One of the Isle of Man’s richest residents has told how this is a ‘wonderful time’ to be alive.

Businessman Jim Mellon, estimated in the Sunday Times Rich List to be worth £850 million, says it will not be many years time before people can expect to live to 120.

And with advances in bio medicines and research he fully expects cancer to be curable or at least reduced from being a life-threatening disease to being a chronic condition.

He also believes there are superb chances for the Isle of Man to develop its so-called biomed sector.

Mr Mellon, an Isle of Man resident, employs around 400 people here through his interests in businesses.

He told Business News he was excited by the future prospects for local businesses he has a concern in. These include the Manx Financial Group, which owns Conister Bank. These were also exciting times for Sleepwell Hotels, he said.

The Claremont Hotel in Douglas, a member of the Sleepwell chain, was the setting for last week’s second ManxBioMed Conference. It attracted more than 100 delegates from all corners of the biomed industry.

Mr Mellon, who denies charges that he is the Isle of Man’s version of US tycoon Warren Buffett, was a keynote speaker and gave the audience, many of whom had braved the windy conditions to fly from across the world, plenty to think about.

He said: ‘[The number of] people dying from cancer will fall dramatically in the next few years. Already in the developed world 75 per cent of patients with cancer live beyond five years.

‘There is an accumulation of lots of little different things reducing our chance of early death.

‘And, as they say, many, many raindrops, billions of raindrops create a flood and we are at that point at the moment.

‘In scientific discovery that flood is almost upon us.

‘So it’s a wonderful time to be alive.

‘And cancer is on its way to be curable or at least to become a chronic condition.’

Mr Mellon was introduced to the audience by event chairman Professor David Onions as a legend and one of the world’s leading investors in bio technology and other enterprises.

Mr Mellon has recently written a new book called Fast Forward which touches upon life sciences and it reinforces in his mind that ‘this is the most interesting, exciting business that you can be in in the world.’

He added: ‘Why is it that we live much much longer than the people from the caveman era, who lived ostensibly a much healthier lifestyle? The answer is modern medicine.

‘That pace of scientific advance that we have all benefitted from is accelerating.’

He added: ‘We are going to live in a world of life extension. There is a sign on the way in from San Francisco airport which says: ‘‘The first person to be alive till 150 years old is alive today.’’ ’

He said that he absolutely believes that this will happen, ‘barring war or famine, all of which I hope don’t befall our modern world.’

He added: ‘This is all due to the fusion of modern science. Medical advance with computer technology.

‘We live in an era of incredible advance where one by one disease is being knocked down and many diseases have been turned from [being] terminal into chronic conditions or indeed in the case of Hepatitis C being curable.’

Mr Mellon said HIV is now ‘a long term chronic condition and not a death sentence which it was 15 years ago.’

He added: ‘Robotic surgery is also coming into its own.’

Mr Mellon said the Isle of Man was well placed to expand its biomed cluster.

link with university

During last year’s inaugural biomed conference Mr Mellon had suggested the island should seek some sort of link with a university. He was pleased to see that Courtenay Heading, co-founder, Manx BioMed Cluster had been forging connections with the University of Manchester.

He said: ‘I like the idea that the Isle of Man attracts rich people for tax purposes to this lovely environment. And the rich people will then spend money on lawyers, accountants and financial services.’

He added that the island could be ideal for clinical trials, to bring wealthy people here and they would fund clinical trials with their own money. That would open up a whole new array of trial activity which otherwise is underfunded. There are plenty of compounds out there that need trials done on them.

‘But fundamentally I think the Isle of Man has the right focus which is to concentrate on services, high value added assemblies and manufacturing.

‘Look at the London model of co-investment, that’s the Mayor of London’s fund, to co-invest along with entrepreneurs.Keep the focus on university linkages and stay away from pure scientific research because this is not the place to do it, at least not yet.

‘But overall I’m incredibly excited the Isle of Man has joined in the enthusiastic chorus for what is the most exciting business on the planet and will remain so for the rest of our very very long lives to come.’

Speaking to Business News after the presentation Mr Mellon said the current life expectation level is around 90 ‘and I think it will go to 120 and then beyond.’ He added: ‘Life expectancy is rising by around one and a half a decade but that’s going to accelerate.’

On another issue for which he has spoken about in recent times and is touched upon in his new book, Mr Mellon firmly believes driverless cars will be here in a few years.

He told Business News: ‘[They are] very safe, you can go home after a few drinks without any worry, you can send your children to school without having to drive them there. They will come here within 10 years all over Europe.’ Asked if driverless cars would become a familiar sight in the Isle of Man he said: ‘I hope so,’ and he indicated he would probably be one of the first to buy one.

He has also been referred to in some quarters as Britain’s Warren Buffett. Asked about this Mr Mellon. who has two homes in the Isle of Man, told Business News: ‘The answer is definitely no. He’s a lot older, a lot richer and a lot better invester.

‘And I don’t think that you should sit on a huge big pile of money and just make more of it. I think that you should do good or enjoy it, or possibly both.’

Dr Lorin Johnson, founder of American based Salix Pharmaceuticals gave the keynote scientific address.

He told Business News he hoped by telling the story of his business he could inspire budding enrepreneurs.

His business was started in a bedroom and has now built to being worth around 8 billion dollars and employing arround 374 people.

gold rush mentality

He spoke of the ‘gold rush mentality’ that could inspire entrepreneurs in the biomed sphere.

Also speaking at the conference was Dr Lizzie Tuckey, life sciences and healthcare at KPMG in London. Dr Tuckey teamed up with Nick Quayle, a director of KPMG in the island, the company being a gold sponsor of the event which drew experts from all over the world.

