Tips Guides

Not for the first time, tuning in to the morning news revealed details of another gunman in the US taking to the streets and ending the lives of innocent people. Gun crime in the US continues to occur with distressing regularity, yet the availability and freedom with which individuals can purchase firearms remains an issue that needs focused attention.

With just two months until the presidential elections, the issue of firearms demands attention from both candidates. The latest example of example of gun-related crime in the state of Washington left six individuals dead, with the murderer reportedly known to local authorities as ’someone with a mental illness’. As an outsider looking in, it is this disturbing nature of gun crime in the nation and the easy access to firearms that is nothing short of remarkable.

With alarming regularity, news reports tell us about an unnerving number of firearm incidents. Of course gun crime is not isolated to the US alone, nor is carried out or condoned by the majority of responsible individuals throughout the nation in possession of weapons. But here in Britain, the overriding impression is that one can walk into a store and pick up a firearm as easily as a pint of milk.

The implementation of the five-day waiting period of Brady Bill between 1993 and 1998 seemed to do little to combat the problem, however the updated law - which means checks can be completed in just a few minutes - looks to be as similarly ineffective. As it currently stands, anybody looking to purchase a weapon will be required to undergo a computerised background check via the National Instant Check System (NICS). If you past is clear from criminal activity, it is likely that you could be leaving the shop in minutes with your firearm in hand.

Once again, the system does little to limit the availability of firearms to the majority, and it is the ease with which they can be purchased that is the problem. Surely ever man in the United States does not need a weapon to protect his home. The argument that restricted access to arms infringes on the constitution and the self defense of the individual becomes a nonsense when lives are being needlessly lost due to inappropriate people being given access to weapons.

Yes the mantra ‘guns don’t kill people, people kill people’ is certainly true, but by taking away the means for killing a number of people will limit deaths. Think how many students at Columbine could’ve been spared had Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold not had access to firearms? How many people at Virginia Tech could’ve escaped with their lives had Seung-Hui Cho not been in possession of his Glock?

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the gun laws in the US are not working. I, along with millions of others, will just hope that those six individuals in the state of Washington did not die in vain, and that either John McCain or Barack Obama can face up to the realisation that the current guns laws are not working and need urgent review.

Quite frankly, the incoming politicians that are supposed to be working in the best interests of the public need to realise that the NRA’s insistence that it is a civil liberty to hold a firearm is only exacerbating a problem that costs lives.

Max Clarke is a copywriter for holiday services company, Holiday Extras, currently writing about Gatwick airport parking, Manchester airport hotels, Heathrow airport parking and UK art and paintings.

Mortgage interest rates moved down slightly this week. This was a good sign since it was not preceded by any rate cuts from the FED. The 30 year mortgage rate fell from 6.52 to 6.47 and the 15 year mortgage rate fell from 6.07 to 6.00. For arms the 5 year rate fell from 6.02 to 5.99. The 1 year arm was the only one of the 4 rates to increase going from 5.18 to 5.29. If anything the mortgage rates are not more in align with each other. Over the past few weeks the difference between the 1 year arm and the other rates has seemed larger than normal.

To put this weeks changes in context of what has happened over this summer mortgage rates are still quite a bit higher than earlier. For the 30 Year mortgage on May 22 rates fell to 5.98. Then by July 24 rates raised to 6.63. So rates have fallen since then but we are still quite a bit higher than the rates we saw in May. Below are mortgage rates for the last few weeks.

August 21,2008
30-yr 6.47 15-yr 6.00 5-yr ARM 5.99 1-yr ARM 5.29

August 14,2008
30-yr 6.52 15-yr 6.07 5-yr ARM 6.02 1-yr ARM 5.18

August 7,2008
30-yr 6.52 15-yr 6.1 5-yr ARM 6.05 1-yr ARM 5.22

July 31,2008
30-yr 6.52 15-yr 6.07 5-yr ARM 6.07 1-yr ARM 5.27

July 24,2008
30-yr 6.63 15-yr 6.18 5-yr ARM 6.16 1-yr ARM 5.49

So let’s see what these mortgage rates would mean for an actual mortgage payment. We ran today’s mortgage rates through our free mortgage calculator for a 200k loan. We also looked at what the payments would have been on the same mortgage a week and a month ago.

