Asia is booming, and its India and China which are fueling its growth. During recession we are expecting our economy growth to touch at least 6%. Jobs have started coming back in market. A time when people in other countries are shifting from sedans to hatchbacks, Audi, BMW and RR are recording 100% growth in India.

CEO’s feel it’s foolish not to be in Asia at this time. The Elephant and the Dragon are back with vengeance. Home grown CEO’s are the kings now, we run world cricket market, Manchester united is looking for some Indian sponsor, F1 has a new fan club now… and we see all this during the time when the whole world is witnessing recession. This is known as Elephant walk. No patriotic person would love to see end of this period.

But the anti-national elements keep working on their mission to destabilize our growth plans and hinder our economy. The one of easiest way to hamper a country’s economy is by circulating fake currency in the market. There have many cases where our intelligence teams have reported such events in the country. We do keep inventing and implementing methods to identify fake currency, but is it really easy to identify a fake note in a bundle of notes? How can we curb this currency counterfeiting? How can we ensure our economies progress? How can we use technology to make it happen?

There was a time when our great grandparents transacted by exchanging goods in a barter system. This I feel was the safest way of transacting, as the products in exchange had its own value. A currency note has its own underlying value according to the gold reserved against it (or crude oil in case of US Dollar). But a fake note with zero underlying value can destruct the whole finance model of a country. We have tried handling these issues by developing machines which can identify fake notes, but is there a way we can curb this issue right from its roots?

Don’t you think that plastic money has helped in controlling it to certain extent? Is plastic money all about making our life easy or can this be used in helping our nation to fight anti-national activities? Imagine if we can minimize the use of actual currency, by paying from our card for almost all our transactions, and Merchant collects the Original currency from the bank (assuming banks will provide verified notes to the consumer).

But then it’s really difficult and inconvenient to swipe your visa card every time you shop or eat or travel.

Technology in Rescue…

Technology is all about making our day to day life easy and secured. We use credit/debit card just to avoid transaction with cash. Now let’s everybody start using innovative CashCard to help our nation grow strong and robust and at the same it will ease our life too.

CashCard is similar to our credit/debit card but the difference lies in the content of the card. This card ‘stores’ the amount; hence has a value of its own. We will be able to use this card on POS which will not be connected to any Mainframe network. How can technology help in making POS reach every corner of the world? How can everybody start using CashCard for transaction? Do we always need a phone/internet cable to make a transaction via card? Not really. A custom POS machine can do this for us. The job of this POS machine is to read the data present in a CashCard and deduct the amount charged from the card. At the end of the whole process, POS saves the amount in its removable data card. The amount present in the data card of POS is the total revenue generated at the end of the day.

At the end of the day or week, Merchant submits this memory card to the closest bank branch or any authorized outlet to collect his cash without any charges. Yes there shouldn’t be charges for a redeeming the data card, which is promoting safe and secure transaction. Charging small merchants for petty transaction can hamper the growth of this technology.

So all we need in a CashCard reader machine (A simpler version of POS) is memory card reader and a memory card, which should make the cost of this POS really affordable. The advancement in technology and business model used will make it cost effective, so that every small transaction will be feasible through POS. Making the POS wireless or for that matter away from any kind of network will make it feasible to be carried in public transport and remote areas too.

The CashCard will contain the amount you hold in it and your security PIN. The first time we are issued this card by bank, we will be asked to select the PIN we need as protection password. The PIN is actually saved in the card itself in an encrypted format. The moment we swipe/insert this card in a POS, the machine will read the amount present in the CashCard once you enter the correct PIN. This is something similar to viewing images from the data card of your Digital camera. The numbers present in the card will represent the amount in it and the special characters will represent PIN. When we enter PIN, software present in the POS will convert the punched in numbers to an encrypted format which will tallied with the special char in the card, hence authenticating your card without being in the network. Next you enter the amount you need to pay for transaction, which will be added to the data card of POS and deducted from your CashCard. Ultimately the POS owner can get his memory card redeemed either in an ATM or the closest bank available. This will complete the whole transaction. Your card itself acts as the server for this technology. When you are out of cash in your CashCard, all you need to do is go to an ATM and recharge your card with the cash present in your saving/current account. The card can also be recharged online or by using your mobile banking feature.

