Why Gordon Ramsey never lets his kids fly first class

Gordon Ramsay is known the world over for his exquisite food and his fiery television personality. His hard work and dedication to his craft has increased his net worth to an estimated $54 million, according to Forbes.

But don’t let his money fool you. Ramsay and his wife, Tana, may enjoy a few of the finer things in life, but they are working hard to ensure their children know the value of hard work.

“I’ve never been really turned on about the money,” Ramsay recently told The Telegraph. “That’s not my number one objective, and that’s reflected in the way the kids are brought up.”

Gordon Ramsay and his family

Ramsay added that he and his wife are so strict when it comes to not spoiling their children that when they travel together, their four kids — Matilda, 15, Jack and Holly, 17, and Megan, 18 — must make the journey in coach, while their parents enjoy the high life in first class.

“They don’t sit with us in first class. They haven’t worked anywhere near hard enough to afford that. At that age, at that size, you’re telling me they need to sit in first class? No, they do not. We’re really strict on that,” he said. “I turn left with Tana and they turn right and I say to the chief stewardess, ‘Make sure those little f------ don’t come anywhere near us, I want to sleep on this plane.' I worked my f------ a--- off to sit that close to the pilot and you appreciate it more when you’ve grafted for it.”

Each child, Ramsay added, is given about $50 a week to pay for their own phones and their bus fare. In addition to financial responsibilities, each of the children also learned how to cook so they understand how to feed themselves.

“They all cook as a life skill as opposed to a career,” Ramsay said. “I never want to put that onus on them. I don’t want them with a badge, going into a kitchen [with people] thinking that’s Ramsay’s daughter or that’s Ramsay’s son.”

On top of sitting in coach and having to cook despite having a world-class chef for a father, the Ramsay kids will also have to forge their own fortunes. As Ramsay said, his money is "certainly not going to them."

"I’ve been super lucky, having that career for the last 15 years in the US. Seriously, it has earned a fortune and I’ve been very lucky, so I respect everything I’ve got," he said.

Source: www.businessinsider.com

UAE is the second safest country in the world

The UAE has been ranked the second safest country in the world by the World Economic Forum (WEF), up one position from 2016.

WEF has profiled 136 countries for safety and security and the UAE fell right behind Finland and also won the highest spot in the Gulf region.

The UAE also holds the title for the third best air transfer infrastructures in the world, in both connectivity and the quality of its services. It has recorded a surge in visitors in the past two years, welcoming 14.4 million international visitors in 2015, four million more than 2013 and 2014. Dubai alone reached a staggering 14.9 million tourists in 2016.

Dubai is now the fourth most visited city in the world and tourists spend more in the emirate compared to any other destination. Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing revealed that at this rate, Dubai could be achieving its goal of 20 million visitors by 2020.  Even Abu Dhabi is showing signs of competitiveness as it is now the third fastest-growing city in the world and tops in the Middle East with a 19.8 growth rate.

The UAE has always been well known for making its residents and tourists feel safe at any time of the day. A recent report by the RTA uncovered possessions found in its ‘lost and found’ by Dubai taxis. The most precious items were a handbag with $20,000 inside and up to 44kg of gold in two separate occasions. The items were all returned to their rightful owners.

Popular holiday destinations such as the United Kingdom and the United States took some of the lowest rankings for safety, coming in at 78th and 84th.

Other countries in the Middle East that rounded up the top 10 for safety and security included Oman, which came in fourth, and Qatar, which filled in the 10th spot.

Source: www.propertyfinder.ae

Fernando Alonso fifth in Indy 500 qualifying as Scott Dixon takes pole

Fernando Alonso will start his first Indianapolis 500 from the middle of the second row of the grid after qualifying fifth for the race on 28 May.

The McLaren Formula 1 driver set an average of 231.300mph on his four-lap qualifying run, while New Zealander Scott Dixon took pole at 232.164mph.

It was an impressive performance from the two-time F1 champion - he had not driven an IndyCar until this month.

Alonso said he was "happy" but had been slightly delayed by an engine issue.