On the final day, Friday, there was an opportunity for delegates and speakers to chat informally at the ‘Bun and Breakfast’ morning session, sponsored by SMP Partners. SMP group chairman Steve McGowan said the conference had been ideal not only to hear about the latest developments but also to explain why the island has the infrastructure to support existing and start-up biomed companies.

Eighty invited guests filled the Claremont Hotel, Douglas for the much anticipated Gough Law Christmas lunch.

The annual event, which has a history of interesting guest speakers, was this year entertained by the inimitable Robbie Glen.

Mr Glen, who had the distinguished audience in stitches throughout his speech, served in the Scottish Prison Service for 27 years and is now a highly sought after speaker.

He regaled the leading law firm’s guests with stories from his many years in service as a prison Governor, insisting that for a period one of the key elements of his job was to keep up with Porridge episodes, as prisoners would often try one of Fletcher’s capers after an episode was aired.

The story The Prisoner, from William McIllvaney’s book of short stories entitled The Walking Wounded was actually based upon Robbie Glen, after the author visited him during his term at Dungavel.

Founding director Alan Gough said: ‘It was a great pleasure to welcome Robbie on to the list of speakers that have addressed our clients and friends over the years.

‘His wit, timing, and ability to read an audience are quite outstanding and as a result everyone left with sore sides.’

Mr Glen said: ‘I had a wonderful time on the Isle of Man and I can only thank Alan and the team at Gough for their warm hospitality during my visit.’

Previous speakers have included Brian Blessed and the bank robber John McVicar.

Due to the high calibre of speakers the event is considered one of the most entertaining highlights of the holiday party season.

The island’s credit rating remains unchanged according to one of the top ratings agencies.

Moody’s Investors Service gave the Isle of Man an Aa1 rating.

Last year, the service downgraded the island from it top AAA rating.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/moody-s-downgrade-comes-as-no-surprise-says-teare-1-6318383|Click here to read our story from last year.}

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK said: ‘The opening sentences of the report by Moody’s make some powerful points, and I am delighted to see the island described in this way.’

Moody’s said: ‘The Isle of Man’s Aa1 sovereign rating and stable outlook reflect the island’s resilient economy and the government’s robust finances. The former is supported by the economy’s stronger and less volatile growth than that of other offshore centres, and its significant diversification despite being a small economy.’

Mr Teare added: ‘The Isle of Man is a great example of sustained economic success: an international financial centre which can be relied upon by its investors to provide a stable, pro-business environment in which they can flourish and by other countries as a responsible and reliable partner.’

Manx Sport and Recreation is offering a full programme of sport and activity over the Christmas holiday period.

The Christmas holidays are a great opportunity for your children to keep active during the winter in a fun and engaging environment at sessions island-wide.

Sessions are available to all children of Primary School age and for every level of ability, including those with disabilities or special educational needs.

Click {http://www.gov.im/media/1346175/a-christmas-programme-2014.pdf|here} for more information. If your child/children would like to have a go, complete and return the application form. Places on all the programmes are limited.

The streets of Douglas were painted red on Wednesday as hundreds of costumed festive fundraisers pounded the pavements of the capital.

The annual Isle of Man Bank-sponsored Santa Dash attracted over 200 runners raising money for more than 40 Manx charities.

Despite arriving dressed as an elf, Kevin Loundes claimed a second victory in as many years to win £300 for his chosen charity Friends of the Manx Diabetic.

Possibly helped by his more aerodynamic costume than that of the traditional Santa, Londes overcame the damp roads to match his own course record of four minutes and 20 seconds.

Fourteen seconds behind were cousins Jamie and Andrew Newton, who finished three seconds apart to complete the podium.

Jamie won £200 for the Children’s Centre and Andrew bagged £100 for Developing Orphans Isle of Man.

Caroline Mayers and Karen Shimmin, training partners with Manx Harriers, came home side by side to become joint winners of the women’s prize. They collected £100 each for Hospice Isle of Man and Junior Achievement.

The hundreds of spectators lining the route, which is nearly a mile long, were treated to some impressive alternative costumes including snowmen, reindeer and a pair of festive minions.

A banner at Hartford Homes’ new Cronk Cullyn development in Colby has ‘slightly put out’ Arbory parish commissioner Brian Rae.

The banner, which is behind the Colby Glen Hotel, reads ‘Creating a Community’, and advertises a new housing development – but Mr Rae said there is already a thriving community in Colby.

He said: ‘I clearly understand it’s a snappy advertising slogan and one that is successful as they have sold over half the houses.

‘But if you read it literally it implies they are going to create a new community. I know we have got a community in Colby, I know people who work very hard to maintain it and putting up some bricks and mortar around some grass does not make a community.

‘I hope these new residents join the community that already exists.

‘I’m not naïve, it’s a snappy line but it could have been more carefully chosen.

‘I understand they have a job to do, which is to sell houses. It’s a good place to come and part of the attraction is that Colby does have a community. I was slightly put out about the banner.’

Hartford Homes director James Greenhalgh said: ‘We agree fully with the commissioner, Colby has a wonderful community.

‘Our new development at Cronk Cullyn has been carefully planned to compliment it with smaller bungalows which are perfectly suited for downsizing retirees, starter homes for younger first time buyers and family homes from three to five bedrooms.

‘We gave also included a lovely “village green” in which we have voluntarily included a fully equipped children’s play area. The new footpath links mean this will help serve the existing developments either side, which have none.’

Sandra Cardwell has been appointed managing director of Edgewater Associates Limited.