Imagine the comfort achieved through this, no more fights in fetching the right change to pay-off your bills, no worries of losing your cash as the card is PIN protected, all the features which we get from our debit/credit card today can be incorporated in this card in a much secure manner and certainly we will be able to cut down on forfeiting of currency.

Advantages of this Technology:

There are many advantages of this technology apart from safeguarding our currency. VAT, which was levied some time back will be more transparent now. As the POS will be issued to a merchant based UID or PAN card. Hence government. can keep track of the revenue generated by a person during a particular year. Collecting taxes will be easier.

Advantages of this technology can be immense, not only in urban location but in rural areas too. We can use these cards to buy our movie/bus/train tickets on the move; in fact paying to our closest grocery/ auto rickshaw fare via card is best comfort I can think of. In rural areas, where as a result of Financial Exclusion the penetration of banking services is almost negligible; this CashCard can make a big difference for the poor. Farmers can get their loan amount in this card and can pay for their medical, insurance and other expenses using this card itself in an ATM, while they can keep their saving account in a distant city branch. All banks needs to do push Financial Inclusion by either opening small outlets/ATMs in remote areas which will provide recharging and other banking facilities using this technology.

Certainly we cannot replace the use of hard currency, but by incorporating currency detector within ATMs it can be controlled.

Business Model for the Bank:

If banks charge a small annual maintenance/issuance fee to customer, it should suffice the expenses made by bank in implementing this technology. The revenue generated by these annual charges in long term can certainly be of decent profit for the banks.

Summary:

To make our economy robust, we need to curb currency forfeiting. Technology can contribute to this by innovative CashCard and customized POS. This will make transactions safe and comfortable.

One of the best example of modern architecture in Rome is, on my opinion, the Renzo Piano’s «Auditorium Parco della Musica», a large multi-function public music complex.

Unfortunately, this wonderful construction is located out of the historic centre, in the north side of Rome, so tourists generally miss it.

Opened in 2002, Auditorium Parco della Musica combines architectural innovation with perfect acoustics. The complex is composed of three separate enormous bug-like halls whose forms are inspired by musical instruments. A fourth concert hall is the open air theater evoking Greco-Roman theaters.

The three large concert halls are structurally separated to assure soundproofing. Each one has a different dimension and purpose, but they are all characterized by an extreme versatility of the space: floor and ceiling can be moved to regulate the acoustic properties. Also the cherry-wood interiors guarantee an excellent sound.

The complex includes museums, a fantastic library, music studios, areas for exhibitions, cafes, restaurants, gardens and an archaeological site. Have a look to the events calendar: it hosts big international names in classical, rock, pop and world music.

Auditorium is open daily from 10am to 6pm and the entrance is free! It is easy reachable by bus number 910 from Rome’s train station (Stazione Termini). Otherwise, if you’re interested on any of the events, a shuttle bus M service departs from Stazione Termini every 15 minutes between 17:00 and the end of the last performance.

I encourage you to visit the Auditorium!! ….also for a good drink or meal at the charming «Red» cocktail lounge bar where you can absolutely spend a pleasant afternoon 🙂

The poet Oscar Wild, wrote these moving lines: «Children begin by loving their parents. After some time, they judge their parents. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them». It is a well known fact that the well-being of today’s children is inseparable from the peace, progress and prosperity of tomorrow’s world. It is, therefore, important that children be nurtured in an environmentally sustainable pattern to promote national and global peace and progress. The importance of their welfare was underlined during the World Summit for Children in September, 1990, held under the auspices of the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) where world leaders maintained that «unless the investment in children is made, all of humanity’s most fundamental long-term problems will remain fundamental long term problems».

