Substance abuse in sport has for a long time been a grim but all too familiar reality. Those of us acquainted with the online betting market will testify that sports betting has become just as concerned with which player will test positive for performance enhancing drugs as with who will win the game.  This March, the Sacred Heart University of Connecticut reported that, when polled, the average American believed that well over a third of professional athletes nationwide were using some form of performance enhancing substance. The poll also showed that interest in the issues surrounding drug abuse in sport is mounting.

Pressure is rising for stricter and more regular drug testing in sporting arenas. College and high school testing is being heralded as a means to prevent the use of performance enhancing drugs at an early stage. Unfortunately, aside from practical and financial issues, the technology used to detect illegal substances is often years behind the development of the drugs themselves, placing the testers at a firm disadvantage. The social role of the professional athlete as role model for a healthy and competitive lifestyle risks being muddied for good if some kind of curb is not put on the massive popularity of drugs to give the sports star that extra edge.

The shift in betting activities to accommodate this trend has been played out against the backdrop of yet another controversy on the American sports scene - the illegality of sports gambling in the United States. Alongside their condemnation of drug abuse, Sacred Heart also reflected the ongoing gambling debate; over half of those polled asserted that betting should still be illegal in the United States, and a third advocated its decriminalisation. That online betting and substance abuse in sport should be a mutually benefiting affair is obviously far from what the average American has in mind.

Dear old Al Gore. First he spends eight years being Vice President while Bill Clinton destroyed a great deal of public faith in the Democratic party, then he lost the Presidential Race to George Bush in rather suspect conditions (one TV channel announced his victory and then had to issue a retractment. The issue ultimately had to be settled in the Supreme Court) and then he became a virtual nobody for a while.

Eventually, when he did return, it was in a rather unusual manner. Suddenly Mr. Gore was here to save us all from ourselves, an environmental campaigner of the highest order who was going to take on carbon emissions and pollution single handed armed with naught but a well-worn laptop and some jaunty cartoon graphics.

As would be expected, his naysayers immediately accused him of being nothing more than an attention seeking demi-politician who was a sore loser and couldn’t face being out of the spotlight. If there is any one unconvinced by this claim look no further than the episode of South Park entitled Manbearpig, you will see exactly what I mean.

However, Gore has persevered and since then has spread the warnings of Global Warming (by medium of his Academy award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth) as far and as wide as people are willing to listen. In fact his popularity has become so great as to prompt speculation about whether he will run for the 2008 Democratic election.

Despite his repeated statements of ‘I will not run’, Blue Square online betting has him as a 50/1* chance to win the nomination, even though he isn’t even running yet; his association with Obama’s campaign has in fact only strengthened the gossip. One can only hope that whoever wins makes damn sure that they keep Gore around, he is one of the few men who has survived the political game unsullied and his influence would be of enormous benefit.

*Odds taken from Blue Square Betting and are subject to change.

 

Car insurance is an expensive necessity, so it’s crucial that you maintain your policy’s validity by sticking to the terms of your agreement. Despite this, some people invalidate their policy without even meaning to.

Most people invalidate their car insurance by not disclosing or deliberately withholding information, which is important to the insurer. Not declaring certain information can have financial repercussions, as already suggested, but also legal ones, as deliberate deception constitutes fraud. One thing which needs to be disclosed to your insurance provider is any speeding points or other driving convictions, be they old or recently sustained. This applies not only when obtaining a new policy but also when renewing your current one. Unfortunately, any driving convictions will inevitably mean a higher premium, as the driver is deemed a greater risk, but this is no reason to risk invalidation of your policy or criminal proceedings.

Another piece of information that needs to be conveyed to the insurer when taking out a new policy or renewing an existing one is details of previous claims made. People are dissuaded from doing this by promises of a cheaper policy. However, if it appears they have not made a claim, withholding this information also risks invalidating your policy. Not only this, people who deliberately withhold this information could face even more serious action.

A change of postcode instantly invalidates any insurance policy, and upon moving you should seek a new quote from your insurance provider immediately. The same applies to a change of job. In general, it is best to let your insurance provider know whenever a change of circumstances occurs, as not doing so risks your policy becoming invalid.

Do not allow unnamed drivers to take the wheel, as they are uninsured and anything they do while in the car will not be covered. Insurance is invalid when a person that is not a named driver is in control of the vehicle, so this is a risk that is not worth taking. Driving without insurance is not only a crime, but risks your policy. Another legal requirement is a valid MOT, and letting yours expire will invalidate your car insurance.

It is best to be aware of when your car is next due an MOT, as this will keep your insurance valid as well as making sue your car is roadworthy.

Remember car insurance is a legal requirement, and does not have to be massively expensive if you shop around. It’s always advisable to compare and contrast policies and prices. Try Asda Finance for car insurance deals to suit you and your vehicle, or Beat That Quote has some online cheap car insurance.

There was a time in the not-so-distant future when investing in real estate was one of the best investments a person could make.  Now though, a real estate investment is considered a way to put a roof over your head rather than a strong financial investment.

A home is typically more than 25 percent of your gross income.  Luckily, for people willing to think outside the box, there are cheaper alternatives to housing which can help you avoid the high price tag associated with home mortgages.