Edgewater is a wholly owned subsidiary of Manx Financial Group PLC (MFG). MFG is an AIM listed Isle of Man company which owns a number of financial services companies including Conister Bank Limited.

Sandra Cardwell has more than 20 years’ experience as a leading independent financial adviser for personal, corporate and international clients on their financial planning and banking needs.

Prior to becoming part of the Edgewater team, Sandra worked in a number of senior roles within international and private banking and is now a highly respected figure within the financial advisory industry.

She joined Edgewater Associates Limited in 2008, becoming sales director in 2011. She holds the Chartered Insurance Institute Diploma in Financial Services (DipPFS), is a member of the Institute of Directors and is working towards the Diploma in Company Direction.

Edgewater Associates Limited chairman, Douglas Grant, said: ‘Sandra has made a tremendous impact in establishing a strong, service oriented team of professionals with wide ranging expertise and will lead us into our next phase of growth and development.’

Sandra said: ‘I firmly believe in the direction Edgewater Associates Limited is moving as a continuation of our existing programme for growth. Over past months we have worked tirelessly on new and improved products for our clients.’

Work / life balance is an essential part of Sandra’s ethos. This is shown by the strength and diversity of skill-set in the teams built around her and in her recent transformation from a total ‘non-athlete’ to completing her first half-marathon in Stockholm in September2014, with her next goal to complete the Liverpool half-marathon in June 2015 in under two hours.

The island’s largest based independent financial advisers, who specialise in wealth management, retirement planning, mortgages and general insurance for personal and corporate clients, has announced Sandra Cardwell has been appointed Managing Director.

Her drive and vision along with strong leadership skills will ensure we continue to maximise and reinforce our position as the leading retail independent financial adviser on the Island. I am very pleased to welcome Sandra to the position of Managing Director, and the rest of the Board looks forward to working with Sandra”.

Little of this would have been achievable were it not for the highly qualified and dedicated team here. It is they who have driven our path towards embracing new technologies and securing our position as an independent financial adviser that understands the market and, most importantly, its clients. I have had a tremendous six years with Edgewater Associates Limited to date and look forward to the new challenges which lie ahead, and I would like to thank the board and the team here for their unerring support.”

The transfer of aircraft linked to the deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych to the Manx register was done with full compliance with international regulations.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly has confirmed that the two helicopters and a corporate jet are now registered in the island. But he said that this was only done once confirmation had been received from the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine that the aircraft had been deregistered in that country.

Yanukovych fled Kiev after public protests against his regime in which more than 100 people died. He is now in exile in Russia. In September the Ukrainian Euromaidan Press Agency site reported that Yanukovych’s ‘stolen’ planes had turned up in the Isle of Man.

The Celtic League’s director of information Bernard Moffatt wrote to the Department of Economic Development seeking an update and clarification of Euromaidan’s allegations.

In his reply, Mr Skelly said: ‘The matter was reported to the relevant authorities at the time we were made aware of this situation and the department worked closely with relevant bodies both on and off the island and internationally, as required.’

‘The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry has responsibility for airworthiness and regulatory oversight of aircraft on the register.

‘We can confirm that the Isle of Man is the State of Registry for the two helicopters and jet referred to in the article and that they are currently technically compliant with our requirements.

‘The Aircraft Registry works closely with authorities around the world to ensure that aircraft previously registered elsewhere have been properly de-registered before joining the Isle of Man Register.

‘We can confirm that we received the appropriate deregistration documentation for the three aircraft in this instance from the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine. We would not have registered the aircraft without such approval.’

Mr Skelly said a recent review found the Aircraft Register’s due diligence procedures to be rigorous, proportionate and fit for purpose in ensuring international regulations are complied with.

He explained that where an aircraft is owned by a company administered by a licenced trust or corporate service provider (‘TCSP’), that provider is required it to identify and verify the identity of its customer and beneficial owner, and to assess any money laundering and terrorist financing risks.

EasyJet’s UK commercial manager say the budget airline is committed long term to its new Isle of Man to Bristol route.

And Ali Gayward has hinted that other new routes could follow.

EasyJet announced last week that it was launching a four-times a week service between Bristol and Ronaldsway on April 19 next year. Fares start at £25.99 one-way.

Some 45,000 passengers are expected to fly on the new year-round route.

Ms Gayward said: ‘We don’t believe in starting routes which we don’t think are sustainable in the long-run.

‘We have been looking at this seriously for about one year. Our planning was based on the success of the Liverpool route and now Gatwick.

‘Our strategy is to join the dots on our network. We listen to what our customers are asking us to do.

She said the new route would cater for both business and leisure traffic on both directions, serving the whole of the south west and also providing a boost to island tourism. She said the next step in future was to look at what additional capacity could be provided and what other routes could be considered.

One of the most successful bands of the glam rock movement, Slade, will be performing at the Villa Marina in Douglas on Friday, June 5.

The band is led by founder members Dave Hill and Don Powell but Noddy Holder is no longer a member.

Slade had no fewer than 23 Top-20 singles of which six were Number 1, plus six albums. Their enduring songs Cum On Feel The Noize and Coz I Luv You are still featured today in TV commercials.

Slade first hit the road in 1966, touring throughout Great Britain and Europe. Joining forces with the former Animals bass guitarist and Jimi Hendrix Experience manager, Chas Chandler, Slade achieved the first chart hit in May 1971 with the Bobby Marchan song Get Down And Get With It then released in October of the same year Coz I Luv You was the band’s first No-1 and a huge hit across Europe.

Throughout the seventies, SLADE became one of Europe’s biggest bands, touring and recording continually and making regular trips to America, Japan and other parts of the world.

