Brown £Billion Bailout
October 13, 2008
The £37 billion bailout for RBS, Lloyds TSB and HBOS has been hailed as essential for the whole of the economy by Gordon Brown.
The markets have welcomed the news as the FTSE 100 opened five percent higher today. The RBS chief executive is to stand down as the bank is now worth less than the extra capital that was already raised by its shareholders.
Lloyds TSB are revising the terms of its takeover of HBOS and is raising £5.5 billion of new capital.
Barclays is to raise £6.5 billion to strengthen its balance sheet with help from its investors. The Barclays group has said that it will not be paying dividends for the end of the 2008 financial year, due in at £2 billion.
The £37 billion bailout will leave only HSBC (a foreign owned bank) as a fully independent bank on the high street.
The Government has already had to bail out two major UK mortgage lenders and controls Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley.
The intervention raised hopes that the suffering markets may begin to fight back in the midst of a turbulent economy. I think like many others that this is unlikely!
Police Help Emergency Baby Delivery
October 10, 2008
In the news today a policemen was apparently about to tell a man off for his driving when he realised he had to help deliver the man’s baby.
The Russian couple were parked in their grey BMW in South West London, when PC Wells and PC Cullen went to speak to them about their road skills. The father to be, Mr Nadel had flagged down the police car in attempt to get directions to the hospital.
PC Wells said:
“He (Mr Nadel) was behind us and overtook then pulled in, I was about to have words with him about the way he was driving then he said his wife was having a baby. I think he was hoping for a blue light escort but instead we decided to call an ambulance.”
The expecting mother Natalia quickly moved into the advanced stages of labor and the police had to quickly think on their feet to help.
PC Wells quickly saw that the baby was turning blue and managed to remove the umbilical cord which had become wrapped around the baby’s neck.
PC Wells said: Read the rest of this entry »
Online Love Lives Up The Street
October 9, 2008
With the growth of internet access, online dating is an increasingly common way to meet people. A couple who met online have now found out that their new online partner is actually a neighbour from only a few doors up and has been for 17 years.
She’s a teacher and he’s an electrician; after several weeks of online interaction the teacher decided to give the electrician a call. She said;
“While we were chatting I said I’d just been to the shop. He said that was the shop he always went to,” she told the South Wales Echo. “When he told me he lived in (the same street), I thought it was a wind-up. I was stunned… He asked me over for a cup of tea, and that was that,”
The electrician added: “We’ve got the perfect compatibility. I’m a very lucky man.”
Is it may be fair to say that if we spent less time watching TV, surfing the web and playing on games consoles and actually left the house, we may find our dream man who lives just down the street.
At The Trafford Centre one night I found myself have a moment of ‘where has the romance gone’… it was an evening for the elderly and they were all dancing to swing music. It was very strange, I just think that we live in sombre times and I was left wondering… where has the love gone?
Wouldn’t it have been nice to see each other across a crowded room and notice that the other person was looking back at them? Maybe ask them to dance or get to know them, without wondering if they were actually a twelve year old boy?!
I hate to sound like I know I am, but our culture is pants!!! We work all the time, everything revolves around money and nothing is sacred or special. The Europeans understand about work / life balance and seem to reject all pressures to let it be taken away from them.
The story about the internet couple stirred something inside me and I think it is the fear that if technology takes over much more we will never have to leave a single room. We would be able to do anything necessary from the comfort of our home office and never actually have to integrate with anyone… scary and sad!!!
In the Office…
October 8, 2008
In today’s culture of work, work, work; it seems that we spend more time with our colleagues than our friends and family. More and more time is spent by employers ensuring that our work environment is comfortable, stimulating and fit for purpose.
In our building we have office plants in most rooms. Though there aren’t many people that would say they pose any real benefit. I guess it gives the room some colour and perhaps there is the argument that they help clean the air?! I think my favourite part of the office plant situation is the cheeky ‘plant guy’ that is employed to come in and water them once a week.
Yes I am sad and not even attracted to him, though I do say it stops me from thinking about the mind numbingly boring working I’m in the middle of for five minutes!
I guess there are benefits and no real draw backs. Let’s all have a woo hoo for office plants!!!
Should The Cane Be Brought Back Into Schools?
October 3, 2008
In the news today a report has been made that one in five teachers would want to see the cane back in schools as punishment.
It is the deterioration in the behaviour of pupils that has pushed teachers in favour of such punishments. The survey took a poll of 6,162 teachers and found that 22% of teachers in secondary schools were for corporal punishment being brought back in extreme cases.
Overall over a fifth of teachers were in favour of the cane however, less heads and deputy heads felt that way with only 12% in favour.
Judith Cookson a supply teacher said;
“There are too many anger management people and their ilk who give children the idea that it is their right to flounce out of lessons for time out because they have problems with their temper. They should be caned instead.”
Ravi Kasinathan a primary school teacher said;
“There is justification, or an argument, for bringing back corporal punishment, if only as a deterrent. I believe some children just don’t respond to the current sanctions.”
I think we should definitely listen to teachers as they are the people involved with our children on a daily basis. With our current culture of broken homes and ASBO order children surely they are the best people to get a grip of our youth and they should be left to do their jobs the best way they can.