from this disorder.

Now you've seen the symptoms read the hints and tips section to find out how you can help your loved one. Failure to treat MANFLU effectively COULD lead to 'acute' MANFLU, a rare disorder that renders your man totally inept, something he may never recover from, once a man has had 'acute' MANFLU he will be prone to regular bouts of MANFLU which current research suggests may occur on an annual basis. Therefore it is in your best interest to treat your man with love and a great deal of pampering.

Good Luck, you're going to need it !!!

The Call of the Wild

Shaun Ellis, from Plymouth , has spent many years living with and studying the behaviour of wolves. 

Mr Ellis is an expert in the complicated sight and sound system used by wolves to communicate with each other. 

He has spent years integrating himself in a pack of wolves at a wildlife park in Linton, Cambridgeshire. 

Shaun has dedicated much of the last 12 years to researching the lives of wolves and has written the book The Wolf Talk.

Wolf
One of six wolves owned by Shaun Ellis.

He currently owns six wolves which are kept at the Coombe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur park in North Devon. 

The wolves were rescued after being in private ownership. 

"What people think of as a savage creature is in fact very well-balanced and if you are part of their pack they will not cause you serious harm," he explained. 

Shaun believes he has mastered the language of wolves and communicates with them through posture, facial expression and vocalisation. 

"It is a very simple language, as their world is far more complete than ours," he said. 

His book chronicles some amazing experiences working with wolves across the world and a seven year study in which he lived with the Nez Perce Indians in Idaho. 

Shaun Ellis
Shaun believes he has mastered the language of wolves.

Shaun would like to see his findings used to allow wolf and human to coexist without conflict. 

Using their own methods of communication, wolves can be encouraged to stay away from areas where they might clash with man. 

He's now hoping to set up a breeding programme so that some can be released into the wild in Poland. 

Shaun hopes that if a more controlled wolf population can be introduced in Poland it could help to reduce attacks on livestock as well as protecting wolf packs.

The Alaskan Malamute Durable, faithful, intelligent working companion

Temperament and behavior

Because of its heritage, the Malamute is not a dog for the faint of heart or weak of purpose. Although friendly and affectionate, he is also dominant, self-confident, and strong-willed, and can be quite a handful if not properly socialized, trained, and exercised. An untrained, bored 85-pound Mal can be rowdy and destructive - a true terror to behold.
Generally a happy breed willing to please its owner, the Malamute greets most people with gay abandon but may not be so accommodating with other dogs, particularly dogs of the same sex. When confronted by a canine challenge, the response may be fast and furious. The modern Mal also harkens back to ancestral days of foraging in the wild - he will raid trash and steal food if possible; is an able hunter and executioner of small game, including cats; and, if allowed to run loose, can be deadly to livestock. An owner must be prepared to deal with this wild streak if he plans to bring a Mal into his home.
Malamutes need gentle, firm training based on rewards and encouragement, not force. Because of its northern heritage, the Malamute adapts readily to life outdoors, but should never be allowed to run loose or be tied on a chain, tie-out, or trolley. The indoor Malamute needs daily exercise on a leash or in an enclosed area; the outdoor dog needs daily doses of companionship and affection.
Malamutes are exceptionally quiet dogs that seldom bark, but they may utter a surprising repertoire of yips, growls, rumbles, howls, and woo-woo-woos. Some Mals harmonize mournfully in concert with every passing siren, and others seldom or never howl.

Medical problems

Like all large breeds, Mals are subject to hip dysplasia, and they can have zinc-deficiency skin disorders, hypothyroidism, and coat funk, a condition that ultimately ends in hair loss. The breed is also affected by congenital dwarfism. Puppies should be purchased only from breeders who test their breeding stock for hip dysplasia, dwarfism, and hypothyroidism. Mals can also be victims of day blindness, a decreased ability to see in bright light.
Obviously, although it is basically a healthy breed, the Mal is not the dog for everyone, not even everyone who likes big dogs. Although its wolfish appearance inspires awe and admiration, its independence, penchant for dominance, and need for exercise must be taken into consideration before buying a puppy. On the other hand, once you get past the caveats about the breed, the Mal can make a loyal companion, a jogging or hiking partner, or a beloved pet for just the right family or individual.
For more information about the Malamute, contact the breed parent club or the breed rescue coordinator on the American Kennel Club website (www.akc.org). Breed health information is available at http://www.malamutehealth.org/. The Alaskan Malamute Club of America can be found at http://www.alaskanmalamute.org/. For those considering an older puppy or adult Mal, breed rescue information can be found at http://www.malamuterescue.org/

