Latest Information from Royal Mail about North American Deliveries

With U.S. Homeland security services having increased checks and having employed additional security measures to check incoming mail to North America, customers using Airmail, Airsure and Surface Mail services have experienced further delays with their parcels.  We at Everything Dinosaur do all we can to ensure a prompt despatch of orders, checking customs forms, addresses and ensuring that customers are contacted with details of when and how their parcel(s) are being sent out.

For information about Everything Dinosaur’s postage and shipping policy: Everything Dinosaur Shipping and Postage.

Royal Mail Information

Below is a transcript from the Royal Mail outlining the latest information on mail services to the USA and Canada.  Reading between the lines, it seems that Royal Mail acknowledges that there have been considerable delays to their normally very efficient mail service.  At Everything Dinosaur, we monitor parcels sent abroad and through our communications with our customers we have built up a picture of how long mail is actually taking to reach destinations in the United States.  Having to wait up to 30 working days for a parcel sent by Airmail service is an experience that a number of our overseas customers have had.

The Royal Mail update: (7th March)

“Further to the recent increased security measures for items carried on passenger airlines to the USA, Royal Mail has continued to work with relevant airlines and deploy a range of contingency measures and routes to get as much mail to the States as quickly as possible.

We are pleased to confirm that the vast majority of items have now reverted back to being flown to the USA, with only a small amount of mail having to be diverted to alternative routes, including sea containers.

As a result, most items, including personal and business letters and packets, should be delivered in the US within a few days of posting.  However, delays of about two weeks may continue for heavier packets sent by social (non-contract) customers that are still unable to fly due to security restrictions.  We are continuing to explore alternative solutions for these items, to return them to air transit as soon as possible

Royal Mail is very sorry for the recent unavoidable delays; we are continuing to work to minimise disruption to our customers, whilst ensuring we comply fully with the US directives and regulations.”

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Customers at Everything Dinosaur can be reassured that we are doing all we can to help expedite parcel deliveries.

Take a tour of Everything Dinosaur’s user-friendly and award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

Everything Dinosaur’s Articles are Recognised for their Excellence

A major e-zine publisher, an online resource for articles and information has recognised the efforts of our Everything Dinosaur team members by granting them “expert” status on the strength of their article submissions to the e-zine website.

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Everything Dinosaur’s staff include qualified teachers and dinosaur experts and between them they have produced a wide variety of articles ranging from information on the latest interpretation of fossil finds to model reviews and commentary related to dinosaur teaching resources in schools.

These articles (and this web log) have also been used by teachers in international language schools to help students who do not have English as a first language with their studies.

Everything Dinosaur’s E-zine Articles Awarded Expert Status

We are very honoured to receive accolade and we would like to pass on our thanks to all the people who helped with our various writing projects.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

Review of Predictions for 2010

At the beginning of each year, team members at Everything Dinosaur put their heads together and just for a little bit of fun, they have a go at predicting some of the news stories and events that they might report on in the year ahead.  So with 2010 over and as we are looking forward to this year, it is time for a quick look back to see what predictions we made twelve months ago.

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We have already made some predictions for 2011, to view our predictions for the forthcoming year: Palaeontology Predictions for 2011.

How did we do with our 2010 predictions?  Were we within a fossilised gnats nose or out by the length of a diplodocid’s tail?

The List of Predictions Made by Everything Dinosaur at the Start of 2010

1). More Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals to go under the hammer

2). Increased pressure for change in UK museum funding

3). “Dakota” to hit the headlines once again

4). Criminal charges for a palaeontologist in the United States

5). Everything Dinosaur trilobite hunt at last

6). Increased emphasis for science teaching in UK primary schools

7).  March to mark a millennium for Everything Dinosaur’s web log

8). A new genus of pterosaur to be announced

9). Beware of smugglers

10). Last but not least a thought for South Africa

Quite an eclectic mix of predictions, but how did we do?

Our prediction regarding more auctions of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals proved to be quite accurate with a number of high profile sales in Europe and the United States.  For example, in May we wrote about an auction of a range of prehistoric items, including T. rex teeth, the skull of a Cave Bear and the remains of a Woolly Mammoth.

For dinosaur and prehistoric animal models and figures: Prehistoric Animal Models and Dinosaur Figures.

The prediction about pressure on museums to charge entrance fees, proved to be only partially correct.  With the change of UK government we were aware that charging for museum entrance was discussed, but fortunately this policy was not put forward and no charging plans have been implemented – yet.

