INR Test – 11th April 2011
Result: 2.2
Dosing Recommendation: 4.8 mg/day
Next INR Test interval: 42 days
Repeat INR Test on 23rd May 2011 at 11:10.
Icelanders Give the UK and The Netherlands Two Fingers
Th Icedlanders did what was expected and rejected the deal to repay the UK and The Netherlands in a referendum. After all it wasn’t the fault of the good people of Iceland, that their banks went bust.
The trouble is there is a hell of lot more than one born every minute. A few ended up running the Icelandic banks and many more individuals and councils from the UK and The Netherlands invested in banks that were paying a rate that was too good to be true.
If you put any money in something that is outside of both the banking regulations and the UK, you’re asking for trouble. I know people who put all their savings in such as Icesave. They’d have got a better return in Corals, backing horse number 7 in each race.
But the individuals were all compensated by Gordon Brown, using our hard-earned taxes. After all if he hadn’t, the election result might have been different!
Councils, like these in Scotland are still waiting.
Commentators and politicians say the dispute will end up in court. So the lawyers will love that one!
Picking Up Rail Tickets Bought On-Line
Sometimes this can be difficult, as you have to have the right card and type in an eight character code. I usually text my phone, so I’ve got the full details in an easy to read form.
Today, though, I picked up my tickets for Ipswich tomorrow as I was passing through Euston and a card was all I needed. It was much easier!
Did Jack Warner Ask for a Bribe?
Read this story from the Press Association about a possible meeting between Jack Warner and two of the leaders of the England 2018 World Cup Bid team.
I thought when I read the article in The Times this morning that Mr. Warner might consider it to be a libel. Let’s hope he tries to prove it in a UK Court of Law! I’m sure Rupert Murdoch would enjoy the challenge.
I’m very much against libel tourism, but in this case I might be prepared to make an exception.
How To Look Younger
I was walking down towards the old Middlesex hospital today, when I heard a familiar and distinctive voice behind me. I turned slightly and saw the lady in question getting into the taxi, she had just hailed. I then recognised her, as she was wearing the same dress as she had on BBC Breakfast this morning.
But she certainly looks younger on the television!
Do We Have Too Many Banks?
I think that the last time I met a bank manager was when I moved my account to Nationwide about ten years ago. And that was more on her account, as she wanted to try and sell me insurances and other things I didn’t need. I now do all of my banking on-line and the only time I go into a branch is to draw money out of a cashpoint. I often go in and have a sit down, so that I can put the twenty pound notes I don’t like somewhere secure in my bag. Years ago, before cashpoints, going to a bank was a much more common occurence, as you had to pay in cheques and get money out.
So do we actually need bank branches these days?
Apart from my sit downs after getting money out, I don’t! It wouldn’t matter to me, if Nationwide scrapped most of their branches, so long as they kept some major ones. In fact, I probably only use no more than four cashpoints locally. Two are the Nationwide branches at Upper Street and Moorgate, and I use a Sainsburys and a Tesco in the Essex Road. None of course charge me anything. Incidentally, why would anybody use a machine that did charge?
The ICB has now reported that the major banks should be reduced in size and that investment banking should be separated from retail. The Telegraph reckons it’s a good British compromise. Share prices in the banks have risen.
But I can’t help feeling that traditional retail banking is dead anyway, as who really wants it? Not me! So long as I have a good on-line money transfer system and access to free cash points, I’ll be happy! I hopefully won’t need another mortgage and I’ll always use Zopa and other professional companies for my savings and insurance.
Do We Have Too Many Nurses?
I have used the NHS a lot in the last three years, what with the death of my wife and son to cancer and a couple of strokes.
In many cases I have had appointments with doctors and other healthcare professionals and whereas a few years ago, they would have had a nurse or a technical assistant to work with them, now they usually work alone with sophisticated equipment.
I am on Warfarin and at my previous surgery, a nurse used to take a blood test once a fortnight, which was sent to the local hospital for analysis. Now, my new GP does it himself with a small instrument that gives results immediately.
So is technology taking over from nurses?
To illustrate this BBC Breakfast has just shown how to use a heart defibrillator. It all seemed fairly simple and very much led by an intelligent machine.
The Anonymous Widower 