England Give Australia A Good Polishing
As if Friday’s pasting with a lot of help from an Irish dwarf wasn’t enough, they got supremely polished by England on Sunday. Sadly, England will have to shuffle the pack as two of their team, have got to go to a funeral.
Apparently, Australia are doing special deals on the trains to Edgbaston. If the match finishes early, you can take any train home.
Brian Cox on Libel Reform
Brian Cox, the particle physicist or celebrity scientist, depending on your view has a piece published in today’s Evening Standard about libel law reform in the UK.
It is a well-written piece that deserves to be read. As does Libel Law Reform’s web site.
Nutritional Pizzas
This article about Nutritional Pizzas, caught my eye on the BBC’s web site, as I like a nice pizza and haven’t had a good gluten-free one since Naples, a few years ago.
The company behind the new pizzas is called, Eat Balanced, from Glasgow. I spoke to them today and their marketing person is actually a coeliac and she told me that gluten-free pizzas are in their company’s development plan.
So here’s hoping!
Her Majesty’s Daily Telegraph Supports Zopa
It’s all in this article here. What will Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells say, as he’s been with NatWorst since he qualified as a solicitor? The article says this about saving and borrowing.
While competition in the current account sector remains stifled, there has been innovation in the savings and loans market, much of it spearheaded by new technology. Zopa, and other peer-to-peer lenders, are prime examples. This company, which launched in 2005, puts those who have money to lend in direct contact with people who need to borrow, effectively cutting out the banks altogether.
Although Zopa takes a fee for arranging this service, the fact that it doesn’t hold the money itself, so doesn’t need to build extensive reserves to cover bad debts, means the rates on offer are far more attractive to consumers. For example, over the past year lenders had earned around 5.5pc on their money, and this is after charges and defaults have been taken into account. Given that the average savings account pays less than 1pc, it is not hard to see why such sites have proved attractive. For those borrowing money, the interest rate is typically a fifth lower than with a high street bank, although most peer-to-peer sites do have strict lending criteria, which means that if you have been turned down by a high street bank you won’t necessarily be able to borrow money through one of these sites. These criteria mean that, to date, the default rate is just 0.5pc.
Zopa may be the biggest peer-to-peer lender by some margin (it has now arranged loans worth £212m) but it is facing competition from RateSetter (which also provides a “default fund” to help cover lenders’ losses) and Funding Circle, which arranges loans for small businesses.
I only think that the peer-to-peer lenders have one serious problem. And that is that politicians bring in banking legislation, that effectively stops peer-to-peer lending in its tracks. However the banks haven’t really shown any good reason why they should be protected from upstarts.
It Was A Friend of Flying Rats What Did It!
That is the theory about who nicked Rufus the Hawk in the Evening Standard tonight.
I also think, that the Flying Squad are looking for a thief, with some large cuts in his fingers.
Titian’s First Masterpiece
I don’t know much about art, except what I’ve picked up off a friend and a couple of talks, but I had heard that Titian’s First Masterpiece is worth seeing at the National Gallery. After all it has been brought all the way from St. Petersberg.
I found it very much worth travelling to Trafalgar Square on two buses. one of which was a genuine Routemaster on Heritage Route 15. Especially, as the entry fee at the gallery was what you felt like putting in an honesty box.
I might even go again, if one of my friends wants to go before they close the exhibition in mid-August.
The Anonymous Widower 