August 21st
30-yr $1260.19
15-yr $1687.71
5-yr ARM $1197.81
1-yr ARM $1109.36

August 14th
30-yr $1266.76
15-yr $1695.28
5-yr ARM $1201.67
1-yr ARM $1095.75

July 24th
30-yr $1281.28
15-yr $1707.22
5-yr ARM $1219.75
1-yr ARM $1134.32

So what else is going on in the mortgage industry. First it looks like the government might take over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. A few months ago it was made clear that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would be protected while other smaller banks would be allowed to fail. Now with Freddie and Fannie running into serious financial problems (Freddie Mac stock has sank from 65.88 to 4.75). Oddly enough one of the problems Freddie Mac faces is that because the US government has made it clear Freddie Mac is too large to fall, investors are hesitant to give funds to Freddie Mac under the assumption that their investment will not be repaid following a government takeover.

So what will happen following the government takeover of Freddie Mac. Personally I think it will be positive. Over the last several months Freddie Mac has created a pretty large list of loans they will not provide backing for. This has hurt the ability of people to get loans and in turn has been one of the negative factors dragging down the national real estate market. If the government takes over Freddie Mac a lot of these restrictions will probably be pulled back. So while it won’t magically cure all the problems with the national real estate market it will alleviate at least one of the negative factors weighting it down.

Ki lives and works in Austin Texas. His site provides updated information about mortgage interest rates along with a free mortgage calculator.

The fourth largest airport in the UK, Stansted in the sleepy district of Uttlesford, Essex and is currently undergoing an inquiry into its expansion plans and particularly the proposed building of a second runway. This is just the last stage in the development of a site that has gone from a field near the town of Stansted Mountfitchet, to a modern, major airport with a host of auxiliary services such as shops, hotels, restaurants and car hire desks. Predominantly the flights that leave Stansted are run by budget airlines, flying to many destinations across Europe as well as further afield. In terms of passenger numbers, Stansted annually handles around twenty million annually. While this figure is large, consider that the busiest airport in the UK, Heathrow handles around seventy million. As such, Stansted must expand in order to compete.

Currently the owner of Stansted Airport, BAA is experiencing political pressure to sell the site. The British Airport Authority, owns seven airports within the UK, these seven however are nearly all of the major airports and hence the company, and its Spanish owners, the Ferrovial Group have been accused of monopolistic tendencies. A recent commission held to discuss the state of BAA and its domination of air travel in the UK came to the conclusion that BAA should sell three of their sites. The competition issues led the commission into making this recommendation, arguing for a better service for passengers, not just in air travel but in terms of the shops, restaurants and car hire desks, greater choice is needed.

Due to the fact that practically all of the major airports within the UK are owned by one company; competition for prices and services is non existent. Subsequently this is poor for the consumer, restricting their choices. It would probably not be a problem apart from the fact that a large number of complaints have reached the commission, highlighting the poor service offered by BAA. Of the three suggested for sale, the commission wants two of the London airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted to be sold. In addition an airport like Edinburgh will have to be sold as well. As Heathrow is such a money spinner with so many accompanying services such as shops, cafes and car hire provision, it is likely that Stansted and Gatwick will be sold.

But what will this do for the proposed expansion plans of the Stansted site? At the moment a large amount of resistance is being put up against BAA by local residents claiming that the second runway rides roughshod over the environment and local communities. If the sale goes however, the expansion could be put into jeopardy. While the commission argues that having competition may actually increase the chance for expansion, BAA is not so sure; they think their ownership is crucial in enlarging the capacity of the Stansted site.

Today Stansted has developed from a military airfield that was extensively used during the Second World War for sorties over the continent to one of the most advanced airports in the UK. Despite the lack of intercontinental flights it is still a popular airport with a large number of passengers due to the fact so many budget airlines use the site. The accompanying services also make it a popular airport for rail travel into the capital and travel further afield with the use of car hire utilities. Whatever the arguments surrounding the expansion and ownership of the site it is likely that growth will continue at Stansted, the result being a highly developed airport servicing London and beyond.

