Oxford Prospect

is a current affairs, lifestyle, geopolitical, policy and business news magazine based in Oxford.

 

Oxford Brookes University

As the new term approaches, mydeposits.co.uk, a Government-authorisedtenancy deposit protection scheme, has compiled top tips for students heading off to university and renting a property for the first time.

Oxford Property

 Following the recent publicity given to companies offering consumers ‘free’ solar panels that will save them money on their home electricity bills, a Midlands-based solar energy expert has warned that homeowners will lose out on tens of thousands of pounds under the generous-sounding deals.

European Science News

Astronomers have captured a spectacular new image in a region of our neighbouring galaxy known to have an abnormally high rate of star formation that reveals yet more details about its history and development.

Greek Cookery Class

Greek Cookery Class is back with a daytime class on Sunday 22 August 3pm-7pm with a Dolma masterclass!

New Theatre Oxford

1. Claire Sweeney stars in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s masterpiece of musical theatre, Tell Me On A Sunday.
2. Join us for the international touring stage show celebrating the music of Robbie Williams.

European Transport

Europeans call for more action on road safety in survey

NorthWall Theatre

TWO TOP COMEDY HEROINES AT THE NORTH WALL: SHAZ N’ SARAH! (AKA SHAZIA MIRZA AND SARAH MILLICAN)

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet reinvents the guidebook for iPad with the launch of Discover e-books

Oxford Outdoors

Camping offers the perfect opportunity to gather together and enjoy the great outdoors with your nearest and dearest. What better way to do that than with Vango’s extensive range of large capacity tents.

Oxford Motoring

Visitors to the Heritage Motor Centre will be able to admire the legendary Batmobile and Batmans & Robins Batcycle as part of the exciting new exhibition “Star Cars” until 5 September.

European Public Transport

Stagecoach Confirms £50m Orders For New Vehicles

Europe Energy Report

SheffieldForgemasters records unprecedented demand for offshore products

BP

Update On Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill

Washington DC

Best holiday for the boys has to be cruising along the Skyline Drive on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, with the eagles riding the thermals next to you, then dropping down to the valley floor as the green fields and vineyards flash by.

Travel News

 ‘Train a Grande Vexation’

The Bulletin Broadgate Mainland’s media update

1. Combination of agriculture commodities with equities offers promising perspectives launches new website 
2. Creative Benefit Solutions, has launched its new updated website .
3. The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. 
4. Mid Wynd International Investment Trust PLC – Results for the year to 30 June 2010

Cruises

Discover your next holiday afloat at The Cruise Show at the   NEC, Birmingham

Oxford Music

We Are The Ocean & Brides, Academy 2, Oxford, 4th October   

European Union News

European economic governance: What does the future hold? A synopsis of the current proposals

Oxford News

A civic reception will be held to mark Oxford City Council receiving a 108 year old ceremonial truncheon. The wooden truncheon, once belonged to a Mayor of Oxford, and following an auction earlier this year, the new owner is now bestowing it on the city.

Oxford Property

Localism must not miss the bigger picture on planning - A uniquely wide-ranging group of 29 national bodies have written to the Communities and Local Government Secretary, Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, to urge national and local government to work with them to ensure that strategic planning – planning at the ‘larger-than-local level’ – is embedded in any reform of the planning system under the new agenda for localism.

 Technology News

O2 today announces that Research In Motion’s BlackBerry^® has launched on Pay & Go from O2 and a whole new audience can now send each other messages on BlackBerry^® Messenger (BBM^TM), use RIM’s powerful multitasking software and keep up to date with their email and favourite social networks on the go.

Oxford Media News

The European Journalism Centre is organising a series of information briefings for journalists on various EU policy areas in 2010

 British Museum

Playwright, broadcaster and British Museum Trustee Bonnie Greer will co-curate a unique display which centres around one of the British Museum’s most fascinating objects, the Akan drum.

Oxford Museum News

CBBC’s Relic: Guardians of the Museum becomes a reality at the Vale and  DownlandMuseum this summer 

Oxford Books and Publishing News

A look at new books about slow travel and polar tourism.

Oxford Theatre Review

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest performed by the Oxford Shakespeare Company in Wadham College Gardens, with music by Nick Lloyd Webber.

