Hollande Shows He’s A True Champagne Socialist!
There seems to be a big row brewing in France, as President Hollande has upped the tax on beer by a whopping 160%. He left the tax on wine and spirits alone. Read all about it, here in the Belfast Telegraph. This is the first paragraph.
France is planning heavy tax increases on beer, upsetting brewers – even in other countries.
President Francois Hollande is pushing through legislation to increase taxes on beer by 160% to help fund struggling social security programmes as France tries to lower a budget deficit hit hard by the economic crisis. The tax would affect local brews and the 30% of imported beer the French drink.
I suppose though, I’m not bothered, as I’ve never heard of a gluten-free French beer. Although, there’s some passable Belgian and Spanish ones.
I Missed This One
I was searching for innovative financial ideas and found this article by Anthony Hilton in the Standard. He says this about Castle Trust.
But the prize for creativity and innovation this week undoubtedly goes to Castle Trust, with a totally new approach to the housing market. On the one hand, it has created investment funds that will track the Halifax house price index. On the other, it will use these monies raised from investors to offer a new form of mortgage finance whereby it will fund 20% of the cost of a house in return for a share of the profits (or indeed or a portion of the losses) when the house is sold.
I’ve never heard of Castle Trust before, but it does show how people in the City are having ideas, that benefit both investors and borrowers.
Long may they think!
Hurricane Sandy
It would appear that Hurrican Sandy has got people all worked up in the United States.
I’ve just read this piece by Mark Mardell. All well thought out stuff, but it was this comment that I noticed.
John: Obama is the Antichrist from Revelations
How does anyone know he is or isn’t?
If you believe in God and the Bible you know some day its going to happen
Ever since Obama it feels like all Hell is breaking loose upon Earth
Perhaps its overdramatic but something feels uneasy
Do people really believe such rubbish?
The sooner the people of the United States and the rest of the world as well, realise that religion is just a con trick to extract money from their wallets, the better.
By the way is Sandy of the hurricane fame, male or female?
Brown Is Voted Worst Living Prime Minister
According to the Sunday Times, a poll has shown that 43% voted Gordon Brown, Britain’s worst living Prime Minister.
Lord North was disqualified as no-one had a spade to dig him up!
It’s Not April The First
This story shown here in the Daily Mail first caught my eye in the Sunday Times, so I suspect it’s serious. But it does have the touch of the April Fool about it.
On the other hand, there must be lots of other professions like shop assistants, receptionists or pharmacists, where some women choose to wear high-heels. I’ve also known a few short ladies, who wear heels virtually all the time. I also had a lady dentist who always wore very high heels, but that was only with the old-fashioned dental chairs.
So perhaps the best solution would be to ban women from wearing them except in the comfort of their own home!
Choosing A Celebrity President
There’s this bit of fun on the BBC’s web site.
I answered it honestly and certainly got someone, who would do a better job than many politicians; Oprah Winfrey. Although, I’m not a fan and I’ve never seen any of her television programs or films. In fact, if you showed me a picture of her, I doubt I’d recognise her.
I then reversed my answers and got someone called LL Cool J. I certainly haven’t heard of him and from what I read on Wikipedia, I haven’t missed much.
Elizabeth Goes Down The Hole
The weather last night, which was dry and clear enabled CrossRail to lower the first of the pair of tunnel boring machines; Elizabeth and Victoria, into the enormous hole on the Limmo peninsular by Canning Town station.
There are some wonderful pictures here on the CrossRail site.
The pictures have a sort of Kubrickesque feel to them. You could just imagine them being used as a model for some futuristic film set.
Berlusconi Found Guilty
Berlusconi has been found guilty and sentenced to time in jail.
Perhaps he should serve it in a womens’ prison.
How To Really Annoy Cold Callers
Richard Herman really got back at cold callers trying to sell PPI insurance and suchlike, by charging them £200 and getting paid. It’s all here on the BBC.
Perhaps we should annoy cold callers, by saying we’re a friend or relative of Richard Herman and we’re going to use his methods.
I suspect as the news has broken round the country from the BBC, there has been a lot of people saying, I’ll get the next idiot who phones.
Simon Jenkins In The Guardian On Jimmy Savile
I don’t seem to be the only person, who thinks that the reaction to Jimmy Savile and his undoubted crimes is a bit over the top. Read this by Simon Jenkins in that sensationalist tabloid, the Guardian. Here’s the last paragraph.
We now have a new form of accountability, to an “inquiriat”, a cackle of inquisitors and lawyers jumping to the bidding of public opinion, flapping round every executive’s head and piling accusation on every error. This can only lead to ever more defensive behaviour in every sphere of public life. It is the paranoia of the modern state. Every document is “open”, every conversation “on the record” and your friend today is tomorrow the witness against you.
Very soon, no-one will do anything because of fear!
In some ways the forces that protected Jimmy Savile are not unlike those that protected the abusers in some of the worst child and other abuse cases of recent years.
The Anonymous Widower 