Put succinctly, children are a country’s most precious assets and they demand the highest priority on both national and international investments. In spite of this open acknowledgment of the importance of their survival to our collective global future, evidence abounds that children are facing the worst tragedy in the world today. In a recent seminar organised by the United Nations non-government liaison services in Geneva, participants at the seminar from more than 120 countries were in agreement that «millions of children around sub-Saharan Africa live under especially difficult circumstances where special protection measures are required to enable them enjoy fulfillment of their basic rights». These children in addition to being poor, are exploited, abused, abandoned, neglected, disabled and deprived of liberty.

The greatest manifestations of child abuse, exploitation, deprivation and neglect are very obvious in situations where children are used as a veritable source of cheap labour, soldiers, and prostitutes against their innocent and passive will. Many children seldom report cases of such abuses against them and most child abusers rely on this fact to continue in their wicked acts. Child labour thrives in our societies today mainly because some employers consider it cheaper to employ and over-work children who have very weak resistance to exploitation and oppression than adults. Such employers often betray and take undue advantage of the innocence of children’s dependence and trust. Families also use child labour to make additional income. While some of the hapless children are engaged in domestic duties of hawking goods, others are made to do hard labour meant for adults. Some Non-Governmental Organisations, (NGOs) have continued to express their concern over this unfair practice that is conducted not only in Nigeria, but also in other countries of the world. In an interview granted to a newsmagazine, Mr. A.C. Onukwue, a director of Media Environment Initiative (MEI) in Nigeria said that «children as young as eight years old are being subjected to a bland agreement by their parents to serve as slaves all their childhood and youths in the name of apprenticeship».

Those working as domestic servants are the most exploited and most difficult to protect. Most of them are girls who live with their employers and are totally dependent on them. The United Nations Organisation (UNO) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) have made some legal provisions in their bid to checkmate this growing monster. Article 32 of the United Nations Convention of the rights of the child and article XV of the Organisation of African Unity Charter on the rights and welfare of the child, unanimously condemn child labour in all its ramifications. The two articles recognize «the rights of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous, or to interfere with the child’s education or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social developments». In Asia, South America and some migrant communities in the United States, it has been reported that children even as young as five years of age are forced into what can be termed «slave labour». They work like little robots in dreadful conditions that damage their immature bodies and minds. Most of them have no education, are homeless and deprived of parental love and care.

Children as Child-Labourers

Most people have argued that the main cause of child labour is poverty. Others are economic and social inequality, war, unemployment, broken homes and juvenile delinquency. The merchants of children peddle stories of pleasurable life awaiting the kids in the cities in order to entice their victims from their poverty-stricken parents. Most poor parents swallow such stories hook, line and sinker and so inadvertently release their children to the slave merchants. Because of the nature of their minds, children believe what they are told by adults without reservation. Some of them on hearing such false stories of bright future awaiting them at imaginary lands, sometimes sneak away from their homes to be taken away without their parents’ knowledge. Most of them also follow child merchants because their parents find it difficult to feed, clothe and train them in school. Though many children in the advanced industrial nations and in some urban centers of the Third World countries enjoy good care and welfare, yet it is obvious that majority of them in some rural and urban areas whose parents are living below subsistence level are more often exposed to this risk. The situation has been considered dangerous enough that it was brought to focus in 1997 at a forum organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) for jourlalists in Lagos to deliberate upon. The theme of the forum was The Impact of Child Labour on Development. Participants at the forum agreed that child labour exists in Nigeria as in other parts of the world. It is interesting to note that most of these unsuspecting children lured from their homes in Nigeria are taken to Gabon in Central Africa and other neighbouring countries where they are subjected to the highest form of child abuse.

