tagged w/ Virgin
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A train manager threatened to have a commuter arrested after he came to the rescue of a vulnerable fellow passenger.
Stand-up comedian Tom Wrigglesworth intervened when the Virgin Trains manager demanded an elderly passenger buy a new ticket because she had got on the wrong train.
Lena Ainscow, 75, sobbed as she was forced to hand over £115 for a new ticket, despite having been told to board that service by Virgin staff.
Wrigglesworth, 32, stepped in and organised a whip-round among passengers for her.
But the train manager saw him, said the collection was akin to begging and called police before warning him to hand back the cash or face being arrested.
Mrs Ainscow was travelling to see daughter Carol Battersby, her two sons, and husband Ian, a Regimental Sergeant Major with the Royal Artillery who has recently returned from Iraq.
Her £11.50 pre-booked ticket for the trip to see the family in Bromley was for yesterday's 10.45am Manchester to Euston service but her Virgin travel itinerary said she had been booked on the 10.15am service and she was advised to board the train by Virgin staff in Manchester.
Her explanation and pleas for discretionary sympathy failed to sway the manager who forced her to pay for a new ticket.
Wrigglesworth, from Shadwell, east London, who is a regular at the Comedy Store in Piccadilly Circus, pleaded with him but was told not to interfere.A train manager threatened to have a commuter arrested after he came to the rescue of... more
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Britain's oldest virgin has revealed the secret of her longevity on the eve of her 105th birthday - no sex. Clara Meadmore has never had sex in her life because she has always been 'too busy' for intimate relationships and it seemed like 'a lot of hassle'. Miss Meadmore, who remembers the Titanic sinking and the outbreak of the First World War, said she knew she would remain single from the age of 12, and abstained as a young woman in order to concentrate on earning a living.
The retired secretary said that during her youth in the 1920s and 1930s sex entailed marriage - and she just did not buy into it.
Miss Meadmore, of Truro, Cornwall, said she was proud of the fact she remained celibate.
She said: 'People have asked whether I am a homosexual and the answer is no. I have just never been interested in or fancied having sex. I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things.'
She added: 'I've never had a boyfriend - I've never been bothered about relationships. When I was a girl you only had sex with your husband and I never married.'Britain's oldest virgin has revealed the secret of her longevity on the eve of... more
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One of the pioneers of commercial space travel is Richard Branson with his Virgin Galactic vehicles that will take passengers on sub-orbital flights 68 miles above the earth - just outside earth’s ‘boundary’ with space.
One of the pioneers of commercial space travel is Richard Branson with his Virgin... more
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Kelvin Crotch: (or K.C. as he likes to call himself) The man that put the K.C. into sexy! Or Se-K.C. It depends how you say it
Kelvin Crotch is everything you never want to be. A borderline simpleton who thinks he's an intellectual genius, a man of the people who nobody likes, least of all his own mother. Kelvin is a ginger virgin, yet sees himself as a strawberry blonde casanova who hasn't found the right girl,yet He hasn't even found the wrong girl yet.
Enjoy his musings on his life,his city and politics. Enjoy the abuse he gets from people in the street. Enjoy the abuse he gets from strangers on youtube. Enjoy and be thankful that you are not him.Kelvin Crotch: (or K.C. as he likes to call himself) The man that put the K.C. into... more
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US Radio host Howard Stern is said to be furious with reports that he auctioned off a 22-year-old girls virginity live on air.US Radio host Howard Stern is said to be furious with reports that he auctioned off a... more
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Virgin Group has confirmed the launch of the V Festival brand in South Africa, which was first tipped by Billboard in July. Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5 and OneRepublic will all appear.
Known as Virgin Festival by Virgin Mobile, the event will be held in Johannesburg Dec. 13 and Cape Town Dec. 16. Promoter Cape Town-based Big Concerts is expecting it to draw an audience of 60,000 across both cities.
In a statement, Sir Richard Branson said the launch of Virgin Festival was a continuation of his policy of bringing Virgin Group products to "a country I love."
