South Africa’s potholes continue to cause road disasters.

If you have been driving around the Johannesburg and Durban area in South Africa recently, you will notice that parts of the road have been totally washed away, causing deep holes in the road. These monstrous potholes seem to pop out of nowhere, making us swerve out of the way and occasionally coming within centimetres of a large pothole that could ruin our car or even get us stuck in the hole with no way out. This problem is not a new one as every year during the rainy season not only the Gauteng area but many areas around South Africa experience a type of pothole epidemic.

Workwear suffers delayed effects of recession

Professionals in some industries are breathing a collective sigh of relief as statistics indicate that the economy is moving from recession to recovery. While economic growth is evident in various sectors, some are only starting to experience the time-lagged effects of the downturn.

The global workwear industry is one such area, where the effects of the credit crunch, which started in 2008, are only starting to become apparent. According to Just-Style overall the workwear market will suffer a 2.5 percent decrease in value.

This is due to a knock-on effect of job cuts in construction and other labour-intensive industries, which have resulted in rising unemployment, but also in a substantially decreased demand for industrial workwear.

The report by Just-Style indicates that the European and Turkish workwear markets will fall by 5 percent in 2010, while the North American market will decrease by 8 percent.

Fatal consequences for health and safety breaches

The issue of health and safety in the building industry was highlighted again this week, when two construction companies were heavily fined for the death of a demolition worker in July 2005.

John F Hunt Demolition Ltd, based in Essex, and Bayoak Demo Ltd of London will pay a total of £115,000, for the health and safety breaches that occurred during the construction project and resulted in the fatal accident. The two companies and three directors were initially charged with corporate manslaughter but were dismissed by and Old Bailey judge.

Polish demolition worker Rafal Prezestrzelski, who was 25 at the time, was killed from internal injuries after a 1.4m concrete slab collapsed at the construction site in Paddington, London.

Prezestrzelski was instructed to remove some of the 13 steel props, which had been supporting the slab but the building and remaining props were unable to carry the heavy weight. He was hit by one of the props as it fell.

What to do when your external hard drive won’t mount

Everybody hates encountering error messages on their PC, especially so when these error messages relate to your newly purchased external drive which contains your entire life in data form. If you’ve encountered this problem today then read through this article to see how to what the problem could be and how you can go about resolving the issue. If you’re concerned about data loss then contact an external data recovery specialist before doing any sort of trouble shooting.

There are many possible reasons why an external hard drive won’t mount. Usually however, to be completely honest with you, it’s related to a hardware related issue which will need to be repaired and may mean that you could lose your data. External drives are fragile by their very nature, and the fact that they’re portable means that they are constantly subjected to fluctuations in heat, static conditions and the odd bumpy road here and there. All these factors could result in one of the following problems occurring:

Hammersmith Bridge – the past, present and future of a London landmark

Hammersmith residents are not entirely pleased due to the fact that the Hammersmith Bridge is set to be closed for half term. This closure is being performed for general maintenance as the bridge needs new crossings and paving as well and bus barriers on the north and south ends. Even though the council says that this maintenance will improve traffic flow, many are not happy with the delays and diversion that they will have to take from their Hammersmith property. This is not the first time that the bridge in Hammersmith has experienced a closure as it has had its fair share of problems over the years as the London population and traffic have increased.

Electronic Data Interchange – what’s that you say?

Electronic data interchange, or EDI at it is more commonly known, is defined as the transmission or exchange of data electronically. This process of transferring data from one computer system to another is used in many common day to day functions. For many, EDI may seem like a glorified emailing system but EDI can perform numerous functions that email cannot. The shipping industry uses the EDI system in their daily business functions and it is imperative for them to make use of it as they need to share information and perform transfers across the globe.

EDI is commonly used for numerous business transactions where email communication will not suffice. Electronic transactions such as invoicing, order and exchange confirmations can be completed with EDI and the shipping industry relies on this system to confirm the transport of cargo and payements. What makes EDI more convenient than other forms of electronic transactions is the fact that it is direct and companies can perform transactions that will reflect on another company’s computer immediately. EDI is not only used for transactions but can also be utilised for resources and information sharing.

Rhino poaching on the rise

Each year tourists from all over the world come to South Africa to enjoy a lengthy stay in a Kruger Park Lodge, admire the beauty of the land, and witness some of the planet’s most beautiful and fierce creatures in their natural habitat. But this amazing and sought after holiday destination is under severe threat from poachers who aggressively hunt wild animals on the land, rhinos in particular.

Rhino poaching in Southern Africa continues to increase despite efforts by wildlife conservation groups, police and now the military. Last year 122 rhinos were killed in South African game reserves like the Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands.

2010 looks to be no better, with 14 rhinos already slain. In late January South African National Parks (SANParks) chief David Mabunda announced that military patrols will be dispatched in the Kruger Park, where 50 rhinos were poached last year.