Children as Articles of Trade

But how widespread are cases of child abuse? Let us at this stage, embark on a historical excursion in order to reveal the extent of abuse and danger our children had been exposed to. On May 30, 1995 when 330 Nigerian deportees arrived in Calabar from Gabon, 109 of them were children below 16 years of age. Again, in March 1996, four students of Ikono Ibom Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikot Aya, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria were cajoled into embarking on a trip to Gabon by a fellow student. But these students, made up of three girls and a boy whose ages were between 10 and 14 years were lucky as they could not reach their destination. As fate would have it, officers of Nigerian Immigration Service intercepted their boat at the Oron Creek. And in January 1997, 150 Gabon-bound children were rescued from a camp at Mkpanak near Ibeno. Among the children aged between 11 and 18 years were 20 Nigerians. The rest of them came from neighbouring Togo, Benin Republic and Ghana. In February 1997, 86 under aged children were freed after a raid on an uncompleted building at Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State. It was reported that the nefarious dealers on children had intended to ship them to Gabon before they were rescued. A breakdown of the rescued children’s nationalities showed that 25 were from Nigeria, 23 from Togo while 38 were from Benin Republic. Of the 86 kids, 46 were girls.

It is also sad that not all of these children had been lucky. The hapless ones do not get to their destinations and do not live to tell their stories. In January 1996, more than 200 persons perished in the high seas of Ibeno Beach. About 73 per cent of the victims were school children, some of whom were in their school uniforms. These difficult circumstances represent serious hazards and risks to the survival and development of our future generation.

Children as Sex Tools

Apart from child labour and trafficking, sexual harassment is another area of high risk that confronts our children. Convincing indication of the enormity of this crime was tendered at the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1996 which was attended by representatives of 130 countries. For instance, it was documented that in several parts of the world, there are millions of young girls, some even as young as 10 years of age who are constrained to work as call girls. After years of physical, mental, and emotional molestation, these girls are scarred for life. In most cases, they surrender to this atrocity simply because they want to eat and stay alive. The option is like choosing between six and half a dozen. As a result of such abuse, some children develop social and psychiatric problems later in life. Furthermore, the activities of pedophiles who occupy influential positions in our society do not help matters. Pedophile refers to a psychological disorder which causes adults to be sexually attracted to children whose sexual experience is nil. In August 1997, a Dublin Chief Judge, Cyril Kelly, committed Reverend Berndan Smith a 72 -year old Roman Catholic priest to 12 years imprisonment for a case involving 74 count charges of indecent and sexual assaults against children. Rev. Smith who admitted to a 36-year career of sex offenses against a total of 26 children in the Republic of Ireland, pleaded guilty to the charges. The Daily Telegraph of June 2, 1998 carried a report on a 44-year old soccer coach who used his position of trust to abuse young boys. He was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to 23 specimen charges against children. The Chester Crown Court was told that from 1978 to 1992, the coach invited boys from the North West and Midlands to stay with him or go on holiday to North Wales and Spain where the offenses took place. According to The Daily Telegraph: «Benndell would take the boys into his trust by offering them the chance of not only training with his teams but also an occasion at Grewe Alexandra and Manchester City».

Children As Child Soldiers

Compounding the tragedy further, there has been an increase in the use of child soldiers in guerrilla armies. Children are easily kidnapped, separated from their parents and siblings and conscripted into the army to fight wars. In such situations they are systematically brutalized, at times by being forced to watch gruesome murder. Some have been ordered to kill their own parents, brothers and/or sisters. Where they find it difficult to carry out these bloody assignments as a result of their innocence, such children are encouraged and compelled to take drugs in order to heighten their killer instinct. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, child soldiers whose innocence had been destroyed by the crimes of a protracted civil war resolved that they were not going to hands-off arms. They took the resolution in October, 1998 when Carol Bellamy the then UNICEF’s head in Sierra Leone, asked them in Bo to surrender their weapons. The child soldiers belonged to the hunter militia group known as Kamajor. In addition, children generally suffer a high death rate during civil or international wars. Most of them die of hunger or hunger related diseases such as kwashiorkor. Because they are fragile and defenseless, they are easy victims in war situations. On August 31, 1997 about 21 children fell into a swimming pool in panic and got drowned in Nsele, 60 kilometers east of Kinshasa, capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo when some armed troops tried to maintain order in the area. In Northern Uganda, rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), headed by Joseph Kony, who have been fighting against the Ugandan government have continued to carry out atrocities against children in that country.