"In the last 12 years we have launched eight successful businesses in SA," he said. "We have over one million customers and 4,500 staff, and it just makes sense to launch Virgin festival here -- especially as South Africa has some of the most beautiful Greenfield sites in the world. Live music is growing -- it's a great way to connect with youth and it is something to be positive about."
The Virgin Group's presence in SA includes Virgin Active, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Money.
Domestic acts announced for the festival include the Parlotones, Zebra & Giraffe, Jozi and Dirty Skirts. Iconic reggae star, Eddy Grant, who has been touring with the late Lucky Dube's backing band, One Love, is also on the bill.
Virgin Group has confirmed the launch of the V Festival brand in South Africa, which... more
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Moopak
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4 years ago
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Virgin Radio UK is to disappear in October to be replaced by a new name witha a raft of changed to its schedule as its Indian owner aims to turn it into a global business.
The name change will be completed by 1 October, and comes after TIML, part of the Times of India media group, bought the radio station for £53.2m in May.
The change in name was also needed for legal reasons, as Times of India chose not to purchase the Virgin Radio brand.
An Absolute spokesman said the radio station wanted to target US listeners and those in mainland Europe.
Diversification plans
The spokesman explained that "when TIML bought the radio station a decision was taken not to buy the brand licence".
"The Virgin Radio brand licence came with the restriction that the radio station had to remain a UK radio business," he continued.
Absolute is a brand that is unapologetic, cheeky and infectious
Absolute chief executive Donnach O'Driscoll
"In the changing digital media landscape that was not a viable business option for us."
The spokesman said that in addition to its global plans, the company intended to diversify the Absolute Radio brand into live music, ticketing, TV, mobile phones and gaming.
The Times of India Group already owns 30 Indian radio stations.
"Absolute is a brand that is unapologetic, cheeky and infectious with a long-term brand building and investment strategy behind it," said Absolute chief executive Donnach O'Driscoll.
TIML bought Virgin Radio from Scottish media group SMG.
Djs being shown the door include former Radio 1 presenters JK and Joel, presenter Robin Burke, former Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley and amongst other arrivals are a raft of radio shock jocks who have been fired from previous jobs. These include former Kerrang radio breakfast host Tim Shaw.Virgin Radio UK is to disappear in October to be replaced by a new name witha a raft... more
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The night first started off with receiving a free virgin drink of my choice, since, once again, I was the designated driver. For my meal I had the Big Honkin’ RibsThe night first started off with receiving a free virgin drink of my choice, since,... more
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30 Seconds To Mars has been hit by a lawsuit that claims the band owes its record label, Virgin Records America, three albums. The $30 million suit, filed August 15 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges the band "repudiated" its 1999 contract in July by refusing to deliver the albums, according to an Associated Press report.
The band, fronted by actor Jared Leto, sold a million copies of their last album, A Beautiful Lie and hit the mainstage at Warped in 2006.
A spokesperson for the band told TMZ that 30 Seconds To Mars has sold more than 2 million albums for Virgin and has not been paid accordingly.
Jared Leto has responded to the lawsuit. In his open letter, he explains:
"We had been signed to our record contract for 9 years. Basically, under California law, where we live and signed our deal, one cannot be bound to a contract for more than 7 years. [...] It is a law that protects people from lengthy, unfair, career-spanning contracts. [...] We have been sued because roughly 45 days ago we exercised our legal right to terminate our old, out of date contract, which, according to the law is null and void.
"If you think the fact that we have sold in excess of 2 million records and have never been paid a penny is pretty unbelievable, well, so do we. And the fact that EMI informed us that not only aren't they going to pay us AT ALL but that we are still 1.4 million dollars in debt to them is even crazier.
"We have lost many of the people that were near and dear to us at Virgin/EMI and crucial to the success of 30 Seconds to Mars. There is not a single employee at Virgin Records who was working at the company when we signed."
30 Seconds To Mars has been hit by a lawsuit that claims the band owes its record... more
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KefKef
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4 years ago
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If you didn't already know, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the public as early as next year.
