This is interesting it’s a virtual stock trading game that allows you to trade stocks without having to risk any capital. You can build up your portfolio based upon real time stock market quotes and then trade against other users. The object of the game is to receive the highest returns on your investments compared to other traders in the tournament. You pay a small fee in order to join a tournament and then receive $100,000 of virtual money which you can invest as you please.  If your investments go well and you win the tournament you then get a cash prize.  It looks like a good way of learning about the markets without losing a great deal of money.

According to this article eating honey can shorten the length of a cold by two days. A trial was conducted on 60 patients who were recruited within 24 hours of them catching a cold. All the patients were given traditional therapies such as decongestants and drugs to lower the temperature but half were also given four tablespoons of honey a day. At the end of the study the researchers found that the patients who had been given the honey had recovered from their colds much more quickly than the others showing a significant difference in the duration of all the symptoms. I will have to remember this, next time I am suffering with a cold.

It could be bad news for tea drinkers if this article is to believed. It suggests that the price of a a cup of tea could rise by as much as 15%. The price rise comes as a combination of rising demand, crop failures and the weak pound. It could mean that leading brands such as PG Tips will increase their prices as much as 50p on a pack of 160 tea bags. Unilever which makes PG Tips has said that it can no longer absorb the extra cost of making tea bags due to increases in commodity costs and that it will need to pass the rises onto consumers.

This strange looking fruit is a Kumato. It’s basically a new variety of tomato which originates from the wild tomato. Unlike normal tomatoes it can be eaten even when it is still green. Apparently when still green it has a mild taste and is good for slicing. As it ripens to a dark brown it is sweeter and slightly spicy and is good in salads. When it finally develops a dark red colour it becomes much sweeter than the conventional tomato. The kumato will go on sale at 50 Marks and Spencer stores from next Monday priced at £2.49 per pack.

There are so many companies offering webhosting that it can be a little daunting deciding which one to choose. We recently switched our hosting to another provider and I spent a lot of time looking around at website like Web Hosting Geeks which offer reviews from people who already use the hosting providers. The website contains useful information such as the top 10 web hosting providers as rated by their users. It also gives awards for categories like the best budget hosting, the best blog hosting and the best multiple domain hosting. This in itself is quite useful especially for someone like me who doesn’t really know much about web hosting but the website also provides lots of other information. The awards not only allow you to see which hosting providers perform best in each of the categories but also provide a useful overview of the service detailing things like how much storage space the provider gives you, how much bandwidth and what level of customer service you are likely to receive. In addition to this you can read the reviews by current customers who are already using the service. All of this makes me feel a little more confident about choosing a hosting provider, after all if a provider has lots of reviews from happy customers then they must be doing something right.

It appears that proms are rapidly becoming big business in the UK but it doesn’t come cheap with parents spending an estimated £258 on tickets, transport and outfits. With this in mind Asda have launched a budget prom dress with a price tag on just £30. It comes in two colours green and pink and you includes matching shoes. The supermarket have also launched a £35 tuxedo for the boys so if you are on a budget the prom doesn’t need to break the bank.

This is an interesting idea, its a computer that could make it impossible for drivers to exceed the speed limit. It works by pinpointing the vehicles location by satellite and accessing a database detailing the roads speeds limit to determine how fast the vehicle should be travelling. The device then limits the cars speed to prevent it going any faster than the speed limit. If the vehicle should leave a 40pmh zone and drive into a 30mph zone the device is able to compensate for this and will gradually slow the car down until it is within the speed limit. The device will be trialled in the summer by TFL when a fleet of cars, buses and black cabs will be fitted with it. TFL believe that it could potentially cut accidents by around 10 per cent. It will be interesting to see how the trial goes.

If you are looking for a bargain then you might want to check the Penny Bazaar promotion which starts today at M&S to celebrate their 125th birthday. The promotion runs from today for three days and during that time they are offering a range of products at only a penny each. The promotion runs in store only and customers can choose up to five products each. Every penny donated will go to the M&S 125 charity challenge which aims to raise £125 million for charities between May and September.

If you are considering having laser eye surgery then you might want to have a look at this useful article from The Daily Mail. The article sums up the main types of laser eye surgery with the advantage and disadvantages of each and the cost of each treatment. It also looks at the risks involved and the mistakes that could occur. You might also want to read my account of laser eye surgery detailing my experience of Wavefront treatment which I had back in 2005. The article describes this treatment as as individualised treatment tailored to the patient and personally I have been very satisfied with the results.

If you want to get married but simply don’t have the money then this idea might be for you. Its a scheme being offered by St Hild and St Helen’s church in Dawdon, County Durham. Under the scheme couples are being offered a virtually free wedding including and organist and outfits for the bride, bridesmaid, bridegroom and mother of the bride. The only condition is that couple take four pre-marital lessons prior to the wedding at a cost of £50.

According to this article ministers have backed plans to give restaurant workers fair pay. Under new rules restaurant workers could face jail or a £5,000 fine from October if they use tips to make up staff wages. Currently some restaurants pay workers a low wage but use staff tips to make the wage up to the legal minimum. In some cases waiters are being paid as little at £3 an hour by employers and have to rely upon tips to make up the rest of their salary. It is estimated that around 60,000 staff could see their salaries increase after the new rules come into force.

Sainsbury’s have posted better than expected profits with a 11.3% rise to £543 million. The supermarket has said that like for like sales rose by 4.5% in the year to the 21st of March. The rise is put down to the increasing population of their Basics range and the Jamie Oliver Feed Your Family For a Fiver campaign which has been running on TV. The profits mean that Sainsbury’s staff will share a bonus pot of £60 million, compared to last year’s £47 million.