It is interesting to note that children are gradually becoming aware of the injustice and oppression against them by the adult world. In July 1997, Eric Ndelema, a councilor from Kaziso, West Rand, was stoned to death by an irate mob of about 200 primary school children. The mob also set his house ablaze. Mary Martins, a sergeant and South African Police spokesman, confirmed the incident that occurred in Johannesburg but said that the motive for the attack was not yet known. If the cause of the attack was not known, perhaps the peaceful demonstration that was carried out by children from January 5 to June 4, 1998 is enough proof that children are gradually getting fed up with the whole game. Pakistan played host to the global march against child labour in April, 1998 as part of a campaign to draw world attention to children’s rights. The campaigners, numbering about 45,000 children from various countries, walked through Manila, Vietnam, Thailand, India and Geneva into the boarder town of Wahgah, 25 kilometers from Lahore, capital of Pakistan, amidst cheers from the citizens. Kailash Trithay, the leader of the demonstration said his group was carrying a message from every working child that «the world should be free of child abuse».

In spite of the above facts, which are by no means exhaustive, it appears that not many countries of the world have taken definitive stand against this global monster of child abuse which is threatening to turn our God-given children into slaves and make this world an unsafe place for those who are undoubtedly our leaders of tomorrow. The situation quickly calls to mind, the admonition of an erudite scholar, Martin Luther King, who once remarked that «the world is full of evil today not because of those who do evil, but because of men who keep silent and watch evil being done».

It makes proper business sense to look for distributors that provide wholesale supplies at a lower amount in comparison to the market price. There are certain businesses that directly deal with the merchants/manufacturers and buy & sell their products at a comparatively low price. These vendors are called importers or wholesalers. The wholesalers are always in search of new clients to do business with.

Buying pound plus supplies from UK wholesalers is definitely one of the best ways to keep your retail business ahead of the competitors.

After the global economy collapsed, people became very conscious while spending their money. Consumers had to avoid their expenditure on luxury products and opted to buy only the necessary items. Some businesses across UK struggled a lot during this time. Many pound line shops thrived up at the same time across the UK and proved a great help for general public and the whole economy.

New Opportunities: Wholesalers not only provide stocks to the big retailers, they also do business with small retailers, individuals, new businessmen and entrepreneurs. It makes it easier for them to acquire new business and clients. Also, it gives chance to small retailers and new comers of this industry.

Money Saver: Pound plus wholesale suppliers buy their stocks in bulk at a discounted price that helps them cut down the expenses. And when retailers buy stock at the time when there is a replacement of new stock over old, old stocks that are obviously usable, retailers get the stock at comparatively cheaper rate. This is how they make a profitable business.

Saves Time and Energy: When it comes to buying stocks for retail business, E-commerce and online stores have always been a great help. Instead of spending time in going to the shop personally and looking for products, it has been an easier task to just sit, shortlist and order for products online. Instead of moving around physically to assemble the required stock, getting tensed and tired, the only effort that is required is a few clicks. The excellent customer service of the wholesale shopping portals not just secures your stock with perfect packing; they also help in getting it delivered to the requested place without any delay. This could save a lot of your time as well as energy.

Stock at Lower Cost: Sourcing the merchandise from wholesale suppliers and manufacturers results in cost-effective stock for retailers. When the stock is attained at a lower price as compared to the market price, retailers gets the opportunity to experiment various marketing strategies for their business productivity.

This helps in creating a healthy competitive business environment and also enables introduction of new products and new business opportunities.

Manchester is one of the up-and-coming cities of the UK. The Greater Manchester area has been growing steadily since 2007 and is one of the areas of the UK that has recovered most quickly from the credit crunch recession. It is the second largest functional financial region outside of London and shows a growth rate of almost twice that of the majority of UK urban areas. The expansion has been fuelled by large scale investment in services industries, particularly the financial sector. Some of the major businesses with offices and large employee bases in the Manchester region are Vodafone, the BBC, Thomas Cook, the Guardian, Kellogs, ITV and the heinous internet ogre Google.