On July 28, Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan unveiled the White Knight Two, an exotic jet that will carry a passenger spaceship to launch altitude.
The four-engine jet, with its 140-foot single wing, is an engineering marvel. The space between its twin fuselages is where SpaceShipTwo, the passenger rocket, will be mounted.
They're taking reservations now ... who's with me?If you didn't already know, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to... more
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I love this guy! A little nutty but whatever.
From the Report...
The mothership which will launch the first space tourists into the atmosphere was unveiled by Sir Richard Branson in California today.
WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), the carrier aircraft which will be used to launch SpaceShipTwo into orbit, 'will allow thousands of people to realise their dreams' and 'act as a catalyst to transform human access to space', Sir Richard said.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in the spaceship's hangar at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, the British billionaire, who will be among the first space tourists with his family, said the venture would help the world 'wake up' to the fragility of the planet and the importance of protecting Earth.
Space is 'the final frontier that is so essential to the future of civilisation on this planet', Sir Richard said.
Mothership: Richard Branson celebrates with his mother, Eve, who the craft has been named after. More than 250 customers have paid £100,000, or put down a deposit, for the chance to be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists.
Mothership: Richard Branson celebrates with his mother, Eve, who the craft has been named after.
'The first generation of space tourists, many of whom are with us today, will be paving the way as they marvel at the beauty of our planet and experience the freedom of weightlessness and the blackness of space,' he said.
'The rollout of WhiteKnightTwo takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this most ambitious of projects is not only for real but is making tremendous progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation.'
Sir Richard said that the first tourists could be launched into space in around 18 months' time, but there is no official launch date yet - SpaceShipTwo needs to be completed before a series of test flights and safety tests are carried out.
More than 250 customers have paid 200,000 dollars (£100,000), or put down a deposit, for the chance to be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists.
The 140ft WK2, which was renamed Eve in honour of Sir Richard's mother who performed the opening ceremony attended by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, is the largest all-carbon composite aircraft and is capable of reaching 50,000ft.
'If our new system could carry only people into space, that would be enough for me, because of the transforming effect it will have on the thousands who will travel with us,' Sir Richard said.
'It is quite clear from every astronaut that I've ever spoken to that seeing the planet from out there, surrounded by the incredibly thin protective layer of atmosphere, helps one to wake up to the fragility of the small portion of the planet's mass that we inhabit, and to the importance of protecting the Earth.'
But he said the spaceships would also be able to launch small payloads and satellites into orbit at a relatively low cost.
'This system offers tremendous potential to researchers who will be able to fly experiments much more often than before, helping to answer key questions about Earth's climate and the mysteries of the universe,' he said.I love this guy! A little nutty but whatever.
From the Report...
The... more
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Virgin Galactic has unveiled the WhiteKnightTwo, labelling it as "a new class of carrier airplane that will help loft space tourists beyond Earth's atmosphere."
Notice the use of a 'new class,' I didn't know we had a 'current class' of everyday space-travelling machines, but there you go.
From the article:
"WhiteKnightTwo will ferry the not-yet-unveiled SpaceShipTwo crafts, six-passenger versions of the original SpaceShipOne, up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) above Earth.
The passenger ship is then launched from the underside of WhiteKnightTwo to continue its ascent to the very edge of space—about 65 miles (104 kilometers) above Earth—under its own power. SpaceShipTwo crafts make the return trip to Earth unaided. "
Space travel for a ridiculous price anyone?
Virgin Galactic has unveiled the WhiteKnightTwo, labelling it as "a new class of... more
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"Virgin Galactic is giving the world a glimpse of its secret space tourism program. Sir Richard Branson's space company Monday trotted out the mothership aircraft that will launch a still-to-be-built spaceship out of the atmosphere. The mothership is a white, four-engine plane with room in the middle where the spacecraft will go.
The early morning rollout in California's Mojave desert came four years after SpaceShipOne became the first private manned rocket to reach space. Now the White Knight Two aircraft being shown today is due to undergo flight tests this fall.
More than 250 customers have paid $200,000 or put down a deposit for the chance to be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists. A date for the first launch has yet to be announced."