"I think the car was better than yesterday," he said. "We had an over-boost problem (with the turbocharger) in the final corner, so the engine was like hitting the brakes and I lost a bit."

The Spaniard said this cost him 0.3-0.4mph on his average, which equates to the difference between fifth and either second or third.

Alonso, whose engine needed to be changed between final practice earlier on Sunday and qualifying, added on his Instagram account: "With everything that has happened today being among the top five is a dream.

"Fifteen days ago I would never have thought about fighting for the pole. Thanks to the whole team. Now another week of learning and race next weekend."

To put Alonso's performance into context, 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell qualified eighth on his debut in 1993, in what was the Englishman's fourth IndyCar race after switching to the US-based series.

Alonso's first taste of Indianapolis was in his 'rookie' test on 4 May. He is missing next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix to race at the speedway as part of his quest to win the so-called 'triple crown' of Monaco, which he has won twice, Indy and the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is directly behind two former F1 drivers on the grid.

American Alexander Rossi, who had a brief career with the back-of-the-grid Caterham and Marussia teams, was third and Japan's Takuma Sato, who raced in 90 grands prix for the Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri teams, was fourth.

American Ed Carpenter takes the middle slot on the three-car front row.

Rossi won the Indy 500 from 11th on the grid last year, an illustration of the fact that qualifying positions are not of great importance in predicting race form at the so-called 'Brickyard'.

That is because the set-up of the cars is changed significantly between qualifying and race to ensure drivers can run consistently in heavy traffic during a 500-mile race that is usually punctuated by several 'caution' periods in which drivers are restricted to reduced speeds behind a pace car.

Alonso was consistently fast through the days of practice last week, whether running in qualifying or race trim.

None of the British drivers in the field were in the 'fast nine'. Ed Jones was 11th on his debut, followed by Max Chilton in 15th, Jay Howard in 20th, Jack Harvey in 27th and Pippa Mann in 28th.

Source: http://www.bbc.com

Pipelines are simply the safest way to move energy

Robert Bradley contrasts the safety of pipelines – the safest way to move energy – with the myths perpetuated by anti-growth opponents of energy development.

Our associates from the Institute for Energy Research, who shared this guest post, recently published in Forbes, with us.

Have you heard? Transporting oil through pipelines is a threat to humanity! The many accidents highlighted in the press speak for themselves.

Except that pipeline accidents are rare enough to be big news—and many of those accounts contain exaggerations. Too often, they imply that pipelines, really the energy they carry, should be phased down and out.

Before (left) and after (right) photos of pipeline development

Welcome to the war on fossil fuels, where every mishap is portrayed as the Bad News Bears. It is as if accident-free, effortless alternatives were at the ready.

Consider the recent article from Michigan that Enbridge Line 5, piping crude oil through the Great Lake State’s upper and lower peninsulas, has spilled 1.1 million gallons of oil since 1968.

The catch is, the majority of these incidents happened decades ago, the most significant occurring in 1968, 1972, and 1990.

The real news, in other words, is that technological advances have made pipelines safer than ever. But that lead goes unmentioned. Or it is buried, which may be how the author wishes fossil fuels to remain.

Then, there’s this: an article in the Philadelphia Inquirerreports that “fearful” parents of children attending schools near the soon-to-be-built Mariner 2 pipeline are demanding evacuation routes in case of pipeline leakage.

It is barely mentioned that construction of this pipeline, which will move liquid gas from Pittsburgh to the Marcus Hook refinery in Eastern Pennsylvania, will be heavily regulated and subject to strict oversight. And, more importantly, self-regulated since accidents can ruin the reputation and finances of any company.

Have there been accidents in the 150 years since oil pipelines have been in use? Of course. And a spill or a crack, no matter the magnitude, is never good. But the happy truth is that rapidly advancing technology in pipeline construction and operation is improving safety.

Headlines aside, what is the record of pipeline safety?

