The United Kingdom is a perfect place for all car enthusiasts. You may be surprised to know that there are more number of cars than households in the nation. This indicates that there are at least one or more car users in every home in the country. Traveling without insurance in UK is highly toxic and can result in dangerous circumstances. The only way to safe guard is becoming ensured with a car insurance option. When there are more than one car users in the home, the Multi Car Insurance is the best option. This allows you to cover more than one driver with a very low car insurance cost at the same address and can save up to 23%. Here the car drivers can be you, your wife, children, parents, friends or drivers. However, it is mandatory to show all the proofs to the insurance company that these drivers use the car.

There are huge benefits of multi car insurance option; they cover good discounts for generous cars, by providing insurance to more than one vehicle at the same time a lot of paper work is reduced. Also for getting discount for the second car, the user need not hang around for the next car to be insured. While submitting an application for the car insurance, the user can give different launch dates for each car and still state the multi car insurance discount. Then the vehicles renewal dates can be gathered as a unit to fall on the same day. They also cover stereo cover, wind screen repair, flexible excess options, personal injury indemnification, legal protection, courtesy car when the car is abroad or in foreign country. Usually the Multi car insurance covers up to five cars provided that all the drivers reside at one address. It offers all the benefits that are present in the individual plan. Third party damages, accident damages, satellite channel, protection against theft are also covered in the car policies.

For getting a Multi Car Insurance you need to provide details of the vehicle like registration numbers, number of  cars, model, names of car drivers, occupation, age, impairment history if there exists. At the same time it is important to see that you even include the renewal dates of the cars in the policy. Based on your requirements you can choose the plans with the comprehensive cover. How ever it is important to go through all the car insurance policies and choose the one that suits you the best. Taking proper guidance from an insurance agent before making a final decision is highly recommendable for obtaining Multi car insurance policy.

It’s official. The make-up of the UK’s singles chart might never be the same again as the dominating genre of ‘pop’ has spread it’s influence over what was once a chart full of diversity ranging from rock ‘n’ roll to dance and back to hip-hop/rap. And the problem doesn’t end there; pop isn’t what it used to be. Dance DJs and rappers are now struggling to pull themselves away from the encroachment of pop music and have become immersed in a world of auto-tuned, catchy lyrics and dull, lifeless beats.

This might seem a rather pessimistic view but the evidence is clear. The latest Official UK Top 40 Chart (from 27 Feb 2011) contained only 8 ‘non-pop’ songs meaning that the chart was dominated by only one genre: pop, making up a staggering 80% of the chart.

Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates present a weekly show listing the UK music chart on Radio 1

However, what is ‘pop music’? The term is originally derived from the phrase ‘popular music’ which was first used in the 1920s. But the term ‘pop music’ came into the public’s perspective during the late 1950s with the introduction of The Beatles (the acclaimed ‘Kings of Pop’) onto the national music scene where it was used to distinguish between classical and non-classical music. This has since developed further to differ between the modern genres we listen to today.

The concern is that musical progress might begin to undo itself and move backwards as one genre starts to control the musical landscape (like classical music did up until the late 1800s). Have a look at any official chart and you’ll see that there is a stark lack of  variety in the genres on show.

So is the future bleak for the other competing genres? In a short answer – yes. If the current movers and shakers of the music industry have their way and retain their iron grip on the charts, the hope of other alternative acts breaking through is minimal.

I know many people will talk about Simon Cowell in an article like this but one should have a lot of the respect in the way he has taken his chances and possibly revolutionised the music charts forever. The appeal and influence of The X Factor is phenomenal and 2010 conveyed how far the TV show has progressed since its birth in 2005 with JLS, Alexandra Burke, Diana Vickers, Olly Murs, Joe McElderry, Matt Cardle and Cheryl Cole all having number one hits.

That brings me onto the question of whether the public is being spoon-fed by music moguls  and producers or whether the songs we listen to are in fact ‘popular music’? Or should I say: where does the money lie?