"Virgin Galactic is giving the world a glimpse of its secret space tourism... more
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The new service available to all virgin subsribers allows people to use the BBC iPlayer through their digibox. With a user pool of just 3.5 million people Virgins service got the BBC's content a huge 10 million views in June, an average of 1.5 million uses a week.
Looks like the way we watch and interact with television is changing faster than ever, how long until all television is on demand?The new service available to all virgin subsribers allows people to use the BBC... more
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Can rape actually be a black or white subject? Are there are any gray areas in regard to rape?
What is your opinion on this extremely touchy and sensitive issue.Can rape actually be a black or white subject? Are there are any gray areas in regard... more
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UK ISP Virgin Media, in a joint partnership with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), has thus far sent out 800 letters to file sharers to inform them of the consequences should they continue. Packaged in envelopes that said, “Important: If you don’t read this, your broadband could be disconnected,” the letters seeks to dissuade users from file-sharing under the threat of losing their internet accounts.
Luckily for them, however, Virgin doesn’t seem to want to follow through.
The wording of the letter is a mistake, says Virgin, and it plans to review the letters sometime in August. Speaking with BBC Radio’s Newsbeat, a Virgin representative said that there was “absolutely no possibility” they would disconnect accounts that the BPI has linked to filesharing.UK ISP Virgin Media, in a joint partnership with the British Phonographic Industry... more
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Helio "Don't Call me a Phone Company" Mobile was acquired from Korea's SK Telecom today by Sir Richard Branson's (of the UK of those not in the know) Virgin Mobile USA for a down right cold $39 Million - a meer $230 per subscriber.
[Via Engadget]
Q&A from Helio's Website:
HELIO and Virgin Mobile USA are teaming up to combine our strengths and deliver a better mobile experience. On June 27th Virgin Mobile USA announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire HELIO.
HELIO gains access to Virgin Mobile USA’s extensive distribution network and broad customer base, while Virgin Mobile USA gains access to HELIO’s exclusive, high-end devices and premium services. Both companies look forward to coming together to bring exciting prepaid and postpaid opportunities to their customers.
Q: What does this mean for current HELIO members? Can I still use my HELIO device, while keeping my HELIO service plan and number?
A: Current service plans will continue without interruption – it will be business as usual. HELIO members are at the center of this transaction and we’ll continue to bring them the innovative mobile services they’ve come to expect.
Q: Can new members still sign up for HELIO service?
A: Absolutely. HELIO will continue to offer exclusive, high-end devices and our innovative All-In plans.
Q: Will the HELIO brand be retained, or will everything migrate to Virgin Mobile USA?
A: Over time, we expect that all aspects of the customer experience will be integrated under the Virgin Mobile USA brand. Integration of the direct sales channel will begin immediately, and we expect that existing HELIO products and services will soon be offered through the Virgin Mobile USA website at www.virginmobileusa.com.
Q: So what’s next?
A: We’re excited by the possibilities our new, combined team offers. We have some big ideas, but as you can imagine, a little bit of housekeeping is in order before we share them. Stay tuned!
Q: Does this affect my current contract with HELIO in any way? When Virgin Mobile USA does acquire HELIO, can I end my current contract without paying an early termination fee (ETF)?
A: HELIO contracts remain in effect and unchanged by this transaction. HELIO members who wish to end their contract early will still be subject to an early termination fee (ETF).
Helio "Don't Call me a Phone Company" Mobile was acquired from... more
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yup
"Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson told a forum on climate change Tuesday that aviation is a dirty business and that airlines should be willing to pay for the damage they cause to the environment."yup
"Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson told a forum on climate change... more
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lfm
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4 years ago
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"Virgin Media and the BPI have announced a new campaign to crack down on those customers illegally downloading and distributing music illegally.
“As part of the campaign, customers whose accounts appear to have been used to distribute music in breach of copyright will receive informative letters, one from Virgin Media and one from the BPI,” Virgin’s press release informs us.""Virgin Media and the BPI have announced a new campaign to crack down on those... more
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