In 2016 the number of oil pipeline accidents fell 10 percent from the previous year. Trend-wise, incidents that specifically affected the public and environment ticked up about five years ago, but have since levelled off. That’s because any spike in accidents spurs an immediate, industry-wide effort toward brining numbers back down.

What’s more, nearly 70 percent of pipeline accidents in 2016 only affected operator facilities like pump stations and tank farms. And 60 percent of incidents leaked only miniscule amount of liquid – five barrels or less.

So where are the good-news headlines?

Also, consider that America’s 500,000 miles of interstate pipeline are far safer than any other method of moving crude and petroleum products.

This is evident when comparing the number of pipeline accidents to oil transportation by road and rail. The former, with 19.95 accidents per billion ton-miles, is the least safe method, followed by the latter, with 2.08 miles per billion ton miles. Oil pipelines, by comparison, have .058 mishaps per billion ton-miles.

Similarly, pipelines keep operators and the general public out of harm’s way. Between 2005 and 2009, for example, the average fatality rate for natural gas pipelines was one per year. During the same time span, rail averaged nearly three, and road transport more than 10.

The statistics are so convincing that even those who oppose pipelines can’t credibly deny their safety.

“Many studies say that using a pipeline as a conduit is safer than rail travel and truck travel,” noted New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo — who has repeatedly blocked pipeline projects in his state. “Realistically you have to move fuel, so a pipeline is the safest way if it’s done right.”

The most interesting part of Cuomo’s statement is the qualifier “if it’s done right.” The governor likely knows, though his fellow skeptics are loath to admit, that there are a multitude of measures in place to ensure that oil travels securely through pipelines.

Pipeline operators are constantly evaluating safety procedures and launching new initiatives, including several that help prepare the public to spot and report any possible defects.

Back in 2014, the industry launched the Pipeline Safety Initiative — tasked with revamping everything from inspection technology to emergency response resources.

And 100 percent of pipelines are regularly monitored, both on the ground and aerially.

No wonder then that 99.999 percent of crude oil shipped via pipeline reaches its destination safely.

Another category of the untold (versus the bad news) is the benefits of pipelines for America’s economy.

Consider the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, both long-delayed but now green-lit by President Donald Trump. The Keystone will support 42,100 jobs and generate $2 billion in earnings, while the Dakota Access has already created 12,000 and $3.5 billion worth of investment.

Currently, workers are getting Dakota ready for action by June 1. And despite headlines to the contrary, Dakota is completely safe. The steel that walls the pipe is 50 percent thicker than legally mandated, and the pipeline will be monitored aerially on a weekly basis.

These projects are consumer-driven and pay taxes, not politically-driven tax takers. And that oil feeds refineries that fuel 253 million cars and trucks, 7,000 airplanes, and trains on 600 freight railroads traversing the United States.

Americans should read any news of petroleum pipeline mishaps with caution. While any spill or other accident is one too many, as anyone in the industry will tell you, the trends are positive.

Pipelines are not only the safest way to move oil, but they are now, thanks to technology and rigorous industry standards, safer than ever. All across the country, construction is underway on pipelines that will provide energy and jobs to millions of Americans.

Now that’s something worth reporting.

Source: http://naturalgasnow.org

Eni starts production from Jangkrik offshore Indonesia

Italian energy company Eni has kicked off gas production from its Jangkrik fields offshore Indonesia.

Eni said production from the fields would ramp up to 83,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The 10 wells are connected to the Jangkrik floating production unit.

From there, gas will be transported ashore through a 79kilometre long pipeline.

Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi said: “We are very proud of what we have achieved with the Jangkrik Development Project.

“The completion of the project and the start-up of production ahead of schedule further confirm Eni’s strategy and global capabilities.

“Furthermore, it provides the opportunity for the Jangkrik Floating Production Unit to become a hub for the development of our nearby gas discovery Merakes, which could start production within the next two years.

“We will consolidate our near field exploration strategy and operating model and maximize the integrated development of our projects also in Indonesia.”

Eni is the operator with a 55% stake of the Muara Bakau PSC through its subsidiary Eni Muara Bakau BV.

