Imran Khan Gives It Straight
I have a great deal of respect for Imran Khan and that has increased after reading this article on the BBC’s web site. Here’s an extract.
Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan has urged the UK to cut aid to his country, saying it fuels corruption.
The former cricketer told BBC Radio 4 that Pakistan was more poverty-stricken than ever but little international aid money reached its intended target.
The UK plans to increase its annual aid from £140m to £350m over the next few years.
But Mr Khan said: “If we don’t have aid we will be forced to make reforms and stand on our own feet.”
The sooner that the west stops giving the Pakistan government any aid the better. After all we gave a lot of aid for the floods last year and can anybody say that that money got to be used for the purpose it was intended.
The Arcelor Mittal Orbit Is Taller Still!
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is getting towards its full height.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit on September 24th, 2011
Note that the trees have been planted in front.
The Funeral Expenses of Troy Davis
The execution of Troy Davis in Georgia has been rightly condemned by many.
I have just received an e-mail, which says that his family are responsible for the expenses of his funeral.
BT’s Copper Is Worth More Than The Stock Market Value
According to The Times today, BT has 75 million miles of copper cable, which at £5,000 a tonne is worth £50 billion.
Compare this to their stock market value last night of just £14 billion.
This figure came from an article on the massive amounts of metal theft in the UK.
How NuLabor Fiddled The Books
Two papers today; The Times and the Daily Mail have a story from an updated edition of Anthony Seldon and Guy Lodge’s book, Brown at 10, that Ed Balls asked Treasury officials to produce economic forecasts that Brown would like. The report in the Mail is here.
According to The TImes, a spokesman for Mr. Balls said it was all “absurd and untrue”. In other words a load of old balls!
Prostate Cancer Drug Trial Stopped Early
The headline was the bad news. But it was stopped because it would have been unethical to continue according to this report from the BBC, as the tests were so succssful.
So it was really good news!
The Greeks Can’t Spell Tax
Just heard David Bewick of BGC Partners on BBC Radio 5.
He said the above in a rather far-reaching appraisal of the economic state of the world.
He said two other points of note.
- The Greeks have no commerce or manufacturing of note.
- When did you last hear a profits warning, from a company that wasn’t a bank?
It was all very entertaining.
I’ll add some good news of my own. In July, I earned 5.88% before tax on the money I have in Zopa. In August, it was down to 5.40%. So what has been my return for the first 24 days of September? It’s back up to 5.88%! They always say about investments that they can go down as well as up.
The Daily Express Annoys Their Jewish and Muslim Readers
According to the BBC this morning, the Express is giving away a voucher for a free gammon steak today.
I would link to the Express, but as when you access that website, it opens another window selling the viewer something he or she doesn’t want, I won’t. I wonder how many others hate that practice with as much venom as I do?
I did find the details on the excellent Money Saving Expert website. Here is what you get.
Just spotted the add in todays paper
Weekday paper is 45p, Saturday 70p, Sunday £1
Get from Budgens & Londis
Saturday – Gammon Steaks
Monday – Crumpets
Tuesday – Natural Yoghurt
Wednesday – Pack of Wagon Wheels
Thursday – Ocean Spray Cranberry & Blueberry Drink
Friday – Quaker Porridge Oats
What a wonderfully balanced diet! Especially for a coeliac like me. Cranberries are also banned if you’re on Warfarin.
They didn’t mention that you could tear the newspaper into squares and use it for toilet paper.
A Slow Motion Legal Car Crash
The goings-on at Dale Farm, were just described in that way on the BBC. In fact, everybody seems to have got involved from Tony Blair to the UN and perhaps half the lawyers in Essex.
I’m not going to argue for either side in this dispute, except to say that the only beneficiaries of this long-running farce have been the lawyers. Everybody else has lost. I suspect in the end, we’ll all pay something out of central taxes.
It will run and run. For instance what would happen, if they found bats in some of the dwellings on the site?
The Great Advantage of Rick Perry As US President
He would be able to talk to President Ahmadinejad as an equal as they both have the same views on capital punishment.
This even extends to their views on the execution of juveniles!
The two are made for each other!
The Anonymous Widower 