Between them, they provide a wealth of job opportunities, however, the appeal of Manchester to job seekers is that there are also plenty of other industries. The main industry is the financial sector; banking and insurance but other opportunities are available in retail and telesales in particular. Manchester is a centre of excellence for the service sector including logistics. The latter is natural since Manchester is at the hub of the UK’s transport network with motorways and rail links radiating out in all 4 cardinal directions. There are some highly specialised niche industries that have centred on the area for example, biotechnology and environmental technology; perhaps due to the presence of the Manchester Institute of Technology (MiT) which produces many scientific and technically qualified experts.

On a human scale rather than economical scale, the city and its environs are cosmopolitan and there is a thriving cultural scene. The latter has attracted creatives to the city – check any search engine and you will find pages of advertising agencies and other creative companies based here. These include digital and print advertising, packaging design, marketing, media… the list goes on and on! So not is it a great area for technical job searches, it is also great for those on the other side of the coin looking for creative jobs. Whilst looking through available jobs, I found an unusually high (well it seemed high to me) number of jobs for linguists too – the travel industry required Polish speakers; a car rental company needed someone who spoke excellent Norwegian and there were openings fr French speakers in retail!

Salaries in Greater Manchester are very varied. For telesales and basic retail jobs, they are as low as 12,000, but you don’t have to look far for well paid managerial and technical jobs that offer 40 – 50K plus. So in other words, there is pretty much something for everyone, depending on their skills and experience.

How to find a job in Manchester

Online is a good place to start. It will save you a lot of time and several bus fares! There are thousands of advertised jobs on the usual websites like gumtree, Monster and fish4. But a really good site for job seekers is Reeds, a national recruitment agency as you can see how many others have applied for the jobs in which you are interested. For creative jobs, check out ‘The Drum’ and remember to check out the Guardian jobs pages too.

But before you even start, you should re-vamp your CV. This is best left to professionals who, after exploring the type of employment you are looking for, can provide you with an edge over the others. They will advise you on the best type of CV (yes, there are several effective ways to present a CV) and use your skills and experience to paint you in a very positive light. You, after all, are an amateur in the field, unless of course you are in HR!

Man and Van services can be found in every town and city throughout the UK, though, for some reason, they are often overlooked. Here’s 7 good reasons why van and man services are often a better option:

1. Maybe this is obvious, but, you get a pair of hands! – As the name «man and van» suggests, you get the man thrown into the deal too. This, needless to say, is extremely valuable particularly if you have heavy and awkward items to move or if you cannot, or, do not want to drive yourself.

2. Man and Van services are very convenient – There’s no going to pick up the van, there’s no making sure it’s full of diesel when it has to be returned in a hurry at the end of the hire period and there’s no hanging around in offices while paperwork gets signed off and licenses are scanned.

3. Man and Van services usually offer very experienced men – One van, generally speaking, is as good as the next one, but, when it comes to moving items and even driving through a busy or awkward town centre one way system in a large van, it’s always better to lean on a bit of experience and have someone driving who knows how to get around that tight corner or into that tiny parking space.

4. Lower cost – Often, by the time you’ve worked out total costs for moving your goods and possessions you will be surprised to see how much it totals. It’s always worth asking the big companies about any additional costs that maybe incurred if you were to hire their services. Be especially careful when it comes to insurance.

5. Low cost and commitment storage – many van and man companies offer low cost storage with minimal term or ‘no contract’ policy. If there’s a chance you’re going to need storage for your items it’s well worth checking with the man and van service you’ve selected before you secure their services.

6. Short term hire – Most man and van services will hire themselves to you for a minimum of 2 hours, this means that as long as your job takes 2 hours then you wont be wasting money on a full days hire of just a van or removal service.

7. Personal Service – You just can’t get any more personal than a man and van, one guy who knows his business inside out and understands what you are worried about and what you need to achieve can be so much better than finding yourself in an awkward or potentially expensive situation. Personal service, friendliness and politeness go a long way to keeping the stress levels down when it comes to shifting your goods.