Air travel expert Thomas Pretty looks at why car hire Stansted airport services are likely to be important to the site’s development.

Heathrow airport can be considered one of the oldest airports within the UK, its early use being in the First World War as a training airfield for the first military pilots. Military services in terms of operational sorties were practically non existent meaning that the site can almost solely trace its development as a commercial airport. At its inception the airfield had six runways in a star shape, a requirement due to the take off restrictions of early aircraft. At the time the centrally located terminal was seen as the most logical choice but in recent years this central location has in fact limited the boundaries of the terminal buildings, car parks and car hire lots.

Despite this the transport links at Heathrow airport are excellent, a direct link to the M25 motorway means that a hire car from Heathrow can be deemed a great way to see the country. In terms of passenger numbers, Heathrow annually sees seventy million travellers pass through the terminals. Flights from the site span the globe, and the airport remains the predominant airport in the UK for intercontinental travel. In fact, if the large numbers of international passengers is recognised, Heathrow is arguably the busiest airport in the world.

All of the terminals at Heathrow today are filled with accompanying services such as shops, restaurants, car hire desks and cafes. The inclusion of these services is not purely to make life easier for travellers. Thanks to high rents for these shops and services, the airport authority can make a tidy profit from letting its terminal space. Another benefit of these auxiliary services is the employment it brings to the local area. When the airport staff and retail staff are taken into account, Heathrow can be deemed one of the largest employers in the south of England.

Currently the site has just opened the somewhat unimaginatively named Terminal 5. The new terminal has experienced a large number of criticisms due to teething problems with the automated baggage system. This new terminal is the home of all the British Airways flights from the airport, representing the kudos that the national flyer has at the nation’s major airport. Naturally this terminal will be filled with the usual car hire desks, shops, cafes and bars so the airport authorities can make a greater profit from the transit of passengers. The terminal itself cost around 4.2 billion pounds to construct, a gargantuan figure, but necessary as the facilities there had to cope with the development of the new ‘giant of the air’, the Airbus A380.

While the future of the airport looks set, the future of its owning company, the British Airport Authority and in turn the Spanish Ferrovial Group is not so certain. Recently the company has been criticised for holding a monopoly over the air travel within the UK. The claims can be considered founded when the fact that BAA owns seven of the major airports in the UK; three of which are Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted. The competition commission advised BAA to sell two of the big three (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted) as well as one other airport in Scotland. It is not likely that BAA will sell Heathrow however, as it handles more passengers annually than both Gatwick and Stansted put together it makes more financial sense to hang on to the ‘trump card’.

Heathrow has gone from a minor airfield during the early years of the twentieth century to a site that is considered by many to be the busiest airport in the world. While the ownership question seems prevalent currently, it is doubtless that development at the site will continue in the future.

Air travel expert Thomas Pretty looks at why car hire Heathrow airport services are likely to be important to the site’s future development.

In that wonderful way that health and safety anoraks have, yet again we are being banned from that everyday stuff that many of us call ‘life’.

In one small UK village, the local market hall clock winders have been doing their job for over 150 years and have now been told it’s dangerous and they must stop. Without the appropriate health and safety training or aids, an accident could happen and somebody could be held liable. So, what is the problem? Are the clock winders concerned for their safety? Is winding the clock beyond the realms of the clock winders job description?

Winding this clock has been the job of the family for five generations. It involves climbing through a narrow hatch and onto the roof of the building and, the current winder admits, is a little precarious. However, in all the years this has been going on, not one accident has occurred. The family see that the potential for danger is there but what is life without a little danger? Why take away the traditions of a family, indeed of a whole town, simply because the health and safety training is not in place?

This isn’t a job that you do for money - the current winder earns 8 pounds a week - this is a job that is done for the love of it, to keep tradition alive. The local council now want the clock mechanised to allow for winding at the push of a button. I hardly think that will bring the same satisfaction.

Another gem from the health and safety department, is that of making Santa wear a seatbelt on a sleigh that manages five miles an hour when it does it’s annual trips around the local town. For these trips, refer to promotional activity and not the actual delivery of presents as this requires lightening speeds, not five miles an hour. Without the seatbelt, a further 200 pounds will be added to the insurance of an enigma that manages to travel the world in a single night, delivering his goods, with a completely clean insurance record and no health and safety training.

