Provides feature articles, news, photos and images.
The Speciality Fine Food Fair 2024, a trade exhibition of fine foods, wines and spirits, was held on 10-11 September at Olympia Events (formerly Olympia Exhibition Centre), London. Here are some are my favourite scenes from the Fair. Product details are given after the gallery slideshow. Continue reading “Speciality Fine Food Fair 2024”
The 41st London Wine Fair 2023 at Olympia, London, was well attended with over 10,000 visitors and more than 400 exhibitors. In this review, I will be mainly featuring wines from Ukraine.
Continue reading “London Wine Fair 2023”
Is this China’s fourth aircraft carrier Type 004 under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxing Island, Shanghai? Well, it appears to be (see addendum). There are numerous online reports that China is planning a fourth aircraft carrier – possibly larger than the Type 003 Fujian, and with nuclear propulsion. To date, there have been no definitive reports of the Type 004 being constructed; although an Australian tabloid newspaper reported that steel plate cutting for the ship began in December 2017. I was therefore surprised to see this recent satellite image on the Google Earth website, showing the advanced construction of an aircraft carrier at Jiangnan Shipyard.
Continue reading “China’s Fourth Aircraft Carrier”
September 2022, saw the return of The Big Hospitality Expo at London’s Olympia venue along with the Low2NoBev trade show. In this article, I will review a selection of the best non-alcoholic drinks showcased at Low2NoBev. In recent years, technological development of yeast strains and new production techniques have led to many new interesting non/low-alcohol drinks being launched. Here are a few products that I enjoyed:
Continue reading “The Big Hospitality Expo 2022”
A while ago, pre-Covid days, I had the opportunity to visit the Shenfei Aviation Expo Park, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. The park is located at Lingbei Street, in the Huangqu district of Shenyang, located in Northeast China. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) is an alternative name for the Shenfei manufacturing plant.
The Shenfei Aviation Expo Park covers an area of 25000 sq metres, which includes a museum dedicated to the history and development of Chinese fighter aircraft and aviation science. Outdoors, there is a fighter planes display park area showing important landmark fighter aircraft.
Continue reading “Shenfei Aviation Expo Park”
In my previous article, ‘BBC or BBC PLC?: Government Policy Needs to be Clarified‘, I presented a number of important issues for debate. Of special concern is the answer to the question: would the BBC become a Public Limited Company (PLC) if it were no longer funded through the existing television licence fee model?
In June 2021, I wrote to Oliver Dowden CBE MP, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to comment on my BBC article. I am publishing the DCMS response for public information purposes and as a matter of record. The DCMS response, dated 7th July 2021, is published below.
Continue reading “BBC or BBC PLC?: A DCMS Response”
There is much debate about the direction of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and many people have called for the TV licence fee to be scrapped. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been concerned enough to speak about the so-called the ‘woke’ agenda. Mr Johnson has threatened to scrap the TV licence fee if matters do not improve, and turn the BBC into a subscription fee service. If this happened, the BBC would need to be privatised – it would become the BBC PLC (Public Limited Company) – a commercial broadcaster and subscription service.
Continue reading “BBC or BBC PLC ?”
In 2017, I sought out the site of the Mukden POW Camp in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Northeast China. Mukden Camp, also known as Hoten Camp, was located on the outskirts of Mukden, present-day Shenyang. The former POW site, at Di Tan Street, in the Dadong district of Shenyang, is now the location of the Shenyang WWII Allied Prisoners Camp Museum. It has one of the best preserved examples of an Allied POW camp. At the time of my visit, the new museum had not been completed.
Continue reading “Shenyang WW2 Allied Prisoners Camp Site Museum – Mukden POW Camp”
The London Wine Fair 2019 revisited. A look back at a selection of wines and spirits from exhibitors at the 2019 London Wine Fair. This annual UK wine fair proved once again, why it is the best!
Continue reading “London Wine Fair 2019 Revisited”
The novel coronavirus, now designated SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), was identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on the 7th January 2020. This specific coronavirus causes the disease COVID-19, and there have been unofficial reports of confirmed cases going back to 17th November 2019. Subsequently, the world has seen a race to identify which medications could stop or alleviate the symptoms from this highly infectious disease.
Continue reading “COVID-19 Wuhan medications”
For some time the UK, under pressure from the US, has dillied and dallied about the installation of Huawei 5G equipment in the UK. Lack of leadership, a UK conundrum or a US false flag? Should it bow to US pressure and ban outright Huawei 5G equipment on national security grounds, or allow Huawei’s 5G more advanced and cheaper technology?
Continue reading “Huawei 5G : UK Conundrum or US False Flag?”
The Bellavita Expo 2019 was held on 7-8th November at the Design Centre, Islington, London. The European Pizza & Pasta Show 2019 was held shortly afterwards on the 13-15th November at Olympia, London. These almost back-to-back events provided an opportunity to discover some of the finest Italian and Mediterranean food and beverages. In this review I will highlight some of my favourite products, important Italian food UK suppliers and scenes from the shows.
Continue reading “Bellavita Expo 2019 + The European Pizza & Pasta Show 2019”