To conclude, van and man services are not always appropriate, particularly with big house or office moves, but it’s always worth giving it a little thought or having a look around to see what sort of deal you can get if it’s something you think a man and van could help you with.

The market town of Altrincham – Cheshire is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in England. The Trafford Metropolitan Borough is part of Greater Manchester. Altrincham is located 16 kilometres from eastern Warrington, 5 kilometres from the southwestern part of Sale, and 13 kilometres from the southwestern part of Manchester city. The landscape around Altrincham is relatively flat.

Established in 1290, Altrincham was once a part of Cheshire. Around this time, the economy of Altrincham relied on agriculture. Up to this day, farming is still a major activity of the Altrincham community. The market that was established in 1290 is still being used. The construction of the Bridgewater canal brought a lot of development to the town. Growth in population and settlements began soon when construction of the canal started in 1765.

The introduction of the railway line in 1849 provided further expansion, and soon many industries began to sprout. The expansion reached villages in the outlying areas of Altrincham. The Dunham Massey Hall became a part of Altrincham as development increased. The Massey Hall has been turned into a tourist location with its upgrading to Grade 1 building status. The Hall is the former residence of the Earl of Stamford. A deer game park has been integrated near the Hall.

Altrincham has grown into a big town, thanks to its road and rail network. The town is serviced by the Metrolink, and most of the population are middle class. The middle class population has been steadily rising since the nineteenth century. The town hosts a number of sporting clubs, namely Altrincham Football Club, Manchester Phoenix and the Elite Ice Hockey Club.

Altrincham has a lot of historical significance. Existence of human activity has been traced back to prehistoric ages. Archeologists discovered arrowheads of the Neolithic era. The place is a rich source of historical artefacts, with many discoveries having been found in Dunham and Trafford. Ruins of Roman roads passing through Broadheath have been found. Broadheath is a location in Altrincham. After the temporary Roman invasion of Britain in the 5th century, the town was known as «Aldringeham». This is translated to «homestead of the Aldrere’s people». During this time, Britain was ruled by the Anglo-Saxons. The name has changed over time, but by the late nineteenth century, the modern name «Altrincham» was being used interchangeable with the name Altringham.

Football betting is not easy. There are so many things that are concerned about it that you will really find it difficult to understand. The types of bets are 90-minute bet, single bet, double bet, accumulator bet, trebles, etc. these are simple to play than the Yankees, Trixies, Lucky 15’s, Correct Score Parents, etc. read all the points to understand what are they.

90 minutes betting

The most common form of betting is this one. It is generally about the team that will win the match. One can also predict a draw but to win the bet the game has to be a draw. Thus, there are three betting outcomes a win, lose or a draw. You have a single wager in which you have to predict the chances.

Double Bet

A double wager is similar to a single 90-minute bet game. In this one is allowed to wager on two different football matches. This will count your winning chances in the final place.

Treble Bet

Like the double wager, it requires picking three teams instead of two in the double wager. If all these teams win, that is if you bet for winning, then that would make you win.

Accumulator betting

When there are more than three teams, it is called an accumulator wager. Thus a four team, five teams, six team wager is called an accumulator bet or three-fold, four-fold, six-fold bet respectively. The odds of all these selections are multiplied and then your winning amount is determined. The risk is that any one of the team not matching your prediction can make you lose as a whole.

Saturday afternoon accumulator bet

An accumulator wager is common on Saturday afternoons. There can be numerous teams in the wager. The more the number of teams the more is the winning amount. But the difficulty of winning is also greater.

Long odds accumulator bet

In this kind, you can wager around a lower amount say £2 and then stand a chance of winning around £100, which is a huge amount in comparison to your betting price.

Short Odds Accumulator bet

If you are betting on the famous teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid and the like and if they are playing with average to low teams then you stand out a chance to win. Thus if you are betting a win for all your 5 teams then you might get £6 for a £2 bet for at odds of 3/1.

Hence, it is very much evident that the betting can be simple as well as complicated. It will all depend on the bet you want to place.