Rock'n'roll farewell to former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable

Monday 21 June 2010


It was by no means a tranquil funeral. A band belted out AC/DC's classic heavy rock song Back in Black and a gang of leather-clad bikers, the Valley Commandos, roared in to pay their respects.
Actors and rocks stars rubbed shoulders with 5,000 fans and the town of Aberdare in south Wales came to a standstill as one of its favourite sons, the former 
Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable, was laid to rest today.
The band's frontman, Kelly Jones, summed it up as he filed out of St Elvan's church flanked by the actor Rhys Ifans and comedian Rob Brydon: "No one else could get a send-off like that. It's hard to walk out crying when they are playing Back in Black."
Cable, a fully-paid up subscriber to the rock'n'roll lifestyle who was sacked from the band because of "commitment issues", once said that he did not think he would reach the age of 40. He made it by a month but was found dead at his home in the nearby village of Llwydcoed two weeks ago.
The results of toxicology tests, which may give an insight into the cause of Cable's death, are still awaited by the police, but meanwhile family, friends and fans gathered to say goodbye.
A male voice choir sang, as did High Voltage, an AC/DC tribute act. The idea was to stage a funeral Cable would have enjoyed.
Gwyn Davies, long-time friend, former neighbour and judo instructor to Cable, was one of the many who paid tribute: "I would like to say that he was my best friend but he was many people's best friend. People are not here today because of his celebrity, they are here because they want to say goodbye to a nice, normal bloke."
Cable's older brother, Paul, concluded the service by calling for the church bells to ring out. "My brother had a bell in every tooth [he was very loud] and he is going out with eight bells ringing like the clappers," he said.
Almost everyone had a warm tale to tell about Cable.
Barbara Goodenough, 54, of Aberdare, said: "Stuart was at school with my eldest son and my other boys always followed the Stereophonics. This has been a terrible shock to all of the young people around here. He was such a lovely boy."
Jade Vaughan, 17, of Aberdare, said: "My father grew up with him. I knew him as well. He was always really nice. He came to the local youth centre and he was really lively and funny.
"Stereophonics were the soundtrack of my youth; that is true of a lot of people around here."

.... Great White Shark

The legendary great white shark is far more fearsome in our imaginations than in reality. As scientific research on these elusive predators increases, their image as mindless killing machines is beginning to fade.
Of the 100-plus annual shark attacks worldwide, fully one-third to one-half are attributable to great whites. However, most of these are not fatal, and new research finds that great whites, who are naturally curious, are "sample biting" then releasing their victims rather than preying on humans. It's not a terribly comforting distinction, but it does indicate that humans are not actually on the great white's menu.
Great whites are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) have been recorded.

Photo: Sun rays light the path of a great white shark

How Lightning Works

Lightning is one of the most beautiful displays in nature. It is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man. With bolt temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and shockwaves beaming out in all directions, lightning is a lesson in physical science and humility.
Beyond its powerful beauty, lightning presents science with one of its greatest local mysteries: How does it work? It is common knowledge that lightning is generated in electrically charged storm systems, but the method of cloud charging still remains elusive. In this article, we will look at lightning from the inside out so that you can understand this phenomenon.
Lightning begins with a process that's less mysterious: the water cycle. To fully understand how the water cycle works, we must first understand the principles of evaporation and condensation.  Evaporation is the process by which a liquid absorbs heat and changes to a vapor. A good example is a puddle of water after a rainfall. Why does the puddle dry up? The water in the puddle absorbs heat from the sun and the environment and escapes as a vapor. "Escape" is a good term to use when discussing evaporation. When the liquid is subjected to heat, its molecules move around faster. Some of the molecules may move quickly enough to break away from the surface of the liquid and carry heat away in the form of a vapor or gas. Once free from the constraints of the liquid, the vapor begins to rise into the atmosphere.

flood cycle