If you still haven’t secured a university or college place for the current year then you might want to check out the University of Bedfordshire’s clearing service. They still have places available through their clearing system and can offer you advice even if you are not sure what course you want to apply for. They have a dedicated University of Bedfordshire - Clearing 2008 team who are on hand to offer advice and talk through the options with you. You can give them a call on 0800 013 0925 and can also check out the list of available courses online before hand to see if there is something to suit you.

Tesco are to open a supermarket that is built to be pensioner friendly. The supermarket which is planned for Newcastle would supermarket feature extra wide aisles, anti-slip flooring and trolleys with locking wheels and built in chairs. The plans are still is the early stages but follow a similar idea that has been implemented at a supermarket in Germany.

If you are looking for some exposure for your travel blog you might want to check out this site. They run a weekly feature called (oddly enough) Travel Blog of the Week and are currently looking for suggestions. The feature give a short write up, highlighting some of the best articles from the chosen blog with a link back to blog. It looks like a good way to get some increased traffic for free.

The Royal Mint has launched a coin to mark the handover of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London. The £2 coin was presented by Boris Johnson to the Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong on Sunday. The design shows two hands passing the Olympic flag encircled by the words Beijing 2008 and London 2012. It is the first legal tender UK coin to display the Olympic emblem.

The online ticket company Xclusive Tickets is about to go into liquidation. Around 4,329 people who brought tickets from the company are likely to be left out of pocket. However, those who paid by credit card should get a refund. The company hit problems after 18,000 tickets for the Reading, Leeds and V Festivals and the Beijing Olympics did not arrive. A creditors meeting has been called for next month and a helpline will be set up offering advice and information for customer.

Boots has opened its first drive through chemist on the site of a former McDonald's outlet. The chemist aims to fill prescriptions in under two minutes whilst customers wait at the window. It is targeting busy mothers and commuters who need to pick up their drugs quickly. Whilst drive through chemists are common in the US, they are relatively new here in the UK. This branch in Colchester will run as a pilot. If it is successful Boots are likely to  open other branches across the UK.

This article suggests that customers are losing out as some supermarket brands are reducing the pack size but are still charging the same price. Effectively this tactic means customers are paying more for their goods without realising it. Many brands are reluctant to put up prices but instead appear to using this rather underhand method to protect their profits. Some examples include Pampers which have reduced the amount of nappies in some packs whilst keeping the price the same. Dairylea, Pringles, Strongbow and Rolo has all also cut pack sizes without cutting prices.

A Government advisor has said that fatty foods should carry health warnings. Professor David Hunter has said that the NHS could become unaffordable within decades because of the cost of treating conditions linked to obesity. He said that ministers should force manufacturers put warnings on food which contain high amounts of fat, sugar or salt. He also said that warning labels could help to phase unhealthy foods and eventually lead to their withdrawal from the supermarket shelf. Its an interesting idea but personally if I saw a warning on a big chocolate cake, I would still buy the cake. I know it might not be very good for me but I will be off to the gym to work it off after I have eaten it.

According to this article food prices have risen by 9.5% in the last year. The increase is the highest for 15 years and is despite the fact that the main supermarkets claim they have been making cuts. The figure for fresh food is up by 10.8% for the last year according to the British Retail Consortium. The increasing cost of food, fuel, gas and electricity is currently outpacing salary rises and means that many families are having to cut back just to afford the essentials.

Morrisons have cut the price of petrol by 2p in the latest round of the supermarket price wars. Oil prices have recently fallen but oil giants have been criticised for falling to pass on the savings to the consumer. Price reductions can often take weeks to filter through but any cuts should in the wholesale price should reach the pumps within days. However, it appears only the supermarkets are passing on the bulk of these reductions. Morrisons have cut their price by 2p off a litre of diesel and unleaded with Asda saying it will do the same. Tesco have also said it will match the lowest local petrol price at its forecourts.

This article suggests that garlic could lower blood pressure as effectively as drugs. It is based on a study in which scientists monitored patients who were given a daily dose of powered garlic. They found that there were significant blood pressure falls among the patients and that those who had the greatest drop had the higher blood pressure readings to begin with. In some cases the effects were similar to those achieved by common anti blood pressure drugs such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.

The wedding list company Wrapit has called in the administrators leaving 2,000 couples without their wedding gifts. The company which is based in Wandsworth was set up in 2000 and allowed wedding guests to buy presents from an online list. It handled up to 3,000 wedding list a year but has made a loss for the last six years and has failed to honour orders worth £3.5m. HSBC has said it will ensure any guests that used their credit cards will receive a refund but an estimated 20,000 people who brought gifts using switch and Maestro debit or who paid by cheque are unlikely to receive their money back.