At the beginning of the eighties, Slade were invited to appear at the Reading Rock Festival, a massive annual event that attracted over 100,000 people.

s a result, the band signed a new record deal and unleashed the anthem We’ll Bring The House Down, which reached the Top-10 in the UK in January 1981.

Slade then began forging a new path through the hugely influential British heavy rock scene. A second successful appearance at Castle Donnington in 1981, before a crowd of 200,000 people, consolidated the band’s position and paved the way for the single Lock Up Your Daughters, and the album Til Deaf Do Us Part.

While Slade were busy in the UK releasing the massive hit My Oh My to huge acclaim, LA metal band Quiet Riot were spreading the word Stateside with their version of Cum On Feel The Noise, which proved so successful that they followed it up with Mama We’re All Crazee Now.

Tickets on sale from the Villa Marina Box Office from Thursday, December 18.

A Douglas councillor has branded proposals to charge residents for on-street parking permits an ‘unfair local tax’.

Councillor David Ashford, who represents Victoria Ward, has made the accusation in a letter to Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne.

Mr Ashford, whose ward falls partly within the dis unenvious unenvious c zone where residents are currently entitled to be issued with free residents’ parking permits, said he felt the move would set a dangerous precedent.

‘I fully understand the need for the department to balance its books and find £5 million worth of savings, but I believe there are other options to be explored,’ he said.

Mr Ashford said he opposed the charge because it was unfair to take a fee and provide no specific benefit such as a dedicated parking space. He also said resources did not exist to enforce it fully and the money generated would go to Treasury, rather than benefiting the parking zone residents. He said lack of enforcement could lead to frustration among residents,

With residents on 159 streets in Douglas affected, compared with just 20 streets outside Douglas, he said it was principally a local tax. In many cases he said it affected those in areas with the highest level of income deprivation in the island.

‘This charge also has the effect of creating a divided borough. With the implementation of this charge, Douglas would effectively be split in two. My constituents in lower Douglas would be paying for the privilege of attempting to park in their street, whereas those in the upper part of Douglas can make a leisurely attempt to park whererever they wish,’ he said.

Instead he suggested a nominal annual fee for the parking disc. Other money raising suggestions were a small increase in road tax and ring fencing revenue raised from enforcement.

Chief Minister Allan Bell says he’s pleased that the identity of the MHK who was not paying towards his pension has been revealed.

But he said it would have been better if the name had been revealed earlier as the reputations of all Tynwald members had been tarnished.

The Manx Independent revealed last week that Douglas North MHK Houghton was the only member of Tynwald not paying towards his pension.

He insists that he thought he was paying as he had apparently submitted a form to Treasury payroll back in April 2012.

Mr Houghton made a personal statement on the issue in the House of Keys on Tuesday.

In a statement sent to Tynwald members last week, he claimed events had shown Treasury in a ‘poor light’ and if reminders had been sent out ‘none of those witch hunts on members would have happened’.

But Treasury have told him there is no record of him ever submitting his form to start paying voluntary pension contributions.

And chief financial officer Malcolm Couch says it would be inappropriate to send any member a reminder that they are not making voluntary contributions.

Mr Bell told iomtoday: ‘I’m pleased that this issue has finally been clarified and this on-going debate about Tynwald members’ pensions has been put to rest once and for all.

‘It would have been helpful if it had been clarified on an earlier date. It reflected on all members of Tynwald, all our reputations are tarnished because of it. It’s right members should be paying towards their pensions.

‘Most members work incredibly hard for the constituents and the good work they do on behalf of the island got clouded out by this unfortunate debate which has gone on for far too long.’

The revelation that one MHK was not paying towards their pension two and half years after voluntary contributions were introduced was disclosed following an access to government information request by Isle of Man newspapers.

Mr Bell said: ‘Although we are bringing in Freedom of Information legislation very shortly, the outcome of this particular issue proves that the existing of code of practice works very effectively.’

Mr Houghton says he did not check, and does not keep, his payslips.

He has shown Isle of Man Newspapers his bank statements which show his take home pay fell by more than £1,000 between April and May 2012 and rose again by nearly £270 in June of that year.

In an email exchange, Mr Couch told him: ‘There is no record of you submitting the appropriate form to Treasury payroll.

‘Had we received and acted upon the form authorising voluntary contributions to be deducted, you would have seen an appreciable reduction in your monthly salary, and under Deductions your payslip would have shown the line “Tynwald Members Pension Scheme”.

‘Similarly, there is no record of any correspondence or contact from you regarding the Members Pension Scheme since the new arrangements began. This is, as approved by Tynwald, a voluntary scheme. Members needed to return the form in order for their voluntary contributions to the scheme to be set up. It would have been inappropriate for Treasury payroll to send you, or any member, reminders that you were not making voluntary contributions to the pension scheme.’

Some people posting on social media suggest that Mr Houghton would have to fill in his pension contributions on his tax form. But he has pointed out these are voluntary contributions and are not tax deductible. ‘They are not superannuation,’ he insisted.

Even when the payments become compulsory after the next general election they will not be eligible for tax relief.

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How the controversy unfurled

The controversy over how much Tynwald members should be contributing to their pensions has rumbled on for years.

Tynwald voted in March 2012 to ask members to contribute to their pensions.

This would be phased in over three years. starting at a minimum of 3 per cent and rising to 5 per cent this year.

The move was not compulsory to existing MHKs and MLCs, only to new members or those voted back in at future elections.

That month Manx Radio asked all members whether they supported the measure.