Here are 4 unconventional ways for cheaper housing and living expenses:

1. Become a full time camper!  There are a number of people who have learned that recreational vehicles like pop-ups, fifth wheel’s and RV’s can become your full time living quarters.  Many are spacious enough to include a bedroom with king size bed, bathroom, kitchen appliances and even a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, so if you’re thinking of moving out, take a look at ASDA for bedroom furniture that could save you a packet.  Buying used will also save you considerably, but buying new campers will give you extended warranty coverage options.  Families choosing this type of lifestyle are living for under $30,000 per year.
2. Live on a boat.  Houseboats are becoming fairly popular, with people purchasing boats of all sizes, and living on the water.  You don’t get out of all home maintenance costs when you live on a boat – in fact, you still need to have home owners liability insurance as well as fuel spill liability in case your boat’s tank leaks fuel into the water.  Renting a permission slip to live on the ocean in a marina can be as much as $1,500 a month; but renting the rights on a lake can be as low as $300 a month.  For those prices, water is included usually, but you can expect to pay a few hundred a week for sewage pump-out.
3. Choose manufactured housing.  There is a bit of a reputation had by manufactured housing, none of it very nice, but the fact remains the houses are very inexpensive.  They're also being made stronger and nicer than ever before.  If the idea of living in a manufatured home community is out of the question, you can always have one built on a piece of land.  Single wide homes can be under $10,000 when purchased used; while a double wide manufactured home can range from $25,000 to $150,000, depending on where it is located.
4. Go co-op instead of buying.  In many parts of the country, you can get into cooperative condos rather than buying a condo.  It's typically very inexpensive and the monthly “lease prices” include your water, sewer, utilities, as well as home and lawn maintenance fees.  They look like condos, and typically offer two or three bedrooms of living space, formal dining areas, living rooms and multiple bathrooms.  Most also give access to pools and community rooms.  How much do these co-ops cost?  Around $750 a month in Atlanta, with comparable rates around the country (with the exception of major cities like NY).  The downside is it's difficult to get loans for these properties because you don't own a specific unit, and if you choose to leave you're limited as to how much you can sell it for- based on the number of years you've lived there, the amount everyone is paying for their rents, and how many other units are being sold at the same time.

Zimbabwe was once known as the ‘bread-basket of Africa’, an incredibly fertile, beautiful and prosperous land, but it now relies on millions on pounds of foreign food aid and struggles with the crushing impact of an economy that has collapsed and inflation in the hundred of thousand percent.

Tourism once made a large part of the Zimbabwean economy, but since the Land Reform programme in 2000 tourism has steadily declined. After a steady progression during the 1990s up to a peak of 1.4million tourists in 1999, figures have dropped by as much as 75% just the following year. By December of 2000 less than 20% of hotel rooms were occupied, thousands of jobs were lost as a result.

Despite the troubles there, though tourists still go to Zimbabwe, or nearby South Africa and journey into Zimbabwe to view what remain major tourist attractions. The Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, which are shared with Zambia are located in the north-west of Zimbabwe. Zambia is now the main beneficiary of tourism that had previously gone through Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is unusual in Africa because there are a number of ancient ruined cities that survive and were built in a unique dry stone style. There are also no fewer than 8 National Parks in Zimbabwe, scattered throughout the country and all offering beauty that rivals even the most famous of the National Parks in America or anywhere else in the world. One such sight is the Matobo Hills, made of granite more than 2000 million years ago and since being eroded to produce long smooth “whaleback” shapes.

The country, however, is dying slowly. Flights still run from the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, to London, that carry tourists into the African country, but the damage done in recent years to Zimbabwe and it’s tourist industry will surely take decades to be remedied. In the meantime - you could find some cheap flights at a site such as Cheap Flights.co.uk.

Zimbabwe is one of a number of countries worldwide that possesses great culture, great natural beauty, and all those other things that would usually draw tourists, but due to political upheaval, or war, or other factors have seen the numbers of visitors plummet. For those who have the inclination to still travel to such places, not only do they gain all the usual experiences of travel, but also an insight into what it looks like to be in a country that has been brought to its knees.

Personal safety is, of course, an important factor in travelling to such places, and most insurance companies will offer policies, albeit slightly more expensive ones, if the desire to see such a place takes you. A number of websites offer all the different items that you could need when travelling, but make sure you take a look at Go Travel for travel insurance.

For most of us, getting a mortgage is a huge source of stress. But until recently, UK muslims had it even harder than the rest of us. Under Sharia law, the charging or paying of interest is forbidden. In fact, until 2002, only one UK-based bank offered Sharia-compliant mortgages – The United Bank Of Kuwait – and there were a number of reasons for this.

Stamp duty was one of the problems. In a muslim mortgage, the bank actually buys the property and then sells it back to the buyer at a slightly increased price, which is paid off over time. Because the property was effectively being bought twice, stamp duty was charged twice over. The law on stamp duty was altered in 2003 to ban the double charging of stamp duty, and since then, the government has been encouraging banks to assist muslims in getting mortgages. By the end of 2005, a handful of banks were offering Sharia-compliant mortgages, including Natwest, Lloyds TSB and the Islamic Bank of Britain.

As you might expect, there were also a number of cultural obstacles between muslims and mortgage lenders. Banking institutions lacked knowledge of Sharia law, and the muslim community itself. Bankers were unfamiliar with the Qu’ran, and are required to use muslim scholars to vet all applications to ensure they are Sharia-compliant. More and more this is being done by financial institutions.

There is still a long way to go. Many muslims, having been ignored for so long by the mortgage system, are understandably mistrustful of bankers and the mortgages they offer to them. There is a good deal of cynicism about the banks motives, and whether they are really taking their ethical concerns seriously. Some muslims are not convinced that the banks will test their products rigorously enough. Another issue is whether banks are using money to finance breweries or non-Halal meat companies. Most scholars accept that finance laws – even when modified to be Sharia-compliant – will never be as strict in the UK as they are in muslim countries.

However, most of the major banks are working towards offering Sharia-compliant mortgage deals, which can only be a good thing for the financial stability of UK muslims, and also in terms of their inclusion in the wider community.

For property searches, try Fish4.co.uk. Buy to let mortgages are available from Alliance & Leicester, who also offer a loan calculator service.