Home and Business owners in London may be particularly susceptible to malicious damage should the planned Fire Brigade Union strikes go ahead during their most busy time of the year from November 5th to 7th.

Damage such as ripping down fences and the like for firewood is one of the most common problems, but there is also the danger of having fireworks put through letterboxes or thrown into areas that may easily cause damage.

It is advisable not to leave rubbish outside the house or business premises ever, but particularly during this week when the temptation of starting a fire is too great for some to resist.

Skips full of old pallets should definitely be cleared away before the weekend when malicious damage reports reach their highest level.

While it may not be a deterrent it is always reassuring to know that you have adequate insurance cover should the worst happen, so take the time to check your home insurance cover is in place.

If you are looking to update home insurance check out www.uia.co.uk for an up to date quote, with discount for buying online.

Take the necessary precautions and enjoy the week with peace of mind.

Further, are you looking for small business advice? Owning your own business isn’t for everyone. Being an entrepreneur is exciting. However, it is challenging and demanding at the same time. If you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur then you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of the role.

Owning a business means you get to plan every single decision and direction your company takes. The thrill comes from the risk involved; you could be hugely successful or lose it all. No one knows until they try.

Another great part about being an entrepreneur is that there is no limit to your creativity. Do you remember the days when your creative ideas were shut down while working under someone else? Now you can allow any new business ideas to thrive. So, if you have a new idea of how to make more money, there’s no one stopping you.

Just as you have more creative potential, you also have more flexibility. You run your own show and therefore can create your own business plans, which means you can work whenever you like. The best part about flexibility is being able to take a day off when you want one, so you can also spend more time with friends and family and have the ability to do things you wouldn’t have been able to do before.

However, just as many envy the flexibility of entrepreneurs, managing your own time can be challenging to manage. All entrepreneurs must possess a high level of motivation to manage their own time. You have to be able to get yourself up in the morning because no one will phone you or yell at you if you don’t come in on time.

A great part about the flexibility of your schedule is that you don’t have to worry about impressing anyone but yourself. Remember the days when you put in extra hours so you knew you would receive a big bonus? Now, you are your own boss. The only thing you have to worry about is the success of your company.

Being an entrepreneur involves committing to a challenging work schedule. Although you can take off days to go on holiday with your family, there are lots of sacrifices you will have to make since you are in charge. This means working longer hours to get things done without being paid overtime; this is where being an entrepreneur differs drastically to a regular nine to five positions.

One major advantage to being an entrepreneur is the salary potential. In a regular position, you may be dissatisfied with your pay and the scheme set by your employers. However, if you are in charge of your own business finance then your earnings will reflect your efforts.

Even though you have the potential to earn a large salary, it is not going to be regular. Compared to previous positions, there may not be an encouraging pay cheque deposited in your bank every month. You may have to go for many months without any pay to ensure the wellbeing of your business.

You are in a good position as a business owner when it comes to your taxes. For example, depending on where you live you can save on things like company vehicles and company-related events.

The most attractive part about becoming an entrepreneur is the concept of total freedom. Many find this freedom completely exhilarating. You can create your own mission statement, control the budget, take risks and wake up whenever you want; so long as you are prepared to put the hours in.

In essence, you become your own boss. If you have always dreamt about not answering to anyone, then being an entrepreneur is probably for you. As an entrepreneur there is no pressure that you might get fired and you can make your own decisions.

However, total freedom brings a sense of uncertainty. Are you really up to the task of running your own business? Will you be able to meet your own goals and provide for your family? This uncertainty requires a confidence in yourself and the plans you have for your business.

Being on your own means you will run into obstacles. Sometimes, you will have to find a way to solve a problem by yourself. This may seem highly stressful. Also, you may receive discouragement from family and friends and they may not always be there to help you when something goes wrong. This is why owning a business can often feel very lonely.

Many times those closest to you will not support what you are doing. They might think you aren’t financially viable and your venture is too risky. Because of this, they might not offer their support and encouragement and you will have to rely on your own motivation and intuition to make things successful.

Owning a business can give you a self esteem boost. Pouring your time and money into your own business ideas can be greatly rewarding and seeing that you have created something successful and valuable will give you a feeling of accomplishment. Since it is your own vision, the feeling of achievement will be much greater than anything else.

As many people learn, being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone. You will have to be able to deal with the challenges that owning your own business brings. If you are unprepared or uncertain about owning your own business, then you should probably give your creative juices some time to brew.

However, if you think you are up for the task, then embrace your new business ideas and run with them. The worst that can happen is you lose your initial investments. But if your idea is something you feel strongly about, then there is no reason not to try it out. You never know, perhaps you will become wildly profitable and see your dreams become a reality!

The landlords, who make up the bulk of Focus DIY’s creditors, will join other creditors to vote on the proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which it is hoped will keep the retailer in business.

While Focus DIY is confident that the rescue plan will get sufficient backing, the British Property Federation who represent the UK landlords, have called for tougher controls regarding insolvencies. The call is backed by members Aviva, British Land, Hermes and Land Securities.

Focus DIY is owned by US private equity group Cerberus.

B&Q have teamed up with another old favourite, Jacqui Smith our Home Secretary in a bid to stave off an increase in burglaries that have been predicted by Smith and the Labour government as the country goes into recession.

From today householders will be able to contact a hotline where they can ‘order’ the ultimate weapon against burglary – a 15% discount voucher, redeemable against any DIY security product sold in B&Q.

As an additional bonus, but only for those unfortunate to have been burgled already, the Police will issue victims with another voucher, this time for 10% of DIY items in your local Focus store.

Only last week Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the press and public alike  to ignore the furore over Smith’s extraordinary expenses and allowances claims and instead to look at the achievements that she has made in her job as Home Secretary.

This is the result. Smith says this is a sensible way of preventing a burglary crime wave. She added, “I want us all to work together to stop those criminals who may think they can take advantage in tough times.”

The technology firm, based at the Pentlands Science Park outside Edinburgh, has been developing microsphere-related technology for use in a series of applications. In this case, the technology is aimed at weight reduction of aircraft paints with the subsequent advantage of significant savings in fuel consumption and carbon foot-printing.

Tom Johnston, Microsphere Technology’s Operations Director, said that the deal signed with the help of Glasgow based IP specialists Metis Partners, provided yet another opportunity to push the company’s innovative research towards full commercialisation: “Signing a license deal with a company of the reputation and standing of Trelleborg is an invaluable validation of MTL’s low density pigment technology. The environmental and economic requirement for weight-reducing technologies in the aerospace industry is clearly understood and Trelleborg have seen the value of MTL’s new material in addressing these requirements. We look forward to working closely with Trelleborg to move the technology towards the market as rapidly as possible.”

“MTL is currently pursuing other exciting opportunities in the areas of water treatment, cosmetics and fluid dynamics. Our coated microspheres offer innovative solutions across many sectors and we have been very encouraged by the level of interest we have received to date.”

Microsphere Technology uses hollow glass microspheres as a platform on which to layer other materials such as metals and pigments for specific technology applications. Technology products under development include titania-coated microspheres for use in sunscreen, fluorescent microspheres for use in the flow visualisation design industry, as well as coated spheres for breaking down many organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater.

About microspheres

Microspheres come in a variety of different forms; solid, porous or hollow, plastic, ceramic or glass, coated or uncoated. They can be man-made or mined from natural sources. Some are recovered from the ash produced in power stations while others can even be harvested from volcanoes.

Microspheres are already present in a wide range of consumer products, including many cosmetics, paints, fillers, insulators, buoyancy aids, sealers, adhesives and plastics. Coating a single large aircraft requires hundreds of kilos of paint, and given that these large aircraft also burn prodigious amounts of fuel, even modest savings in the weight of paint on the surface will have considerable knock on effect on fuel consumption.

Despite pleas from Gordon Brown to the public, not to panic buy, the message as always had the reverse effect, with basements and garages being stockpiled across the country, to be on the safe side.

The tanker drivers are believed to have agreed to a 14% pay deal over two years, although details are sketchy currently.

The government believes that if the strike goes ahead, it could affect just 10% of the countries filling stations, they also say they have  stocks in place around the country to safeguard the emergency services.

Around 500 drivers are involved in the dispute, all are employed by Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport, joint sole distributors to around 1,000 Shell filling stations.

The government has been encouraged by the fact that the dispute has now been taken to ACAS and hopes that plans for talks tomorrow will reach a satisfactory agreement.

Orders from Mexico, Eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East have been mentioned although the eventual whereabouts of the vehicles is a closely guarded secret known only to those involved.

In 2006 the Shanghai based plant manufactured just 92 taxis, but orders now in the pipeline means that the China output would be at a similar level to that of the Coventry based UK plant.

Shares fell 5% on the news and weren’t helped by continued uncertainty around MS’s bid for Yahoo!. The bid price is already seen as high and the attempted acquisition may yet descend into a hostile bid. This confirms its committed ambitions to move into the online advertising sector.

One big dent in profits was the $1.62bn fine for breach of EU competition rules.

Gaming products continue 68% year on year growth, strongly supported by Xbox 360. 

Jim McAuslan, Balpa’s general secretary wrote: “It is with great sorrow and acute embarrassment that BA pilots have witnessed the unhappy shambles that the opening of T5 has become, Banks, institutional investors and analysts need to wake up to the fact that there is something very wrong at the heart of this company that is making our once great brand a laughing stock.The airline can and should make Britain proud but a fundamental change of attitude is required from the very highest levels of BA management.”

The letter was aimed at City institutions as well as the government, with McAuslan calling on them to “act on how [BA] is ‘led’”. Balpa represents 3,000 BA pilots.

BA Chief Executive Willie Nash has refused to resign over the T5 problems, which have so far cost the Airline £16million in two weeks. A spokesman for BA reported,  “Willie Walsh has said that he is not going to resign and he’s determined to resolve the problems associated with the initial move to T5.”