If you have a lot of outgoings that need to be settled before you get your pay check, then you might want to look a payday loas The loan as the name suggests is a short team loan designed to give you a bit of extra cash to see you through until you get paid. You can apply for a payday loan online using the three minute application form and it can often be approved within the hour. You just need to have proof of a steady income, proof that you have a bank account and proof of residency. Because Payday Loans are different to personal loans they do not require a credit check so even if you have a poor credit history as long as you meet the criteria you should still be approved.

Richard Branson has launched his mothership, a craft that will soon launch the first space tourists into the atmosphere. The WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft which is named after Branson's mother is capable of reaching a height of 50,000ft. The first passengers are likely to be launched into space in around 18 months time but there is currently no set launch date as safety tests still need to be carried out. More than 250 customers have already paid a $200,000 deposit to be among the first space tourists.

A Cornish creamery has become the first cheese maker to become supreme champion for two years in a row at The Nantwich International Cheese Show. The Davidstow Creamery has been making cheese for more than 50 years using a traditional Cornish recipe and milk produced in Devon and Cornwall. The Nantwich International Cheese Show has over 2,700 entries from 30 countries. Despite this Davidstow won the supreme champion, Champion UK, Reserve Champion UK and a further seven trophies and cups. This cheese sounds really good, I must get some.

The pub group Mitchells & Butlers has acquired 44 restaurants from Whitbread in return for 21 hotel sites. The group whose brands include Harvester and All Bar One currently owns around 2,000 pubs nationwide. The outlets it is gaining currently operate under the Brewers Fayre and Beefeater brands. In exchange Whitbread will get some of its Express by Holiday Inn hotels.

Sony have announced a fall in profits with the net profit down 66.5bn yen from a year ago. The news comes due a strong yen and price competition and is despite the fact that Playstation sales are still strong. Sony have said that that its net profit in the year to March 31 2009 is likely to total 240bn yen down from an earlier forecast made in May of 290bn.

Amazon has beaten its profit forecasts for the three month to the end of June, doubling its profits to $158m. Sales of books, CDs, and DVDs have risen by 31% whilst electronics and other merchandise are up 58%. Analysts have said that Amazon is benefiting from high petrol prices which make shoppers more likely to shop online.

A British schooner has started carrying bottles on wine in a move that could revive the merchant shipping industry. Its first commercial cargo consists of French wine and is being transported on a six day journey to Dublin on the 108 year old ship called the Kathleen & May. The initial contract is with 80 vineyard owners from the Languedoc Roussillon region of France and will carry their bottle from France to Dublin on the tall ship. This form of transport has the advantage that it is pollution free as the ship simply uses wind power rather than emitting carbon dioxide like conventional merchant ships.

European scientists are working on an idea that could use solar energy from the Sahara to power parts of Europe. The plan would see vast fields of solar panels set up in the desert and would cost around £35.7bn. Because the sunlight is more intense the solar panels could generate up to three times the electricity compared with similar panels in Europe. Under the plan countries across Europe would also share electricity from green resources such as wind energy in the UK and Denmark and geothermal energy from Iceland and Italy.

Apple has seen its profits beat forecasts with a rise to $1.07bn in the first fiscal third quarter. They have also issued a warning that the current quarter profits will fail to meet analysts forecasts. Whilst the company's results were ahead of expectations the warning of lower sales concerned investors and sent shares 6% lower.

Marks and Spencer have cut the price of selected men's suits to only £24. It has also cut prices of some dresses to £9 and T-Shirts to £2. The cuts are part of its summer sale, in which they are taking 60% or more off of some items to try and turn around a bad sales performance.

The first half of the year has seen a rise in the amount of money spent on the internet in the UK. Shoppers spent 17p in every pound online with the total internet spend going up by 38% compared to the same period last year. Online sales have now reached nearly 20% of retail spending.

Some of the leading supermarkets have recently cut their fuel prices. The cuts are as a result of the recent drop in oil prices. Asda has dropped its prices by 3p a litre, Morrisons cut prices by 4p and Sainsbury's have said they will offer a 5p a litre reduction for customers who spend £50 or more in store.

Nike has withdrawn its range of Air Stab trainers due to the recent spat of knife crime. The trainers which sell for £90 will be taken off the shelves due to the current regarding knife crime. A spokesman for Nike said 'The shoe was first launched in 1988 as a stability running shoe, hence the name Air Stab. It has nothing to do with knives or knife crime."

The government is looking at introducing a rent first buy later scheme to inject some new life into the housing market. Under the scheme people with household earnings under £60,000would be able to rent a property at a discounted rate for two or three years. They would then have the option to buy part of it. The government hopes that the scheme will benefit 75,000 first time buyer households to get on the property ladder.