John Houghton said he did. But he was so angry with the station for asking about it, he said he wouldn’t talk to its reporters again. In October that year, the Isle of Examiner submitted an access to government information request to the clerk of Tynwald’s office asking how many members were making the voluntary payments.

The answer back, via the Treasury, was a surprise: ‘As at the August payroll five members were not making a voluntary pension contribution.’

It subsequently emerged that the actual figure should have been four, as the fifth was the Bishop, who is not a member of the pension scheme anyway.

The search was soon on for the names of the other four.

The following week we reported that all MHKs were saying they were now contributing. Bill Henderson (Douglas North) conceded he might not have been paying from the start.

Two MLCs, Eddie Lowey – then member of the emoluments committee who moved the motion calling for voluntary contributions to be introduced – and Juan Turner, declined to comment.

In November this year, following a working group report that recommended Tynwald members’ pension contributions double to 10 per cent, we submitted a second access to information request.

We asked the Treasury: ‘How many Tynwald members, excluding the Lord Bishop and the Attorney General, have not made a voluntary contribution to their members’ pension scheme in each of the three years since voluntary contributions were introduced from April 2012, at the rates of 3 per cent, 4 per cent and five per cent respectively? Of these how many are MHKs?’

The answer back, this time from chief financial officer Malcolm Couch was again a surprise. He told us: ‘The information which you have requested is as follows:

In the financial year 2012/13 – two Members – both Keys; in the financial year 2013/14 - one Member – Keys; and, in the financial year 2014/15 to date - one Member – Keys.’

We clarified that the one member not paying was not the one MHK who is making compulsory contributions as they were elected at a by-election in 2013.

On November 27, the Manx Independent revealed that one MHK was not paying for his pension.

However, the government’s confidentiality rules meant that the individual was not named in response to our access to information request.

MHKs started posting copies of their payslips on social media, proving that they were paying towards their pension.

In Tynwald last week, Mr Houghton supplied Isle of Man Newspapers with written authority to check his position with Treasury.

The following morning, he contacted us to say that Treasury had informed him that he was the one MHK not paying.

The Manx Independent then named Mr Houghton in Thursday’s edition.

A Manx company is manufacturing vital equipment to help medics fight the ebola outbreak in west Africa.

The story is the main photo on the front page of this week’s Manx Independent.

The main photo is of the Santa dash yesterday.

There was a lot of fuss in the UK that nativity plays were a thing of the past. Well, that’s not true in the Isle of Man.

There are four pages of photos from children’s concerts in this week’s paper.

Also this week:

A TT memorial has been damaged

We report on the verdict of planning application for a sporting facility in Ramsey

The hospital has overspent by millions

A driver who hit a girl on a zebra crossing appears in court

A benefits fraudster who stole thousands is jailed

A full report on the heroin smugglers who were sent to prison on Monday

The Manx Independent also includes your television guide for the week ahead, two pages of What’s On, 12 pages of action-packed sport and free advertisements for items for sale under £100.

It’s on sale now.

As the international climate negotiations in Lima continue, Isle of Man Friends of the Earth’s Tony Brown looks at the role the rainforests play in maintaining a safe climate

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Of the annual emissions of manmade CO2, it’s estimated that at least 11 per cent comes from the destruction of the world’s tropical rainforests. But this is only a part of the story.

The tropics continually receive twice the amount of the sun’s energy received by higher and lower latitudes – and the rainforests act like heat pumps, transferring some of that extra energy to north and south.

Without them, the Equatorial regions would be much hotter than they are now – and the higher latitudes a good deal colder.

For example, the Amazonian forest produces latent heat that drives air masses in three separate directions:

1, Crossing the Caribbean to Florida, thereby helping to drive the Gulf Stream north eastwards;

2, Over the Andes, into the Pacific westerly, following the trade winds;

3, Southwards, towards Patagonia.

Of all the sun’s energy that reaches Earth, only around 25 per cent heats the air. The other 75 per cent is converted into latent heat by evapo-transpiration, which means the pumping of water into the atmosphere from plants’ leaves and stems.

This humid air rises rapidly, forming clouds, which then result in rainfall further downwind.

At this point, that latent energy is released back into the atmosphere.

A massive two thirds of the world’s rainfall is affected by these rainforest-sourced cloud systems. So, without them, and/or a backup plan, we’re in trouble.

Considering the importance of the rainforests in creating a liveable climate for Westeners, and indeed elsewhere in the world, it seems wise to conserve their vastness.

In our ‘wisdom’, however, we’re doing the exact opposite, in continuing to exploit them in pursuit of short-term ‘progress’.

The Amazon has already shrunk to less than 75 per cent of its original area, pre-industrialisation, and scientists have warned that further shrinkage will impinge on its critical functions – potentially causing more hostile weather patterns and drought across the globe.

Yet despite this, increased development and forest destruction could at current rates slash its total area to 55 per cent of the original by 2020!

In other parts of the world, this destruction is even more severe: Africa’s rainforest area is 40 per cent of its original size, and there’s conjecture that if it were still intact, the continent’s arid spaces would be much less extreme than they are today.

Worse yet, the destruction of South East Asian rainforests (including Australia) has reached cataclysmic proportions with a free-for-all between corrupt local interests and greedy multi-nationals having already reduced them to a third of their original size – and falling.

In Borneo, companies are extracting minerals at such a pace that the supposedly-protected virgin forests will have almost disappeared within 15 years. The effect of all this has been most noticeable in Australia, where droughts and storms are becoming more common and severe.

Only a concerted international campaign can halt the ongoing destruction of the ‘lungs of the world’.

It’s food for thought, as our appetite for the spoils of all this rises – hardwoods, beef, soya and other crops, palm oil, mined minerals and oil.

Rainforests act as thermal engines, rainfall stimulators and regulators of the atmospheric and oceanic systems.

They moderate the climate of our whole planet, and help make it habitable.

We destroy them at our ultimate peril!

Why not make 2015 the year you start buying mindfully – reducing the amount of unsustainably-farmed beef, soy and palm-oil products you buy, and looking for forest-friendly wood and other products?

Your individual buying decisions might seem small fry to you – but they make a difference, and being able to do only a little has never been an excuse to do nothing!

Usually Sara Goodwins sends me Manx crossword clues. This time she has another enigma to ponder.

She lives at Maughold from where Bus Vannin runs a regular service into Ramsey every Tuesday and Friday.

But the other Tuesday afternoon the bus didn’t turn up when her husband George was waiting to get on it.

She says: ‘As it was a nice day he decided to walk the two miles into Ramsey and thought he should call into the bus station there to mention that the bus he was supposed to be on had gone AWOL.

‘The very nice gentleman manning the desk was rather confused because he had actually seen the Maughold bus leave.

‘Apparently each vehicle now has GPS so the bus organisers cannot only look up exactly where they all are, but also where they’ve all been. The man duly looked up on his computer the route the bus had taken.

‘It had been to Andreas.’

Well Sara. I think it was George’s fault. He should have walked to Andreas and got on the bus there.

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Sean says the Examiner carried an advertisement from Tower Insurance to tell people its offices would be closed from 12.30pm on Friday, December 12, for the staff Christmas lunch and callers were advised to leave a voice mail adding: ‘We will return your call on Monday, December 15, when the office re-opens as usual.’

It took the staff that long to find their way back to the office after the Christmas lunch?

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The Daily Mail website reported that scientific tests are being made on whether taking Viagra can improve memory in elderly men and prevent the onset of dementia.

All right. But if it doesn’t work at least it might remind the elderly gentlemen what they used to take it for.

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Last week there was a lot of news about Scotland reducing its drink driving limit on motorists. This reminded me of when I was a trainee Examiner reporter in 1948 and a farmer was charged at the High Bailiff’s court at Peel with being drunk in charge of a horse. Police found him slumped over the back of the horse which was taking him back home after a night at the pub.

We were not told whether or not the horse put him to bed when they got there.

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The Daily Telegraph reported that a judge has urged families and friends of elderly people to monitor the driving of aged relatives to make sure they are not likely to be a danger to other road users.

Your Honour, you might like to know that my family have been doing this for years.

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There are no Manx crossword clues this week but I can refer to a long list which was sent in some months ago by Karl Campbell, two of which he had been unable to solve and he asked if anybody else could.

The first was in the Times cryptic as follows: ‘Queen caught Manx Cat round back of court area (9) – CLEOPATRA.’

Anybody?

The second will be on offer next week.

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Texting for Seniors: FWIW, Forgot Where I Was.

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The photograph above was in a magazine called ‘Stella’ and it has been sent in by my old friend John Grimson in support of the argument that the Three Legs of Man (or Woman in this case) should always run clockwise.

Thanks John. Now I can blame you for causing me to put pictures of scantily clad young women in my column.

Read Terry’s nostalgia

column on pages 24 and 25

The long-term future of island ferry services is being reviewed.

Expressions of interest are being invited from operators who can provide passenger and roll on/roll off freight ferry services to and from the Isle of Man.

The current User Agreement between the government and the Steam Packet Company is in place until 2020, with an option to extend it until 2026.

But the Department of Infrastructure says is looking beyond the expiry of the current agreement.

Operators have until 12 noon on Wednesday January 7 to register their initial interest. Applicants will then be invited to continue in the discussion process.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘The department has a good working relationship with the Isle of Man Steam Packet, which has provided an excellent service over many years. There is no commitment to entering a new agreement with any operators at this stage.

‘The current agreement with the Steam Packet still has at least five years to run and the Department is simply exploring options for the future as part of a long-term strategic review of the Isle of Man’s sea services.’

Interested parties must have experience of passenger and ro-ro freight ferry services, including the operation of fast craft.

Companies will be expected to operate reliable year-round services to Liverpool and Heysham and have an established record of providing passenger and ro-ro freight ferry services.

Vessels will be required to provide daily freight capacity of at least 5,000 metres and daily capacity for 1,500 passenger vehicles. Ro Pax vessels must have a minimum speed of 18 knots and fast craft of 30 knots. Vessels will be required to provide daily passenger capacity of 6,000. Vessels must be registered on the Manx Shipping Registry.

A man from Maughold has been jailed for 15 months for punching the licensee of the Mines Tavern pub in Laxey on September 27.

Ian Derek Brown, of The Corony, who has 30 pages of previous convictions on his record, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH).

Deemster Alastair Montgomerie told Brown while passing sentence: ‘Your probation officer has said that she hopes you will start work addressing your outbursts of violence. You ground up a month’s supply of your medication and snorted it the day before this happened. Then, surprise surprise, you get into an argument with your girlfriend when feeling the adverse effects of it.

‘I expect you to fully comply with a treatment plan in prison because you haven’t in the past. If you don’t change the future looks very bleak.

‘You’ll be coming back and your sentences will get longer.’

Earlier, prosecutor Rachel Braidwood told the court how at around 8.50pm Brown, 33, was at the Mines Tavern when he started arguing with his girlfriend in the beer garden.

The licensee, Steve McDowell, approached and was immediately punched by Brown, who knocked him to the ground where he hit his head on the concrete floor and was knocked unconscious.

Brown fled the scene along the tram line and Mr McDowell was taken to Noble’s Hospital where he was later diagnosed with a subdural haematoma.

On September 29 Brown attended police headquarters and admitted punching the man but said that he didn’t know was the landlord saying: ‘I hold my hands up.’

Brown said that he had bought a drink, swore and rowed with a female customer when he had been approached by the landlord who said something which Brown said he did not hear properly.

Asked if he felt threatened he said: ‘No, my intent was to shut him up.’

He was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and made no reply after caution.

Mrs Braidwood read out 30 pages of previous convictions for Brown which included nine common assaults, one assault on a police officer and three cases of ABH.

Defence advocate Roger Kane said: ‘There’s no getting away from the fact that my client is a very heavily convicted man. There are issues of violence he doesn’t seek to hide from. He has had involvement with his probation officer for many years, his one element of mitigation is his remorse.

‘There is desire to change, he’s still relatively young despite his long list of convictions. He is genuinely sorry for his victim.

‘It was one punch, no weapon was involved and it wasn’t a prolonged attack, if that has any great mitigating power.’

While passing sentence Deemster Alastair Montgomerie said: ‘The problem is translating that remorse into actions. I have viewed the CCTV footage. You don’t need to me to tell you that your behaviour was absolutely appalling, you were shouting and swearing prior to the landlord coming over. The assault was totally unprovoked.

‘You punched a man out of the blue on licensed premises. You were under the influence of alcohol together with medication.

‘You’re also in breach of a probation order which was a direct alternative to three months custody and you were also bound over to keep the peace, you’re in breach of that too.’

Brown was sentenced to 13 months for the ABH charge and two months for breaching his probation order to run consecutively.

He was also banned from licensed premises for 21 months.

A Douglas man has been jailed for 21 months after causing a fire at Grianagh Court, the hospital’s mental health facility, on June 22.

Graham Robert Albert Johnson, of Circular Road, pleaded guilty to arson as well as trying to smuggle drugs and tobacco into the Isle of Man Prison on September 13.

Prosecutor Linda Watts told the court how Johnson, 53, had been staying at Grianagh Court but had told a number of other residents there he intended to escape by setting off the fire alarm.

He told them he would then break open the lounge patio door and get into a taxi which would be waiting for him outside.
Later that evening a fire started in one of the bedrooms which caused £6,000-worth of damage.

Whilst the fire alarm was going off one resident said that she stayed in her bedroom and did not bother evacuating because of what Johnson had told her earlier.

A fire report indicated that it was started by a naked flame, deliberately, in a waste bin.

Johnson admitted he caused the fire telling police that he had been tidying up in the sitting room when he saw a resident asleep holding a cigarette and some ash smouldering in a bin with paper towels. He said this was when the idea to actually start a fire came into his to mind.

Johnson put the bin into a carrier bag and hid it in his room before later moving it to another room as he said he didn’t want to damage his own belongings. He then said he went to another part of building but was unable to find a way out. He said that he kept checking the room with the bin in.

A fire subsequently started and had to be put out by the fire service.

In a police interview Johnson accepted that he had been reckless but made no reply when he was charged.

The incident at the prison occurred when Johnson was visiting an inmate and had gone to a nearby vending machine.

Security officers saw him rummaging down the front of his trousers then passing something over to the inmate.

As Johnson was leaving he dropped a package which was found to contain 9.2 grams of tobacco. When the inmate was quizzed it was discovered that Johnson had passed him a Kinder Egg containing suboxone, temgesic, zopiclone and diazepam pills.

Upon being arrested Johnson said: ‘I’m glad it’s all over. I’ve been pressurised to bring stuff in.’

The prosecution accepted a basis of plea saying that Johnson had feared for his personal safety and had never intended to make any financial gain from the drugs.

A psychiatric report revealed that Johnson was suffering from some mental health issues and problems with alcohol but that a custodial sentence would have no adverse impact on these.

Deemster Alastair Montgomerie said: ‘You were fortunate there weren’t more serious consequences from the fire.

‘You only have the one life, make the most of it. You are someone who binge drinks, you expect others to manage your behaviour and you place significant blame on others when things go wrong. You cry out for help but without complying with any treatment plans. I suggest you take advantage of help available within the prison services.

‘I believe you have recently lost your home, you are likely to be able to reside at David Gray House upon your release, subject to a place being available.These are all matters for you to consider.’

Johnson was sentenced to 11 months for arson and 10 months for each of three counts of unlawfully supplying a controlled substance, to run concurrently to each other, but consecutively to the 11 month sentence. He was also sentenced to two months for bringing a prohibited substance into the prison to run concurrently,

The latest column from Steve Burrows

We all use the Internet, in particular the World Wide Web.

Your business probably has a website, and it’s quite possible that someone checks the website analytics on a regular basis to see how many visitors the site is getting and how popular it is.

Websites have become important expositions of our products and services, and for many companies the website is now the primary interface with the customer.

Which begs the question, how do people see yours? Does it work for those who visit it?

Websites are not like books or newspapers, you cannot determine absolutely how a website will look to a customer.

They may view it on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone - each with different screen size and web display abilities.

If the website requires ‘plug-ins’ ( extension software to show / play special media such as video), then it may not work on some devices.

If it depends on up to date web technologies such as HTML5 then similarly it may fail the customer; many people use older web browsers, and some can’t upgrade without upgrading the device, particularly in the case of smartphones and tablets.

Similarly some newer devices and web browsers don’t support older technologies which are being phased out, so older websites may not work with newer technology.

Websites which use a lot of graphics may perform badly on older smartphones which only have lower-speed 2G or 3G connections.

To put it simply, your nice shiny website, which looks great on the up to date PC in the office, and was so impressive on the web designer’s laptop when you signed it off, may be excluding a significant proportion of your ‘audience’ from accessing your services.

For example, recent versions of Android (4.1 upwards) don’t support Adobe Flash Player.

Flash was commonly used to display interactive and video content in websites.

Android is the most popular operating system for smartphones and tablets, with 84 per cent market share of smartphone sales.

As a consequence the Government’s ‘Interactive House’ which explains what alterations do or don’t need planning permission doesn’t work on many smartphones and tablets, and nor does Manx Telecom’s MTTV video news service.

Neither are small organisations, if these giants of the island can’t get it right what chance does the average small business have?

Similarly, Internet Explorer version 8 (IE8), the default web browser for Windows 7, doesn’t cope with HTML5 which is increasingly used for modern websites.

Many Windows 7 users have upgraded - either to a later version such as Internet Explorer 11 or to a different and more modern browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome - but many haven’t.

Currently about 4 per cent of UK Internet accesses are via IE8 - as these are by people who haven’t upgraded for a few years and presumably are not intensive users of the Internet. It is quite possible that 4 per cent of accesses is representative of 12 per cent - 20 per cent of users - for example my elderly parents, who ‘go online’ two or three times a year when they need to.

Whether the number of people affected is 4 per cent or 20 per cent it’s a substantial number.

Some of the most popular DIY website hosts, for example WIX, which allow you to create a free website without programming, are dependent on HTML5 meaning that several small businesses on the island have websites which can’t be viewed by a substantial proportion of prospects.

Even the IT sector body the Manx ICT Association has fallen into this trap. Ironically the proportion of IE8 users on the island is likely higher than in the UK and elsewhere because finance sector companies are very careful about locking down computers so that employees don’t accidentally introduce viruses etc. - and some of our finance companies are still using IE8 as standard.

Basically, digital accessibility via the Internet is difficult. It is very easy to exclude part of the audience or customer base - and quite hard to avoid doing so,

So what should you do?

Firstly get a good web designer - I don’t mean a great technical wizard (although that might help), but someone who understands typography and page layout how to design websites which look simple and attractive and easy to use.

Modern websites are sometimes coded with ‘responsive’ design - that is they are designed to work across a range of devices with different screen sizes and browser capabilities, and to optimise the way they display accordingly, but this requires more skill on the part of the web developer and more effort, typically meaning higher cost.

If you want your website to be as at home on the phone as the desktop you need a responsive website - ask your designer.

Keep it simple.

Make the design simple, make the navigation simple, avoid the use of plug-ins. Classic design is classic for good reason. Don’t use features you don’t need, just because they look nice doesn’t mean they make your site easier to use. If a website is cluttered with whizzy features or highly interactive then it probably won’t work for everyone.

Pay for your website hosting, and if you are going to create your own website pay for web design software.

Unless you are a web expert, even if you ‘DIY’ using the website builder provided by the hosting company you will probably achieve a more useable result than you can get from a free service, and a proper web design package will be better still.

Reputable web design software starts at £30.

You’ll also generally get better website performance and search engine rankings from using a paid hosting service. It doesn’t need to be expensive, £3 per month will buy you a decent service for a single website.

Consider HTML5. As I’ve mentioned above, it doesn’t work on older browsers so if you’re trying to create a website that will work for everyone you will have to avoid it.

On the other hand, if you know that your audience will include a substantial proportion of smartphone and tablet users then HTML5 will make it better for them.

It is a decision that has to be made on an informed basis, HTML5 is the future for web, but not everyone is ready for it.

If you decide you want to use HTML5 and DIY then Google do a nice free HTML5 editor.

Above all - test.

However you have approached the design of your website to ensure that most people can read it, don’t make assumptions.

Between versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome etc. on computers, tablets and mobiles there are at least 20 different web browsers in use at any time, so try your website on as many as you can.

Try it on your friend’s phones and tablets.

If you use a professional web designer then agree which browsers and versions you expect your website to work on, and have them test as part of the design process. If you don’t then like many organisations you will find that a substantial part of your audience can’t use your website.

Even on the Isle of Man, if you unintentionally exclude 4 per cent - 5 per cent from viewing your website that’s around 3,500 to 4,000 people - a lot.

Dan Brook has joined Sure International in the role of professional services consultant.

Dan will be providing pre-sales technical support to the sales team, operational support to the engineering team, and developing technical solutions for Sure International’s enterprise customers from concept to delivery.

With a degree in Computer and Network Engineering, Dan has 15 years’ experience in IT and telecoms; he has specialised in Cisco VoIP, routing and switching, and has experience with Cisco wireless and security solutions.

Dan said: ‘I’m really looking forward to working with my new colleagues to build Sure into the island’s leading telecoms provider.

‘I’m as enthusiastic about providing quality solutions and experiences to customers as I am about the technology itself, and I am certainly keen to offer Sure’s customers the best ICT solutions we can.’

Mike Phillips, COO of Sure Isle of Man, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Dan to our growing team; he brings with him a wealth of experience, which will be a great asset to Sure International as we strive to provide the best for our customers.

‘Dan joins us at an exciting time in the company’s growth, with a range of innovative products and solutions being launched in 2015 and beyond. We will certainly make good use of his technical expertise!’

Originally from Sheffield, Dan has been in the Isle of Man for 11 years; he lives in Ramsey with his wife and three children, and enjoys motorbikes, spending time with his family and says he has a ‘love/hate’ relationship with running!