How To Increase The Population

Don’t be surprised if the streets are empty and curtains drawn in this central Russian region Wednesday as residents take up an offer by the regional governor to help stem Russia’s demographic crisis. Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov has decreed Sept. 12 a Day of Conception and is giving couples time off from work to procreate. Couples who give birth nine months later on Russia’s national day — June 12– will receive money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes. It’s the third year that the Volga River region, about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held the contest. Since then, the number of competitors — and the number of babies born — has been on the rise. June 12 is a significant day because it is the holiday known as Russia Day (when the Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty in 1990).

Russia’s population has dropped since the 1991 Soviet collapse (one year after parliament formally declared its sovereignty), fed by declining birth rates, a low life expectancy, a spike in emigration, a frayed health care system and other factors. Just 311 women signed up to take part in the first competition, in 2005, and qualify for a half-day off from work. The next June, 46 more babies were born in Ulyanovsk’s 25 hospitals compared to the previous June, including 28 born on June 12. Women who give birth to their second or third child receive $10,000 vouchers to pay for education or home repairs. Couples preparing for conception day have given local lingerie stores a financial boost. The town hall also has seen an increase in marriages among wannabe parents.

$300 Toaster Anyone?

High-end auto maker Bugatti is driving into the gadget/home appliance business, giving everyone the chance to spend way too much money on something just because of a brand name. Bugatti is bringing their experience with engineering sports cars into the equally fast-paced world of toasters. Talk about degrading a name. Don’t put this on your Christmas list just yet… Price: $300 a toaster. Perhaps this one toasts bread really really fast. White bread to burnt bread in 8.8 seconds!

Average Price of a Meal in London: $79

London is the most expensive dining capital in the world, restaurant rating company Zagat said Tuesday. The average meal in London costs just over $79, beating out Paris, at nearly $72 and Tokyo, at just over $71, according to the company’s survey of 5,300 Londoners. That makes eating out in the British capital more than twice as expensive as New York, where the average meal costs $39. London is already the world’s second-costliest city. Moscow was rated as the world’s most expensive, while New York, which served as the survey’s base, ranked 15th. Wonder if the food is even good. I never hear about how astonishing British food tastes.

Due To Knife Attacks In Britain, Parents Are Sending Their Children to School In Armor

British parents are buying stab-proof school uniforms to guard their children against knife crimes. Bladerunner, a company based in London’s east, added kevlar-lined uniforms to a range of clothing that also includes knife-resistant hooded tops, T-shirts and gloves. Kevlar is a synthetic fibre that can be spun into fabric five times stronger than steel and is used in armoured vests worn by British troops in Iraq. Hey! Another way to make money from crime.

The uniforms, which cost $311, have been developed amid growing concern about the number of teenagers who have been stabbed to death. Barry Samms, one of the firm’s directors, said the company initially produced stab-proof hooded tops that were bought by teenagers. “Since then we had a small amount parents contacting us and asking if we could do something similar with their kids’ uniforms so we have been modifying them for them,” says Mr. Samms. So what if the attacker were to aim for the throat? They should make turtlenecks.

Tourism Between The U.S. and Europe’s Affluent To Escalate Despite Out Weak Dollar

For Americans visiting Europe this summer, the steep decline of the dollar against the euro and the British pound has made eye-popping prices a lamentable part of the traveler’s tale. By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe’s great capitals. But the dollar’s latest plunge — to $2.05 to the pound and to a record of $1.38 to the euro — has turned mere sticker shock into a form of suspended disbelief for many tourists. The tourism statistics in France, Germany, Spain and other countries, which show that the number of Americans visiting Europe has increased this year, even as the value of the dollar has eroded. Travel experts say this speaks both to the resilience and rising affluence of American tourists, as well as to the perennial appeal of Europe as a destination. Imagine if Europeans made an “American Vacation” movie (as opposed to Chevy Chase’s “European Vacation“).

“Americans who visit Europe tend to be more educated, with higher incomes, so they are less affected by the exchange rate,” said Joachim Scholz, a researcher at the German National Tourist Board. “Even backpackers have more money than they used to, if you look at the price of hostels.” Americans spent $3.8 billion on travel-related services in Europe in the first quarter of this year, a 5.5% increase from the quarter a year ago, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. They spent $22.8 billion in 2006, nearly 10% more than in 2002.

Across the Atlantic, the weaker dollar has encouraged a European travel boom to the United States. The currency squeeze is toughest on Americans who live in Europe and are paid in dollars. They suffer from erosion in their real income that, in many cases, is not fully compensated by their employers.

Make Sure Your Prepared For Everything. Yes! Anything Can Happen to YOU

Only 40% of American companies have any type of travel risk-management program in place to help employees deal with medical emergencies, kidnapping and extortion threats or any of the other problems that can occur when traveling abroad, said Craig Banikowski, chairman of the global risk-management committee for the National Business Travel Association. The numbers are even more dismal when it comes to small business or the sole proprietor who travels. “People are under the impression that nothing bad can happen to them,” Mr. Banikowski said. “And if something does, they believe the embassy is going to step in and make everything right.” Truth is… “embassies can only do so much,” said Randy Spivey, executive director of the Safe Travel Institute, which provides survival training and travel risk-reduction training to companies like Wal-Mart and Boeing. “Business travelers have to take some responsibility to help themselves.” Small businesses and entrepreneurs do not have the resources of large corporations, but they can still mitigate risks. For example, experts suggest that you check out State Department warnings and advisories at travel.state.gov. The site also provides comprehensive information on other travel-related matters, including the role that United States embassies play when a traveler gets into trouble. They advise registering your trip with the State Department at http://travelregistration.state.gov/. Save those two sites for future travel.

• Make copies of all important documents, like a passport, credit cards, driver’s license and medical information and leaving a copy with a colleague or family member. Consider scanning and e-mailing these documents to yourself.
• Before going abroad for business/pleasure, find out if your medical policy covers sickness and injuries overseas. Even if policies do promise reimbursement, travelers probably will have to pay any costs upfront for medical care. Most insurance policies do not cover medical evacuation, which can easily run into the six figures.
• Purchase international health insurance. Some, for example, could range from a 10-day program for $80, which includes access to its 28 global alarm centers, medical assistance and evacuation, etc., to $4 to $6 a day for medical evacuation and cashless access to its worldwide network of 4,000 English-speaking doctors and 750 hospitals.

36% of Europeans in five countries name America as the No. 1 danger to world peace

Europeans consistently regard the United States as the biggest threat to world stability. A survey carried out in June by Harris Research for the Financial Times shows that 32% of respondents in five European countries regard the United States as a bigger threat than any other state. Yay for us.

In the U.S. itself, North Korea and Iran are seen as the biggest risks. However, the youngest American respondents share the Europeans’ view that the United States is the biggest threat, with 35% of American 16- to 24-year-olds identifying their own country as the chief danger to stability. The latest poll comes in the wake of the “surge” that has increased U.S. forces in Iraq to about 160,000 troops, but has not been accompanied by political breakthroughs or a dramatic reduction of violence.”It is evidence of the continued estrangement between the European public and the Bush administration, in spite of a real improvement in official ties,” said Ron Asmus, head of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund, which works to bolster transatlantic ties. “It is proof that the next president will be confronted with the major challenge of improving America’s image abroad, starting with Europe and our main allies.”

European poll respondents — who come from Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Britain — are increasingly concerned about China, which 19% perceive as the biggest threat, up from 12% last July. Meanwhile, 17% identify Iran as the biggest threat, 11% Iraq and 9% North Korea.