Still, if he were to have an accident, he could always recover in hospital. That said, he wouldn’t be allowed any get well cards as these have now been banned under the guise of health and safety regulations. All because hospitals cannot guarantee that the cars will not carry germs. Flowers have already been banned on many wards due to the continuous spread of infections such as MRSA. Surely, they would be better off spending money on health and safety training that incorporated the necessity of not wearing nursing uniforms between home and hospital, that involved the uniforms being cleaned and sterilised by an outside source and of the wards being cleaned more efficiently.

They surely seem to be overlooking the obvious. Flowers and cards have always been allowed in hospitals. They go a long way to cheering up the patient and we all know that mind over matter, as well as improved mood, is a huge issue when it comes to healing. Many years ago, get well cards were permitted into hospitals and people did not die of superbug infections. Only when hospital cleanliness when to outside contractors and was reduced due to lack of funding, did we start experiencing these ills. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to work out that it’s not the cards that are the problem.

At least if the Government have their way, there will be less and less people in hospital. Just how do they hope to achieve this? Better education, better preventative medicine? Not quite. They have reduced the holes in salt shakers in chip shops from seventeen to five to try and discourage people from having so much salt on their food. Too much salt contributes towards many health issues and this is the move that the Government wish to take, due to our inability to either decide for ourselves how much is too much or even to add more from less holes!

Safety expert Catherine Harvey looks at the health and safety training that is required to do everyday jobs.

It takes unimaginable amounts of energy to power the United States, and the needs is constantly growing. As global warming and fuel crises gain more and more public attention, people everywhere are now looking for ways to live a greener lifestyle. But this doesn’t mean rebuilding your home to run on solar energy, or overhauling your current lifestyle. There are plenty of small, simple things you can do every day to help reduce your household’s energy consumption (and even waste). Here are five effective changes you can make right now.

1.Turn Off the Lights
We’ve all heard this a million times, whether in the midst of an energy crisis or not. But that doesn’t make it any less true. By turning off the lights when you leave a room, or simply using one light instead of several, you can save big bucks on your electric bill over time. Plus, you’ll cut back on a lot of wasted energy by using it more sparingly. Also, installing lower wattage bulbs not only reduce energy use, they also typically last longer, meaning you’ll save money on your shopping bills, too.

2.Check Your Insulation
Poor insulation can cost you big time in wasted energy. Year round, insulation works to keep your house cool or warm, depending on the season. If you have poor quality insulation, or if it’s old and losing effectiveness, you could be wasting not only an incredible amount of energy, but you could also be significantly overspending on your electricity bills. Just like it doesn’t make sense to leave the air conditioner on with the windows open, heating or cooling a house with poor insulation is both wasteful and ineffective (and frankly, kind of silly).

3.Fix Leaks
Drip, drip, drip. Leaky faucets are huge water wasters, particularly because people often think of a leak as a small problem how much water can really be wasted by a tiny drip? Well, you’d be surprised. Just plug the sink or tub for a day and see how quickly that drip, drip, drip fills it up. If you spot a leak, fix it as quickly as possible (you may even be able to do it yourself, if you catch it early enough). Not only is it the responsible thing to do for the environment, it’s the responsible thing to do for your budget, too.

4.Consolidate Wash Loads
Washing machines and dishwashers use an incredible amount of water, so next time you’re going to do a load of laundry or dishes, make sure you have enough things that need cleaning to fill the load and maximize your water and power usage. If there are only a few dirty plates or clothes, either wait until you have more to do, or simply wash what you need by hand.

5.Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle
Being conscientious about your household’s waste is the first step toward a greater environmental awareness. There are lots of ways to cut back on waste: eat leftovers; use old rags for cleaning instead of paper towels; recycle bottles, cans and paper products the list goes on and on. And always donate unwanted items instead of throwing them away you’ll not only be helping the environment, you’ll also be helping someone in need.

Ki is a real estate broker working in the Austin real estate market. He site has a map based search of the Austin MLS along with a free mortgage calculator.