The other partners are Engie E&P with 33.334% and PT Saka Energi Muara Bakau with 11.666%.

Source: www.energyvoice.com

Ferrari races chariot on ‘Ben-Hur’ track

In a modern spin on “Ben-Hur,” a Ferrari took on a two-horse chariot Thursday at a dirt track near Rome.

Fabio Barone spotted the chariot a half-lap headstart and also agreed not to use the traction-control technology on his Ferrari 458, Agence France-Press reported.

He still won, by a few seconds.

The duel took place on the track built at Cinecittà World for last year’s remake of the movie “Ben-Hur.”

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com

How Shell, Eni got enmeshed in $1 Billion Scandal: QuickTake Q&A

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA have become entangled in a $1.1 billion bribery scandal involving a field in Nigeria that could potentially hold enough crude to meet three months of the world’s demand. At least three countries are probing the companies, and Italian prosecutors have named Eni’s Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi and Shell’s former head of exploration and production, Malcolm Brinded, among people who could be prosecuted. Nigeria’s anti-graft agency also filed charges against the companies in March.

1. How did this begin?

In 1998, Nigeria’s military dictator Sani Abacha awarded Oil Prospecting License 245 in deep waters off Nigeria’s southern coast to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd., a Lagos-based company connected to then-Petroleum Minister Dan Etete. Under successive governments, the license was canceled, awarded to Shell, and then awarded to Malabu again. Finally, in 2011, Shell and Eni paid the government $1.3 billion, including about $200 million as a signature bonus -- a onetime fee charged by some oil-producing nations -- to nail down the contract once and for all.

2. Was that improper?

Not on the face of it. The problem arose, according to prosecutors, when it became clear that most of the money paid by Shell and Eni had been passed on, rather than kept, by Nigeria’s government.

3. Where did the money go?

Prosecutors in Milan allege that Shell and Eni paid almost $1.1 billion -- everything but the $200 million “signature bonus” -- into an escrow account for the Nigerian government, from which about $800 million was later transferred to the Nigerian accounts of Malabu to be distributed as payoffs. Almost half a billion dollars was transferred to money changers around the Nigerian capital to convert into cash to be divvied up among officials, including then-President Goodluck Jonathan (who has denied wrongdoing), according to the court papers. They include more than $50 million withdrawn by a single local businessman and another $50 million in cash delivered to the Nigerian home of Eni executive, Roberto Casula, the prosecutors allege.

4. What does Shell say?

For years Shell maintained it hadn’t known that any of the money would go to Malabu. In April it made an about-turn, conceding it had known that Nigeria “would compensate Malabu to settle its claim on the block” and that “the only way to resolve the impasse through a negotiated settlement was to engage with Etete and Malabu, whether we liked it or not.” The admission followed the publication by Buzzfeed and Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore of leaked internal emails showing Shell staff discussing the risk that the money could ultimately be used for payoffs. Still, Shell maintains its 2011 purchase was “fully legal”; its legal director Donny Ching said the company believes there was “no inappropriate conduct by any Shell company or its staff.”

5. And Eni?

Eni too denies any wrongdoing. The company said in February that an independent investigation found no credible evidence of the involvement of Eni staff in corrupt activities.

6. Which executives might face charges?

Italian prosecutors are targeting 11 people. They include five Eni executives, among them Descalzi and Paolo Scaroni, the former Eni CEO who is now vice chairman of NM Rothschild & Sons. Four Shell employees including Brinded, Nigerian officials including Etete, and various others who acted as intermediaries are also identified in the court papers. Eni shareholders re-elected Descalzi as CEO in April. Scaroni didn’t immediately return a call to his mobile phone, and Brinded didn’t return a call to his office. Etete’s lawyer, Antonio Secci, said by phone: “We believe Malabu’s business is lawful and transparent.”

