Has anybody heard the ludicrous stories about Blue Peter?

Has anybody heard the ludicrous stories about Blue Peter?

This posting is from a BBC staff (unofficial) website:

Apparently for the last several months, the cost of the TVC studio facilities has been too great for the current budget and so they have been presenting the show entirely from the Blue Peter Garden. Imagine, a flagship, very long running BBC Children's show that can't afford BBC facilities?

It gets worse! They looked into the studio costs in Salford and decided they couldn't afford those either, so were reluctantly looking at ending the show.  As only the BBC can, a solution was found. They built a Blue Peter garden on the roof at Salford. You couldn't make it up could you?

Anyway they set up a programme to link up the old and new gardens and hand over to Salford. This, however has had to be cancelled because Health and Safety (there's a surprise) got involved and said that it could be too windy on the roof and would not be safe to present the programme from there.

Maybe if they hadn't spent so much money on Salford there would have been enough to fund some programmes. Just a thought!

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

94 percent Turnout as Balpa Pilots return 97 percent Vote for Strike Action

Aviation & Holiday Expert Julian Bray is available for ISDN interview 01733 555319 or landline 01733 345581



VIRGIN PILOTS VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY FOR STRIKE ACTION

94 percent Turnout as Balpa Pilots return 97 percent Vote for Strike Action

Just to add to holiday woes for the average family, for the first time ever pilots employed by Virgin Atlantic have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over pay. 97% voted for strike action in a ballot that saw a 94% turnout.

BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan said: 'The size of the poll and the huge majority for action should send a clear message to Sir Richard Branson' 'I am happy to meet Sir Richard anywhere and at anytime to resolve this. Pilots do not want to strike and are hugely disappointed by the company's approach. There has been no UK pilot strike for 32 years. But there comes a time when even moderate people say "enough".

Pilots are being driven to strike. With no pay increase since 2008, a below inflation offer for 2011 and proposals for 2012 and 2013 that will be sub-inflation, this is now a 6 year attack on living standards which has not happened in any other UK airline. Pilots at Virgin are saying "enough".  Pilots are prepared to strike. When a group professional people say "enough" someone at the top should sit up and listen. We do not want to inconvenience the public and hope that Sir Richard will use some of his undoubted Virgin Flair to settle this.'

Julian Bray Aviation Expert  commented: 'BALPA confirmed that no stike dates had yet been set in the hope that the two sides can negotiate a solution. Jim McAuslan of BALPA claimed that the two sides had been in talks since last November and seemingly still poles apart. Clearly if the pilots do strike then Virgin Atlantic would have to hire in aircraft from other carriers, but the Virgin holidays business will also be badly hit as will families taking air cruise holidays. Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean could suffer a crippling knock on effect as a significant number of cruise guests fail to reach ships on time and that depending on the style of holiday booked refunds could either be denied or take months to establish the basis of a refund '

'Having been at this since last November, time is running out' said Jim McAuslan. 'If damage is to be avoided and passengers not inconvenienced then Sir Richard needs to act now.


Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

NO MORE 'SHEDS' FOR PETERBOROUGH

No more ‘sheds’ for the City of Peterborough…says media commentator Julian Bray

It is amazing how those who make money out of buying and selling warehouses (or ‘sheds’ as they say in the trade) have decided the City of Peterborough needs a few more, when we already have dozens lying empty acting as vandal magnets.

It gets even better when the author is from the category we all love to hate i.e. estate agents, so step forward one Richard Jonrd, a Director of Baker Storey Matthews. Shed purveyors to the gentry… and no doubt very good at it as well!

Richard claims that the sheds we have are in and around the City of Peterborough are now way too small and in his seemingly well reasoned article in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph  Business Section (Tuesday, 21^st June 2011) he puts the case for larger rectangular monsters to surround and eventually choke the very life out of this great City.

Let me explain, the reason for building larger sheds is that as the new generation of shed technology is for ‘just in time’ storage, picking and assembly of orders, most of the sheds are therefore automatic using robotics not humans….

A point Richard Jonrd fails to make and he quickly glosses over the concept of  automatic warehouses or megasheds,  they employ very few people! ‘So of little practical value to the residents of Peterborough, as few worthwhile jobs for bright people will be created.

Like the ‘sheds’ that have gone before and now not deemed big enough, the new generation of ‘sheds’ will in turn have their day as trends change and they also become equally unloved and empty. You can see the tumbleweed already…

THROW AWAY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ON THE CHEAP How many do you want?

THROW AWAY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ON THE CHEAP How many do you want?


I could put half a dozen ‘aircraft carriers’ into Libyan water within weeks says aviation expert Julian Bray.

How about this for a cost saving idea but it is right up with modern views on recycling and quick The Ark Royal is no more than a floating hulk and very unlikely to be revived but if we really do need an aircraft carrier to support say helicopters; there have to be thousands of flat bed container ships around the world and given that we already have the expertise in building pontoons  (Falklands floating harbour was built from barges in the  UK and floated over to the Falklands) it has to be a speedy solution to build sectional flatbed milspec helipads locked on top of one or two layers of modified containers, all converted into aircraft support, fuel, access corridors, living quarters, mechanics, computing, stores, catering, all to service say one or two Apache helicopters per container ship cum aircraft carrier.

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

Civil Servants ALL OUT 30TH JUNE 2012

61% VOTE ON 32 % TURN OUT

Mark Serwotka  of the PCS union has today 15th June confirmed civil servants are set to stage a nationwide one day strike on 30th June 2011 based on 32 per cent of the membership returning a 61 percent vote in favour of strike action. The union PCS claims that other unions particularly Unite will now fall in line and also take industrial action. The timing of the strike at the end of the month will hurt many benefit claimants and all other civil service departments. Airports, passports, schools and councils will all be affected.

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5