Tag Archives: International

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 1

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The Winter Olympics is well underway over in Sochi and we’ll be using this week to focus on the history of the games and some of the significant aspects of the event. Remember that RAND Logistics provide an international delivery service to Russia, so make sure that you make the most of our services if you plan on sending something to Russia in the future.

The Winter Olympics has a much shorter history than the Olympic Games, with the first games being held at the start of the 20th century. The Olympic Games that followed the First World War introduced a number of winter Olympic events such as figure skating after the 1916 winter Olympics were cancelled as a result of the war.

From 1964 onwards, the Winter Olympics became an increasingly popular spectacle with many events introduced for the first time. Increased broadcasting provided money for the games and soon enough the games reached a similar popularity to that of the Olympic Games itself.

Interestingly, the first ever boycott of the Winter Olympics was from Taiwan after the IOC ordered them to change their name and national anthem.

If you’re following the Winter Olympics this week, be sure to check back here to learn more about the games, whilst you can also learn more about our logistics services here at RAND.

Chinese New Year Celebrations – Day 1

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Last Friday was Chinese New Year, and with it marks the start of traditional Chinese New Year’s celebrations. These celebrations will happen over the course of the next week and will involve cleaning out the house in preparation for the New Year, hanging paper lanterns and other colourful decorations about the house, painting to bring in the New Year, and a whole host of other traditions that sees 2014 as starting afresh!

chinese new year

2014 is the year of the horse, which surprisingly, means prosperity and wealth for all those not born in the year of the horse. According to superstitions, in your zodiac year you will offend Tai Sui, so those born in the year of the horse may suffer from bad luck. Horses can offset this by wearing the horses lucky colours; red, green or purple.

Like January the 1st represents a new start for many other cultures, the 31st January represents a clean slate in China. The Chinese will often send gifts of money and food to their family friends and business partners in order to amend relationships. Why not send a heartfelt gift to a friend or relative living abroad, to imitate the ‘new beginnings’ attitude brought about by the Chinese New Year, using RAND Logistics?

Uses for Junk Mail; Paper Crafts

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The final day of our environmentally friendly way of reusing all that junk mail we sometimes get piling up focuses on tasks for those more creatively minded. If you were looking for a new challenge, or wanted a nice activity to do with the kids, why not try these two uses for old junk mail or newspapers?

Paper Baskets

Traditionally made in Ancient Egypt, wicker baskets were woven together using reeds. Nowadays wicker baskets are still used for plant pots and even coffee tables and sun chairs. A plain paper home made basket can be used to hold pens, paper-clips or other bits like sewing bobbins and spools of thread. Paper wicker baskets can seem daunting, but in reality it is a lot easier than it looks. There are plenty of guides online, and the end result looks fantastic.

Homemade Paper

Rip up your junk mail or shred it, then add water and put it all in a blender. Blend it to pulp and then you have all the ingredients to make your own paper! Use a guide online, and remember that most methods work for un-waxed paper, so make sure not to use any junk mail that is glossy or shiny.

Sending a parcel to a friend or relative internationally? Use RAND Logistics’ instant quick quote service to find out how much you could save!

Uses for Junk Mail; Recycling for Others

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Reusing and Recycling

Why not use your unwanted junk mail as padding for sending far more important, more delicate packages? Shred the junk mail and use it to pack bags, clothes or as extra padding for heavy consoles that you want to send by post. Or if you have an item that you want to send, but the box is too big for the item, you can thickly pack the item with junk mail (shredded, so that your recipient doesn’t get annoyed at your handouts!) so that the gift cannot move within the bigger box.

For even more delicate parcels, like glass or china, you can wrap them in junk mail and thickly pack junk mail around them by balling up the paper. You save a lot of money on packing paper, plus you are helping the environment by reusing your unwanted junk mail!

Or alternatively you can always donate your unwanted junk mail paper to a children’s craft library or nursery, so that they can put your cast offs to better use. Make sure to destroy or remove your address from anything you send on to another recipient, as this could be used against you, or to even send you more spam and junk mail.

Sending a special parcel internationally? Try RAND Logistic’s quick quote service for an instant quote. Our shipping rates are second to none.

 

Handmade Gifts for Christmas

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On the last day of our Christmas week, let us discuss handmade gifts. When done well, with time and effort put in, a handmade gift can be a really sweet way of showing someone you care about them.

handmade

Before you decide to make the gift for your recipient, make sure you know that they would like this type of gift. Like it or not, some people aren’t the sentimental type, so a handmade photo frame might not be the best idea. Handmade gifts can be a heartfelt alternative to buying things off the rack. A necklace or a gold watch might seem romantic, but other people your recipient knows could have received the exact same gift, which makes theirs seem less special.

Put a lot of effort into it, even if you have no experience with making gifts. Try your hardest with your gift, whatever it is, as your recipient will probably see the effort put into the gift, and will be more likely to appreciate it. It helps if your gift is practical in some way, or an accessory, like a pair of warm gloves or a keychain.

Whatever your gift giving ideas are, make someone’s day with a parcel delivered by RAND Logistics. With our competitive rates throughout the world from parcels to Australia, to packages to the Ukraine you won’t need to use any other service for sending parcels internationally.

Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1

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It’s officially the start of the Christmas season so what better blog to start than a daily guide on some of the best gift ideas available this Christmas that you can send internationally with RAND. The majority of people have their own personal tastes when it comes to gifts, so we’ll be separating out a few of the different target markets to give you the perfect ideas for your lucky friend or family member. Today, we’ll be focusing on younger children and some of the excellent gift ideas that have become available for this specific age group.

Kids absolutely adore the Christmas excitement and there’s nothing better than waking up to a full Christmas stocking on the morning of the 25th during your childhood. Kids will love the little time consuming toys, such as miniature table tennis sets and picture books. Depending on whether your child is a girl or a boy preferences will differ, so it’s important that you listen to what your child is in to at the moment, including TV shows or other forms of kid’s media entertainment.

It’s a good idea to purchase an item for a younger child that holds educational value. Educational toys are an excellent way of improving the skills of a child and getting them enthused by the prospect of learning, whether they are yet to start school or are well into their Key Stage 2 years.

So if you are feeling generous this Christmas and want to send a gift abroad to a distant relative, why not make the most of the services Rand Logistics has to offer over the Christmas period. Contact us today for further information about the services we can offer you.

A History of the Parcel: Day 4

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Our penultimate post surrounding the history of the parcel concentrates on significant changes that came around in the 1980’s and 90’s. Whilst these decades may seem particularly recent, there are still plenty of interesting facts to be known about how sending a parcel internationally changed in various ways. Here’s an overview of some of the major changes that happened throughout these particular decades with regards to the postal service.

The United States began using Electronic Computer Originated Mail (E-COM) in 1982. However, E-COM was only in use for a further three years after it was terminated completely by the USA in 1985. A year later, they introduced the ZIP + 4 in order to expand the coded system. In 1985, Jackie Strange became the first female deputy US Postmaster general.

In 1992, Canada became the first country to develop customisable stamps that were intended for greeting purposes. This particular form of stamp has become a phenomenon throughout major seasons such as Christmas and Easter time.

A number of countries began issuing their first ever set of stamps in the 1980’s and 1990’s, including Burkina Faso, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

If you need to send a parcel internationally, why not make the most of the services RAND Logistics has to offer?

Spooky Places in the Philippines

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You may be relieved to hear that we’ve reached the end of our blood-curdling week of spooky places around the world, and today we’re finishing off with a quick look at the Philippines. We like to give our posts an international flavour, so why not give your own post the international treatment and send your next international parcel with RAND for the best rates?

It may be the stuff of nightmares for some, but if you like your cities spooky, Baguio City is said to be haunted throughout. Cemeteries, hotels, the military academy and many other places throughout the city are said to be haunted, primarily by those who died as a result of the 1990 earthquake which brought many buildings to the ground, crushing those inside to death.

If you’ve always wanted to dance with the dead, it might be worth heading to Quezon City to the site of the old Ozone Disco which caught on fire in 1996. Nobody was able to get out, and the people inside unfortunately burnt to death. People living in the surrounding houses have alleged that they have heard faint disco music when none has been playing or come across dancing ghosts in the area.

Spooky Places in Mexico

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It’s a chilly Tuesday and we’re going to be looking at some of the scariest places in Mexico today. There are haunted places all around the world, so if you want to make sure your parcels won’t be tampered with by ghosts or anyone else, be sure to send parcels internationally with RAND for the most reliable, ghoul-proof service.

Perhaps one of the spookiest spots in Mexico is the Pilaer Hacienda in San Juan Teotihuacan. Spanish hidalgo Miguel Aritztia was thought to have fallen from a balcony on the top floor of the building and died, and the ghost of his wife, who tried to save him, has allegedly been spotted crying on the balcony. Miguel himself has apparently been seen hanging from the balcony hundreds of years after his death.

Another supposedly haunted spot in this Central American country is the Island of Dolls, situated in a swamp close to Mexico City. After a girl drowned off the island, the hermit living on it, Don Julian Santana, was pushed further into madness, and he began to fish dolls out of the river believing they were real children. These dolls are said to contain the energy of the little girl, and the ghost of Don Julian Santana himself has been spotted since his death.

Famous Birthdays on 15th November

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We have now reached the end of our week of famous birthdays, and today we will be looking at those big names in history who would have or will be celebrating their big days today on 15th November.

If you’re looking for historical figures, you’ll be spoilt for choice. On 15th November 1708, William Pitt thr Elder, the Whig British Prime Minister, was born, along with the Norwegian Prime Minister Christopher Hornsrud some years later in 1859. WWII Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was born in 1891 on the same day as W Averall Harriman, the American ambassador to the USSR.

Or, if you’re more interested in the arts, there have been some talented, creative critters celebrating their birthdays on this day over the years. Model, fashion designer and make up artist Jeffree Star will be celebrating today, along with French actresses Laura Smet, who will be turning 30, and Virginie Ledoyen, and French film director Francois Ozon.

Hopefully this week has reminded you to buy birthday presents for your friends and family overseas so that you have plenty of time to get them sent with RAND!