Intel has reported a 25% jump in profits for the three months to the end of June. Record sales of laptop chips have boosted the firms income to $1.6bn up from $1.28bn last year. Analysts had feared that demand for computer had been hit by tough economic conditions worldwide but the soaring demand for laptops and notebooks has helped Intel to continue to prosper despite this.

BT is going to invest £1.5bn in fibre optic cables to give around 10 million households access to faster broadband. Under the plans 40% of homes would be able to receive a faster service by 2012. They are also planning on putting fibre optic cables into 1 million homes giving those customers an even faster service. Remaining customers would be offered broadband speeds of between 40 and 60 megabits a second.

The Chancellor has scrapped plans for a 2p rise in fuel duty. The rise was meant to take effect in October but the Chancellor has said he will suspend the rise to help motorists and businesses through the difficult economic conditions. The rise has now been put off until next April when it will be dealt with in his next budget. Road user groups have welcomed the announcement but have said more needs to be done to help motorists and hauliers.

Ministers are looking at cutting stamp duty in an effort to boost the housing market. Under the plan first time buyers could be offered stamp duty "holidays" and other home buyers could have tax rates reduced. Ministers are also looking at the possibility of raising the price bands at which stamp duty is charged. Currently stamp duty in charges at 1% on homes between £125,001 to £250,000, 3% between £250,001 and £500,000 and 4% over £500,000. As a result homebuyers have paid a record amount of stamp duty over the last 10 years according to official figures. I certainly think the price bands need looking at, you can't buy much for less than £125,000 these days, perhaps a shed somewhere and for first time buyers finding that extra cash just to line the governments pockets can be really hard.

This article suggests that some fast food meal contain a whole days' intake of fat or salt. The National Consumer Council criticised the country's seven biggest fast food chains for not making it clear to customers what is in its food. It is calling for restaurants to print nutritional information on menus. The report was particularly critical of Pizza Express which shows no information of the levels of fat, sugar and salt that is in its dishes. Meals from KFC and McDonalds were also revealed to have high levels of ingredients linked to obesity and heart disease. A KFC Tower Burger meal contained nearly a days intake of salt whilst a McDonalds quarter pounder meal had 90% of the the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman. Personally I don't find this is surprisingly. We all know fast food is bad for us and many people only eat it every now and again. The problem comes if you eat food like this everyday.

I was thinking of getting a new car, perhaps something that has a lower fuel consumption to try and cut down on the fuel bills. Before I consider the car itself I thought I would check out an auto loan. Looking around I came across this website called up2drive that specialise in auto loans and say they can lower my payment. They finance all makes and models and have no hidden cost or application fees. You simply complete their secure online credit application and submit it online. The website also has a handy payment estimator so you can input the loan type and amount that you require and get an idea of what the rate will be before you even apply.

The Co-Operative Group has become the country's fifth largest food retailer after agreeing a £1.6billion takeover of Somerfield. The takeover will mean that the Co-op will acquire 3,000 outlets across the country and an eight per cent market share.

Santander have brought Alliance and Leicester for £1.26bn, less than half the UK lender's value at the end of last year. The banks had held talks about a possible deal last December when Santander was prepared to pay nearly 700p a share for the bank. Since then Alliance and Leicester's share price has dropped due to recent market turmoil. Santander will combine Alliance and Leicester with Abbey which it purchased in 2004. It also plans to inject £1bn of capital into Alliance and Leicester to cover rising bad debts and further treasury write downs.

Britain's first eco nightclub has opened in London. The night club offers free entry to cyclists and walkers. It also has its own wind turbines and solar energy systems. The venue has air flush waterless urinals and low flush toilets. It sells all of its drinks in polycarbon cups and has a high tech dance floor that generates its own electricity when people dance on it.

If you are looking for a new pair of glasses you might want to check out these incredible stylish new frames from zenni. The company that makes them Zenni Optical was on FOX news a few weeks ago and received a favourable review based on their claim that they can have you seeing 20-20 for only $20. The website has a huge range of prescription glasses online including their Zenni Optical $8 Rx Eyeglasses which are great if you are on a budget. They also have tinted sunglasses, potochromic lenses and progressive lenses and because they sell their own frames directly to the customer with no middle man you can get a really low price.

When booking a holiday you might want to check the small print to see what is says about fuel surcharges. This article highlights a case where a couple were hit with a surcharge of £892 a few months before they were due to set off on a cruise holiday. In their case the extra charge was simply too much to afford and they had no choice but to cancel the holiday. Unfortunately because the charges amounted to £8 less than 10% of the total holiday cost they were not entitled to a refund of the £900 deposit they had paid for the £9,000 holiday.