7. What’s the status of the investigations?

Judge Giuseppina Barbara in Milan is hearing arguments to decide whether the case against Eni, Shell, Descalzi and 10 others should go ahead, with a final decision due as soon as June. Prosecutors are bringing separate proceedings against Shell employees including two former members of British intelligence who acted as advisers and Brinded, now chairman of the Shell Foundation, its charitable arm, according to the Milan court papers. In March, Nigeria’s anti-graft agency filed new charges against Shell and Eni alleging they “corruptly” paid the $800 million, according to court papers. Officials from the Dutch Financial Intelligence & Investigation Service and public prosecutor have also been investigating the matter, visiting Shell offices in The Hague last year.

8. What’s at stake?

The 9 billion barrels of potential resources in OPL 245 could be worth $450 billion at a $50-a-barrel oil price. Though some of that will go to the Nigerian government, the companies still stand to make a lot of money. If found guilty, they face fines and revocation of licenses to do business. Descalzi, Brinded and others could go to prison. There’s also the damage to the corporate reputations. The Shell Foundation has poured millions into local development to project an image of a good corporate citizen acting responsibly in the developing countries where it does business. Violation of “anti-bribery and corruption legislation or anti-money laundering legislation could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and, financial condition,” Shell said in its last annual report.

9. How important is Nigeria to Shell?

Shell, which first exported crude from Nigeria almost 60 years ago, has been selling its leases in the country after militant attacks forced it to shut some operations. Still, Shell remains Nigeria’s biggest producer, and it gets about 7 percent of its global output from the country, according to the annual report. Its biggest liquefied natural gas project is in Nigeria and is fed by gas from its fields in the area.

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Icebergs to be towed from Antarctica to the Middle East

Brrr, it’s about to get cold here in the UAE. Yes, we’re very aware that summer is knocking on our doors but we’re still going to brrr. Why, you say? Well, because the UAE is being the UAE again.

The United Arab Emirates is currently planning to tow icebergs from Antarctica to its coast to solve its issues with drinking water. Our country is among the top 10 water-scarce countries in the world, and yet has one of the highest water consumption rates across the globe.

To meet the rising demand, the National Advisor Bureau announced the plans and sees the opportunity to move an iceberg, which on average contains 20 billion gallons of fresh water, as the perfect way of pumping more fresh water into the region.

Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi, managing director of National Advisor Bureau Limited, has also said: “The icebergs would mainly be towed to be used as fresh drinking water but would also be good for tourism.”

Source:www.msn.com

NASA auditors criticize spacesuit development

Despite spending nearly $200 million on spacesuit development over the last eight years, NASA runs the risk of not having a next-generation spacesuit ready for testing on the International Space Station before the station is retired, the agency’s auditors warned.

In an April 26 report, NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) also warned that NASA’s declining current inventory of spacesuits, developed in the 1970s, pose a risk to continued operations of the ISS, particularly if its life is extended to the late 2020s.

Those current spacesuits, formally known as Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), are used for spacewalks outside the ISS. A key element of the suit is its Primary Life Support System (PLSS), the backpack-like structure that houses equipment to regulate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the suit and control its temperature.

NASA built 18 PLSS units, but only 11 remain available for use today. Of those 11, four are considered flight-ready today and are on the ISS, with the other seven in various stages of disassembly or testing on the ground.

The OIG report warned that further losses of PLSS units, either from launch failures or because of irreparable damage, could jeopardize NASA’s ability to perform spacewalks outside the station, which in turn could affect station maintenance. The agency said that the current supply of spacesuits should be sufficient to support station operations, but auditors were not convinced.

“NASA will be challenged to continue to support the EVA needs of the ISS with the current fleet of EMUs through 2024 — a challenge that will escalate significantly if Station operations are extended to 2028,” the report concluded.

NASA has ruled out building additional PLSS units, citing a cost as high as $250 million per unit given their old technology. Instead, NASA has worked on new spacesuit designs, including those that could support future missions beyond Earth orbit. Those efforts, though, have suffered a series of problems, according to the OIG report.