After a fantastic feat of winning both British Breakthrough Act and Best Single (Pass Out) at this years Brit Awards, Tinie Tempah looks set for even bigger things. But has he always sung in such a style? This song was recorded in early 2005.

It’s the perfect example of how a young grime artist wasn’t getting the success he craved. Changing his style and image has turned him into one of the most sought-after ‘pop stars’ in the UK and who can blame him? His pop career has brought him fame and success which he could have only dreamed of when the above song was recorded. However, I’m sure he would have preferred his legacy to have been formed on his grime roots instead. But the case studies don’t stop there. Even the likes of Eminem and Snopp Dogg have collaborated with Rihanna and Katy Perry in an attempt to produce more number ones.

Tinie Tempah back in his MC days

So, what would be your answer if I asked you: When was the last time a rock song successfully topped the Official UK Singles Chart – (I warn you, it’s a difficult question)?

If you guessed that it was 14th September 2008 when the Kings of Leon went to number one with Sex On Fire… Then you’d be correct. An incredible 82 different singles have ‘graced’ the top of the charts since and pop doesn’t look like slowing up yet.

However, the one exception was Christmas 2009 when a Facebook campaign effectively managed to alter the charts by sending Killing In the Name by Rage Against the Machine to the top of the charts. The lyrics included in the song: ‘F**k you, I won’t do what you tell me’, seem to have more and more relevance as our radio stations continue churn out the same ‘pop’ drivel across the airwaves.

But is there really anyway we, the British public, can flee from this ‘pop’ monster? In a way I feel like the last of a generation where bands such as Oasis, Blur and U2 used to be leading the way. Younger teenagers are increasingly being brought up to listen to contemporary artists who come and go without leaving much impact or a proper legacy. The rise of music on television and an ever expanding celebrity culture show little promise of a change in this trend and it seems that the likes of Chipmunk, Ke$ha and the Glee Cast will continue to be the norm.

What’s your opinion on the UK’ top 40? Even if you’re a pop fan or not, please leave your comments below.

By Hugh Wolton

To find out more, follow me on Twitter @HughWolton or ‘Like’ echoblog on Facebook

From Ohio, that is the news. In a scene more reminiscent of a Greek Myth, a statue in Ohio of Jesus as been struck down by a lightning bolt.

The statue of Jesus Christ towered at around 6 storeys high, but was brought down to merely ashes on Monday night at 11.45pm. The costs of the damage to the 16 thousand pound (by weight) artwork of Styrofoam, wood and fibreglass  are said to be above $500,000.

A youth pastor of the Church, Mark Moore said this in response to the devastating blaze “It’s horrible. There’s been a lot of souls saved just because of this statue. People drive down the highway, both ways, and see that, and remember that they once had a relationship with Christ.”
The church has promised to rebuild the statue.

It’s funny what you can find whilst trawling through the endless slurry pit of the internet. For example, you managed to find this website. I managed to find this.

So, bending down and holding my nose, I gingerly picked it out of the mire. And I need someone to explain.
Why have pig costumes for cats? Surely, it is just a waste of the lovely furry bit, and unknowing guests might mistake it for a very tacky pillow and unwittingly find themselves in a tussle with the sharp ends.
This must be a breach of some sort of animal right. It seems the WWF are so hung up about those pandas, and they don’t seem to notice that something is under even more threat. Besides, there are mighty feline beasts here, relatives to the almighty tiger, cousins to the powerful lion, veritable house –

-sphinxes.

Yet here they are, humbled by their monkey overlords, without being able to do so much as mew and look sad for retaliation.

And surely the owner cannot stay in this halfway house? It is very non – committal; he cannot hover over cat and pig, not knowing which side of the fence to land. Either the outfit should go, or the cat should go. After all, a real pig looks much more…. real. And they act as a good footrest, as long as you sedate them first so they don’t move about too much. Apparently good old Yorkshire ale does the trick nicely. And, like cats, they keep the bed warm at night. Although they aren’t quite as furry, unless…

Someone should design a cat costume for pigs.
Oh wait…

Also :

The Bumblepig

The Catfrog

The Tigercat

Found more? Put a link below!

Antipathy is spreading through the Lib Dem ranks, and the reasons behind it are foreboding for the Liberal Democrats. If they swing to Labour they’ll keep their core, but any swing will crucify them for propping up an unelected government. But the core are feeling betrayed by what was seen as an an anti Tory vote, and the thought of having to leave behind all their principles, including giving up on Proportional Representation, the heart of their election promise.

Throughout the past week every member of the Labour Party from Mandelson to Miliband has been pushing the idea that ‘First Past The Post is on its last legs’ due to the hung parliament in which it’s resulted. Several members of the Liberal Democrats have also joined this rallying call, but it’s a call which Clegg seems not to hear, unless he is in the midst of some well planned trick, whereby he can fulfil his promise to offer the Conservatives a chance at power and at the same time stick to his principles.

Last night in Liberal Democrat HQ, a secret meeting was conducted between Clegg and his party, whilst he spent the rest of the night in conversation with the Tories. Will his party go with him into unmarked territory despite many of its members including the Energy spokesman having lost faith in such a deal? Cameron’s head will be just as worried about this deal, as there are already clear divides within the Conservative Party, on key issues like Europe, Green Issues and the NHS which will worsen as they swing further left.

On a side note, if your principle is Proportional Representation, sign this petition :

“I  just signed a petition to Take Back Parliament. We can see from the results that the system isn’t fair – and that Parliament doesn’t represent us. The only way we can change this is the same way that we got the vote in the first place – by coming together and fighting for change.”

Saturday’s Protest Video :

Andy Murray, David Beckham, Andrew Flintoff, Tom Daley, Victoria Pendleton, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, The whole England and Manchester United team to boot. Is there anyone that can’t escape the pudgy hands of James Corden?

Corden at work...

He even appeared on Football Focus, handily hanging around the reception to appear alongside ‘good mate’ Mark Lawrenson. Our larger than life friend seems to erupt like popped pustules into every television opportunity and then block out the sun. He brings with him an imitation of the working man’s comedy that lacks depth and endearment. His sketch show was a flop, which gives him no qualification to be cavorting with class A celebrities.

Admittedly he was good in The History Boys.  Gavin and Stacey reviews seem to be high and so his acting qualities are in no doubt. I would ask him to remain in that sphere and stop polluting other TV airtime with his inane trivialities. Oh and Sport Relief  is not an excuse for greasy comedy.

All the information on this year’s Oscar winners has been compiled for you in the following quick list:

Best Picture:  The Hurt Locker (pictured). It grossed just $15m, but was the first film about Iraq to make money and fought off competition from the likes of District 9, Up – and Avatar, which has so far grossed more than $2 billion.  Both of them tied with nine Oscar nominations, but The Hurt Locker won out with six Academy Awards. These included Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing. The Best Picture award is somewhat controversial, after one of the producers was banned from the event having sent emails to voters urging them to choose his film over Avatar.

Best Director: Katherine Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), who beat her ex-husband James Cameron, director of Avatar, as well as Quentin Tarantino. She is the first female director to win the award.

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker), who was praised by Bigelow as making her triumph possible. He spent a fortnight with a bomb disposal unit in Iraq before writing the script and is facing allegations of basing the events and protagonist on a real American soldier without giving him credit.

Best Cinematography: Avatar. The film (pictured) also won Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects. James Cameron will be disappointed to only have one a third of his film’s nominations, but they show the film’s strengths to lie, as everybody already knew, in its groundbreaking visuals and eyecandy.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart). He finally triumphed after four previous unsuccessful nominations, beating George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman and Jeremy Renner, the hero of The Hurt Locker. The film also won Best Original Song.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side). Fighting off Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep, she won just one day after winning the Razzie award for the Worst Actress of the year for All About Steve.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds). An unknown before being cast by Quentin Tarentino, the accolades keep rolling in for him, culminating in this Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique (Precious; pictured). The writer, Geoffrey Fletcher, also won Best Adapted Screenplay.