Football is a universal sport, and Nigeria remains the biggest exporter of talented footballers Worldwide. A bulk of these foreign legions however ends up playing for their adopted countries in place of their country of birth or origin.

The list is endless, as countless numbers of Nigerian born footballers are daily seeking greener pastures or opportunities to showcase their potential in the color of their adopted countries. Nigeria ultimately becomes the biggest loser, as it is denied of quality players through this football drain.

Muri Ogunbiyi

Muri Ogunbiyi is an attacking midfielder who once played for the famous Enyimba football club of Aba. He presently plays for the squirrels of Benin Republic.

Carlton Cole

Carlton Cole was born of a Nigerian father and a Sierra Leone mother, but presently plays for England senior National football team. He is a top striker with English Premiership club- West Ham United.

Onyewu Oguchi

Onyewu is a regular central defender in the United States of America senior National soccer team, with Nigerian root.

Gabriel Agbonlahor

Gabby as he is fondly called turned down several invitations to play for Nigeria, and opted instead to honor a call up to play for England. He has a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father. He is a key member of Aston Villa F.C in the English Premier League.

Toto Tamuz

Toto Tamuz is a son of former Nigerian international footballer Clement Temile. He presently stars for the Israeli National footballer team. His mother is an Israeli. Like his father, Toto Tamuz plays in the attacking positing for the Israeli national senior team.

Dennis Aogo

Dennis is an experienced defender with the German U-19 national team. He has a Nigerian Father and presently plays for Hamburg SV in the German Bundesliga.

Rubin Rafael Okotie

Rubin is an Austrian U-21 international striker with Nigerian father and Austrian mother. His father hails from Delta State in Southern Nigeria.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The former Togolese national team captain was born to Nigerian parents in Lome, but currently playing for the Togolese National football team and Manchester City of England.

Paul Mc Grath

Paul Mc Grath is an Irish international who holds the distinct record of being the first Nigerian-born footballer to play for an adopted country, born to a Nigerian father and an Irish Mother.

Emmanuel Olisadebe

Emmanuel Olisadebe was in sensational form during the FIFA 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea-Japan. He is a Nigerian footballer who switched allegiance to his adopted country-Poland.

It’s been a bad day at the office for Hull City Football Club with the counting cost of two home defeats inside four days, bringing yet more woe to the club. Getting you up to speed with all that is happening in around the club since the damaging defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday, it is time to make a round up of the latest news emanating from the Circle…

Hull City Football Club have landed themselves in a whole heap of injury trouble following the disappointing 1-2 home loss sustained to troubled Portsmouth on Saturday. Craig Fagan was the only player certain of being ruled out of contention for the game with the resurgent south coast club, but now injury fears have grown and been added to, since the second home loss incurred over back-to-back home games.

Midfielder Jimmy Bullard was initially reported as having an outside chance of featuring in the match with Portsmouth, but now the club have released an official statement on his injury. And the news is not good with the 31 year old star expected to be ruled out for three weeks after damaging the same knee hurt during the Aston Villa away game last season. However, the club have been keen to stress no surgery will be needed.

However, the mood of the camp was not helped by the news that Caleb Folan – expected to be in the starting XI for Saturday’s game – surprisingly declared himself unfit. The big striker was rumoured to be claiming fatigue was preventing from making the line-up for the critical clash, but as yet, no formal word has come from any of Hull City Football Club’s officials on the matter.

And if that news wasn’t bad enough, Robert Koren collected a leg injury during the defeat to Portsmouth – and although it is a little early to give a formal prognosis – it is expected the Slovenian is facing a two week spell on the sidelines as the Tigers enter a trio of local derbies against clubs in an around them in the bottom half of the Championship.

Unfortunately, the bad news carries on unabated. In further consequence to Saturday’s game, on loan Liverpool central defender Daniel Ayala has collected his 5th booking of the season. That means the Spaniard will incur a one match ban that will see the 19 year old sit out the Yorkshire derby with Barnsley on Saturday at Oakwell – a match being screened live on television.