Auditors were particularly critical of the Constellation Space Suit System program, which started with a 2009 contract to Oceaneering International to develop a spacesuit as part of the Constellation exploration program. NASA kept that contract active until January 2016 despite the cancellation of the overall Constellation program in 2010, spending a total of $135.6 million on it, including $80.8 million after NASA cancelled Constellation.

The report criticized NASA for extending the program, with a new focus on developing spacesuit technologies, in part because it duplicated work on another NASA effort, the Advanced Space Suit Project. Technologies being developed by that project were often more advanced than those being developed simultaneously by the Constellation suit program, auditors found, even though NASA spent nearly three times as much on the Constellation contract.

The Advanced Space Suit Project, though, has had issues of its own, including a lack of defined destinations for NASA exploration missions that affect spacesuit design as well as “competing funding priorities” that meant that the project was funded for only half of the 2016 fiscal year.

That project is now working on a spacesuit design known as an Exploration EMU, or xEMU, that will start with a prototype called xEMU Lite to be tested on the ISS. Current schedules call for that suit to be delivered to the station in 2023 for testing. “This schedule leaves only one year for testing before the Station’s planned 2024 retirement,” the report stated, but added that “extending ISS operations beyond 2024 would alleviate this schedule pressure.”

A third program, the Orion Crew Survival Suit, is a pressure suit designed for use in the Orion spacecraft and is based on the Advanced Crew Escape System suits used during the shuttle program. That program, too, is facing schedule pressures, with a delivery of the suits currently planned just five months before the current launch date for the first crewed Orion mission in August 2021. That date, though, may be delayed, based on a recent separate OIG review of NASA’s exploration programs.

NASA has spent nearly $200 million on those three next-generation spacesuit programs. “Despite this investment, the Agency remains years away from having a flight-ready spacesuit capable of replacing the EMU or suitable for EVA use on future exploration missions,” the report concluded.

Auditors made several recommendations to NASA, including creating a formal plan for developing a next-generation spacesuit, performing a trade study comparing maintaining the current EMU spacesuits versus developing a new one, and apply lessons learned from existing spacesuit efforts to new designs. NASA accepted all three recommendations, and plans to have a spacesuit development plan completed by the end of September.

Source: http://spacenews.com

Kim Kardashian’s doctor says her bum is ‘too big’ and compares to a ‘deflated balloon’

Cosmetic surgeon Aaron Rollins is believed to have worked on 36-year-old Kim’s derrière – although she firmly denies any surgery, but says her bum is “too big”, and that people now come to him asking for her younger sister Kylie Jenner’s bottom instead.

Following the release of Kim’s un-airbrushed bikini pictures, he told The Mail Online: “Let her serve as a lesson to anyone who wants to make a body part bigger.

“If they have cellulite there before the procedure, then it will be there afterwards, too. People need to think about that or it will look bad like Kim’s.

“It’s very big, maybe too big.”

He went on to explain that how the alleged transferring of fat from Kim’s waist to her bum won’t make for cellulite free skin.

“Fat was taken from her waist and put into her bottom. But it’s transferring problem fat to another area,” said the doctor.

“Problem fat is problem fat wherever it is. It grows in the same way as it would in the place it was taken from.

“Kim has had two children, she has put on weight and then lost it, then gained it again and lost it again. It’s like blowing up a balloon and then letting the air out – there are ripples. No wonder it looks like that.”

Offering little hope to the reality queen, he added: “She has everything going against her and there is nothing she can do about it – apart from get the airbrush out.”

The mother-of-two has lost more than 100,000 Instagram followers since un-airbrushed photos from her holiday in Mexico emerged this week, sparking a media storm.

She was attacked online as trolls said the snaps of her imperfect behind – displaying some cellulite – were clearly different from airbrushed photos she often posts on social media.

Fans were quick to turn on Kim, who “broke the internet” two years ago with a picture of her balancing a glass of champagne on her bottom, for constantly flaunting her “fake body parts”.

Kim, who still has 98.8million followers on Instagram, ranted at the global furore.

She said: “I’ve seen perspective is a b****. I’ll work on taking videos with better lighting & angles. F*** you.” She deleted the post one minute later.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk