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As if workplace policies dictating maternity pay and leave are not off-putting enough to certain employers Harriet Harman now has a plan that will see businesses footing a bill costing possibly billions should it actually come to fruition. Her plan is that all workers will be entitled to claim paid leave to care for sick relatives under plans commissioned by Women’s Minister Harriet Harman. All employees would also win the right to request flexible working hours to look after children and elderly parents.

The proposals are contained in a report demanded by Miss Harman into the needs of the so-called ’sandwich generation’  -  working women who have to care for both young children and ageing relatives. They are expected to be included in a green paper published by Miss Harman next year. The proposals, revealed by Miss Harman at a conference yesterday, are likely to prove popular with working women. But they will be dismissed by business leaders as likely to cost billions to firms who are struggling to stay afloat during the recession.

The conference for the centre-left Institute for Public Policy Research yesterday heard that 3 per cent of women  -  more than 550,000 in total  -  and 2 per cent of men are forced to look after children and grandparents, most of them while holding down a job. Women in their 40s are most hard hit with one in 12 forced to perform ’sandwich’ care.

Popularity: 17% [?]

The online university has flourished in recent years and has fast become the most convenient way to gain a university degree. The biggest advantage these facilities offer is that they specifically cater to adults who otherwise, for some reason or another, were unable to attend mainstream university previously. For married women, retired folk – and mothers especially – untold opportunities for success have been opened to them.

But which one to choose…? you could consider Western Governors University for, say, an online teaching degree that will open up a whole new world for you. And that’s just a quick example. The Student body is a diverse range of individuals from many walks of life with the average age of the students being 36 and encompasses the range of ages from people in their 20’s to people in their 60’s. Accreditation is what counts when choosing an online university and WGU is fully accredited both regionally and nationally so that your eventual qualifications are recognised right across the States. For those who are interested in studying Nursing you can now apply to study for their degree that now carries full national recognition from the CCNE.

Student life is as full and vital as on any other campus only meeting with fellow students who already have life education and skills makes the experience all that more interesting and fulfilling. Just because you are studying for an online degree does not mean there is no integration – you do get plenty of opportunity to mix and meet with your fellow students. WGU also offers various options for financing with tuition and financial aid as well as that all important Student Survival Guide – maybe one day you will become a member of the Alumni. Check them out and start building a new future today.

Popularity: 19% [?]

I bet you have watched those certain TV shows and often felt seduced by the thought of living amongst the vineyards in the south of France. That is something we did – for almost six years – and while we saw the winemaking process up close for much of that time and found it fascinating we also witnessed just how much hard work it is. Back breaking at times it is too. The harvest begins in September in the Roussillion region although this year our neighbours began picking in August due to the heat. But here’s a brief rundown to give you an idea…

Once the grapes have reached maturity (around August) the bunches of grapes are hand picked and taken in baskets to the harvest trailer. This traditional method of harvesting ensures that the grapes are delicately handled. On arrival at the winery (cave), the trailer is emptied into a hopper.

The real objective is to preserve the ‘whole’ grapes to capture maximum aromas. To achieve this objective the grapes are transferred by conveyor belt to the destalker where the destalker separates the grapes from the stalks. The grapes then continue into a series of the stainless steel drums to begin the fermentation process. The grape solids float to the surface of the tank to create the cap of grape must. Work continues by pieage (a manual operation which consists of pushing the cap of must into the grape juice) to extract more colour and flavour.

All this is done by manual labour and many wine makers still hand pick their grapes which gives a better quality wine in the long run as the grapes are not bruised as easily as when harvested by machine. Although many are now turning to the harvesters in order to save time and increase volume.

Popularity: 19% [?]