Oxford News

Is it not time the boundaries of Oxford City council were changed?

Burton Taylor Studio

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPING ARTISTS  TO SHOWCASE WORK-IN-DEVELOPMENT at the BURTON TAYLOR STUDIO 

European Rail News

DB Schenker Logistics to construct new terminal at Klagenfurt airport

Oxford Playhouse

WORLD PREMIERE OF VON RIBBENTROP’S WATCH at OXFORD PLAYHOUSE

Oxford Media Social

A case of strangers passing in the night!

Oxford Motoring

Auto Express awards the Mercedes-Benz S-Class as Best Luxury Car

 

For subscription only content:

Indonesia Investment Special:

• The gold mine that is Indonesia’s coal mining industry.   
• The problems of powering Indonesia’s booming economy   
• Why European business is flocking to Jakarta.    
• Indoneisia oil and gas sector  

The new dash for oil in Africa!

Summer in Europe

The Ashmolean launches its first major art exhibition:

 The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy 

  On 16 September 2010 the Ashmolean launches its first major art exhibition in one of the country’s newest and most important temporary exhibition centres.  The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy brings together over 140 pictures from the Ashmolean’s important Pre-Raphaelite collection with loans from museums and private collections around the UK and abroad, some of which will be displayed in Britain for the first time.    

Held in partnership with the Ravenna Museum of Art, where the exhibition opened to critical acclaim,  

The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy challenges what we know about the influence of Italy – its culture, landscape, and history – on one of Britain’s most significant and enduringly popular art movements.  
http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Oxford-Museum-News.html

Amazon Books

what we have gained from the european union?

What have we gained?

Does the EU really do us any good?

The EU has brought benefits in many areas, though certainly there are other areas where the UK government would like to see improvements.

Creating a level playing field for trade across Europe requires harmonised legislation in many areas of work and life, from health and safety legislation to the regulation of advertising. What looks fair to some can seem heavy-handed to others.

Getting the right balance demands constant constructive engagement. Successive British governments have had little doubt that the benefits to the UK economy outweigh any problems, and make it important to continue to push forward our role in the EU.

Freedom to trade and work

The single European market is the world’s largest free trade area. Europe’s businesses enjoy a “home” market of over 450 million people, selling goods and services without tariffs or other trade restrictions, and to common safety standards. The market has created more competitive services, greater choice and lower prices, supporting wealth and job creation.

It has lowered business costs, and opened new opportunities, but for many it has also increased the burden of red tape. Such regulation is one of the areas where Britain is looking for improved performance. The Commission’s ‘better regulation’ agenda is starting to see results, assessing the impact of new regulations, simplifying and even cancelling existing ones.

Co-ordinated economic policies

The EU provides a forum where member countries can share best practice and learn from others’ experiences

• helping to ensure that European businesses can compete effectively in global markets
• developing the right infrastructure for a successful modern economy.

12 member countries have decided to share a single currency (the Euro). The UK government favours adopting the Euro in principle, but will only join when the economic conditions are right.

Freedom, security and justice

EU member countries are working together to create an area of freedom, security and justice across Europe.

All of the member countries, except the UK and Ireland, have agreed to scrap their border controls with each other. These are the “Schengen” arrangements – named after the village in Luxembourg where they were first agreed. They allow citizens to travel freely without checks at the internal borders.

The UK and Ireland have a right to choose whether to sign up to EU laws on border controls, immigration and asylum.

However, the UK and Ireland play a proactive role with other member states in working to tackle illegal immigration and abuse of the asylum system.

Member nations are also co-ordinating the co-operation of police and courts to pursue criminals across the EU, and enforce penalties imposed on them.

Help for poorer EU regions

The EU funds many programmes to support its poorer regions. The programmes work through direct spending on transport and other infrastructure, and on training people and helping them learn new skills.

Several parts of the UK have benefited from these funds, including Northern Ireland, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, and West Wales and the Valleys.

Many well-known projects have been assisted by EU aid. For example, Cornwall’s Eden Project received over £26 million, and the EU has given £30 million towards ferry and airport terminals and IT in the Highlands and Islands.

The UK regions get over £1 billion a year to help parts of the country to restructure and to support economic regeneration, innovation, enterprise and training to help people learn new skills.

* Figures provided by the Department of Trade and Industry. For more information, see the DTI’s Structural Funds homepage.

Action on the environment

On the environment, it is vital to work together to tackle serious common problems that cross national borders, such as pollution. The EU is strongly committed to sustainable development and the Kyoto agreement on tackling climate change.

Co-operation with other European nations in the EU has brought us many benefits. Our beaches, rivers and drinking water are now cleaner. Many harmful emissions have been cut, making our streets less polluted and reducing acid rain. And many important habitats have been safeguarded, providing safe havens for endangered species.

Action to tackle environmental problems can create jobs and benefit the economy, for example by encouraging companies to make renewable-energy technologies like solar panels, hydrogen cells and wind turbines. This will help make the EU a leader in a growing global market.

A stronger voice in the world

When the whole of Europe speaks with one voice, we have more clout on the world stage. For example, sanctions or arms embargoes have more impact if imposed by 25 countries rather than one. We are stronger in trade negotiations if we negotiate as one economic bloc. And diplomatic initiatives, designed to improve our security, can be more effective with the support of European partners.

But all member countries have retained the right to pursue their own foreign policy, even after the common European foreign policy was established in 1993. Because foreign policy is a vital part of national sovereignty, there can only be a European policy if we all agree it. If not, each member country can go its own way.

When the 25 member countries agree a particular European policy, we commit ourselves to supporting it. This is known as the principle of loyal co-operation. It does not cause Britain problems, because if we had not agreed to a proposal, it would not have become a common policy in the first place. And if a common policy has been agreed, we would not want a partner to undermine it.

The EU is an important player in international development. Member countries, acting through the EU and on their own, provide more than half the world’s official aid. The EU is the main trading partner of most developing countries. Collectively, the EU and its members can therefore play an important role in reducing global poverty and promoting a more stable, prosperous and democratic world.

Global security

Nato and the alliance with the United States remain the guarantee of defence for most European countries.

But to complement Nato, Europe has set up defence arrangements that allow European countries to take part effectively and quickly in peacekeeping and similar military operations where they want to work together. These have already been used to improve stability in the Balkans and Africa.

These arrangements do not create a European army. There is no such thing, any more than there is a UN army. No British soldiers can be sent anywhere without the British Government’s agreement. But these arrangements do help European countries to work together – voluntarily – to help boost peace and security in the world.

Co-operation extends not only to military operations, but to civilian activity too. Two examples of EU civilian missions contributing to peace and stability are the EU monitors helping the Palestinian Authority manage the border at Rafah and the monitoring of the Peace Accord in Aceh, Indonesia. Like military operations, decisions on these missions are reached through consensus.

Tudor History at the Museum of Oxford

Find out what happened in Tudor times and what daily life was like for rich and poor with the Tudor exhibition at the Museum of Oxford.

Using artefacts, replicas, models and hand-on activities, the exhibition covers themes such as Tudor Kings and Queens, food, clothing, town life, transport, entertainments and crime and punishment.

Hands-on activities include dressing up and appearing in a Tudor portrait or taking your punishment in the stocks!

The exhibition will be taking place from Saturday 13 October 2007 until Sunday 13 January 2008 at the Museum of Oxford.

From 13 October 2007 to 13 January 2008 you can make a simple Tudor peg doll at the family drop-in Creation Station for £1 per person.

There is a Tudor Family Day on Tuesday 23 October 2007 between 10.00am until 4.30pm where you can meet our Tudor doctor and find out about gruesome surgery, cures and remedies. You will get the chance to handle the grisly tools used in the 16th century, and discover how live leeches were used to treat patients, all for free!

Throughout the whole day, you can ‘Put Yourself in the Picture’ and create a Tudor portrait using costume, photography, art and your imagination. There are sessions for 5-8 year olds from 10.30am until 11.30am (must be accompanied by an adult) which cost £2.50 per person. For 9-12 year olds you can take part from 2pm – 3.30pm and it costs £3 per person.

For further details or to make a booking, please contact the Museum of Oxford on 01865 252761.

The Museum of Oxford is located in Oxford’s historic Town Hall. For more information about the museum, special events and exhibitions call the Museum on 01865 252761, email museum@oxford.gov.uk or visit www.museumofoxford.org.uk