Best Costumes: The Young Victoria – the only award to go to a Brit

Best Animation: Up. It also won Best Original Score.

Best Foreign Language Film: Il Secreto De Sus Ojos (Argentina)

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove

Best Documentary Short: Music By Prudence

Best Make-Up: Star Trek

Best Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants

Best Animated Short Film: Logorama

Heard of BeautifulPeople? If not, I’ll explain; it is essentially Facebook for good-looking people, with the addendum of being a dating site. If you have ever looked critically through your list of friends on Facebook or MySpace, searching for an attractive face you need do so no longer.

How would you compare?

But to earn the privilege of entering this most exclusive of sites (with over 5 million members) and having the possibility of meeting other sexy singles from around the world, your gonna have to run the gaunlet that is the members. You upload a photo and over 72 hours, current members of the opposite sex rate you as on of two degrees of ugly or two degrees of beautiful. At the end of this process you will either gain entry or be informed that you are unfortunately too ugly.

While entertaining and providing a quite large self-esteem boost on entry, once the novelty has gone, one is confronted by simply a very large group of narcissistic individuals wallowing in their own shallowness.

By the way, I’m a member. God only knows why, but I am, probably because the level of entry is really quite pitifully low.

The Vatican, center of Roman Catholicism , today was shocked as it heard news of alleged reports into a chorister procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.

Angelo Balducci, a respected Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by Italian police, the Carabinieri, engaging in dialogue with a 29 year old Vatican chorister over the specific details of men Balducci wanted brought to him. In one conversation, the chorister tells Balducci: “I saw your call when I was in the Vatican, because I was doing rehearsals … in the choir … in St Peter’s.” He then advises Balducci to contact a man ”two metres tall … 97 kilos … aged 33, completely active.”

In an interview with news magazine Panorama, to be published tomorrow, Balducci claims he met the chorister 10 years ago. He comments: “He asked me if I could procure other men for him. He told me he was married and that I had to do it in great secrecy.”  These other men include “two black Cuban lads”, a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.

Clouds gather above St. Peter's

Balducci’s lawyer, Franco Coppi, said: “I have no comment. First, because we have more serious questions to tackle. Second, if these claims are correct, they regard his private life. It is disgraceful that these transcripts, which have nothing to do with the case, should have been spread about.”

In January this year, the Carabinieri recorded an exchange in which Balducci and Ehiem discuss a student for the priesthood. Balducci is said to have asked: “Listen, have you spoken with the seminarian by any chance?” Ehiem replies he is “probably at mass or something”. On 11 January, Ehiem calls again to recommend “a colleague, a friend” of the seminarian because the latter is unavailable. He says the colleague is “better, taller, a bit taller than you”. After deliberation, Ehiem asks: “Can I send [him] around straight away?”

So why are we trying to navigate our way through a global recession? Many of you will instantly think of irresponsible bankers around the world misusing our money. However what about the Victoria’s Secret model, Miranda Kerr. An odd suggestion? Check out the video below:

As a fellow colleague described a recent financial issue, David Kiely (a Macquarie employee) was seen viewing the images in the background before being informed by another colleague that he was live on national television.

There has been much sympathy for Mr Kiely as reports claim there is a possibility of him facing the sack. Facebook groups have been set up and Business website, Here Is The City News, has lauched a campaign called Save Dave to save Mr Kiely from being fired.

A Macquarie statement said: “Macquarie has strict policies in place surrounding the use of technology and the issue arising from the live cross on Seven News is being dealt with internally.” But we can only hope his partner will see the funny side of the situation.