Our predictions for “Dakota” the magnificently well preserved, Edmontosaurus “mummified” dinosaur fossil were partially accurate.  There were a number of news stories published about how the research work was progressing and what plans were in place to display the fossil once the preparation was completed, but there were no “outstanding” new breakthroughs.  Limits on funding and the problems caused by trying to analyse such a huge and unwieldy fossil put a check on progress.  However, the dedicated team of researchers are still working on this very significant find and more information about this Hadrosaur will be, no doubt come to light shortly.

As for our prediction regarding the prosecution of an American over a fossil related matter, we are aware of a number of incidents, but fortunately, the new laws and restrictions imposed by the United States seem to be having the desired effect.  Which is more than can be said about Everything Dinosaur’s trilobite hunt, we have yet to visit the location we had wanted to, but with a little better planning and time management we are hopeful to do some fieldwork at this particular site in the near future.

Greater teaching emphasis for science – we were at a meeting in the Autumn at which individuals close to the UK Government briefed us on the situation regarding the need emphasis the teaching of science topics in school.  School funding has been affected by the recession and the Government spending cuts, but we at Everything Dinosaur continue to lobby and to offer subsidised teaching of Earth Sciences.  Fortunately, following  a review, the plans to slash the science teaching budget have been put on hold, at least for the time being.   Some good news then.

The prediction about Everything Dinosaur’s web log reaching its 1,000 article landmark in March 2010 proved partly correct, albeit that the 1,000th article was published a little later than we predicted.  We aim to publish an article, review, or photograph every single day (seven days a week).  Our 1,000th article was published on April 17th, at present we are well on the way to publishing our 1,300th web log article.

Blog Landmark Reached

As for our prediction about a new species of pterosaur (flying reptile) being announced, sure enough there were a number of new papers published, most notably perhaps the paper from a team of Irish scientists about a new genus of flying reptile we reported on in May, plus new research into how pterosaurs launched themselves into the air.  Giant flying reptile models even invaded London for a short time to help promote the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Society.

The black market in fossil sales continued to grow, despite increased activity by both internal and international security services.  The smuggling of fossils and other ancient artefacts is big business and it is rare these days to hear of a fossil dig site in parts of the world such as India that is not raided at least once by trophy hunters, curious locals or professional fossil smugglers.

Finally, with the world’s attention focused on South Africa for the 2010 World Cup we thought that we would have one prediction for this particular African country.  True enough, there were a number of important discoveries reported upon.  More ancient hominid remains and the evidence of Early Jurassic dinosaurs being just two stories about the rich fossil record of South Africa published last year.  We also ought to report on one extinction event that occurred in that country in the Summer – the extinction of England’s national football team after there insipid performance in the tournament.  Sadly, England failed and once again, after all the hyperbole and expectations, our national football team did not deliver on the world stage.

Trying to predict what will happen with the study of Dinosauria and other fossils over the next year is a difficult business, at least we won’t try to predict when England will win the World Cup, that would be just too difficult to contemplate.

To view the entire article on our 2010 predictions: Everything Dinosaur’s Predictions for 2010.

Update on Christmas Mail

The continuing bad weather over much of the UK and Europe is still affecting parcel deliveries.  The extra staff at Everything Dinosaur and the longer shifts have helped keep us on top of the packing and despatching of Christmas parcels.  We continue to work hard to ensure that parcels, letters and packets are given every chance of reaching their destination in time for the big day.

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However, please note, that the adverse weather conditions are having an impact on Royal Mail and other national mail networks.  Some delays into areas such as the northeast of England and Scotland are inevitable.

Royal Mail have put up further information on their website, but as a summary this is what they are currently saying:

“Royal Mail teams are working hard across the country to operate services impacted by recent weather conditions.  In Scotland, it’s taking longer to deal with the mail affected by recent and current weather conditions, as well as the additional seasonal mail coming into and out of the country. We’re deploying additional measures where we can, in the continuing difficult conditions to collect, sort, transport and deliver the large volume of seasonal mail now progressing through our network.  We’re doing all we can in Scotland to get mail to customers as quickly as possible.”

The last recommended posting dates for First Class mail in time for Christmas is Tuesday 21st December (UK customers).  All orders placed on Saturday afternoon and yesterday are packed, checked and  being despatched this morning (Monday).  They will all be sent out with the very first collection of the day.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.