This is bad for your personal finances, Ruth Jackson, author of the article, tells her readers.
It’s also a legal no-no as it will create legal problems in the long run.
Getting a will drawn up by a solicitor can cost between £100 and £400, argues Jackson. Now, with these prices, wills are also a win-win situation. Just multipl the cheapest amount quoted by 70% of the British population and you’ll understand why lawyers in Britain should be clamouring for more wills as jobs in the financial services dwindle.
We are all mediators, translators. – Jacques Derrida
Today is the Holocaust Rememberance Day, known in Hebrew asYom HaShoah. The death of six million Jews is remembered today. But, above all, we should remember that the force of hatred can lead to cruelty of monstrous proportions.
I have here a lullaby in Yiddish, the Hebrew that was spoken among German and Eastern European Jews, dedicated to all those children who died in the Holocaust. There are also two interviews with holocaust survivors:
The new Dassault Falcon 7X which was purchased by Citi
Citi execs decided to give the American taxpayers a slap in the face as they announced that their company, which was bailed out by the US government with $45 billion, will buy a new plush private jet costing $50 million, the Huffington Post reports.
Now this is a case which exposes the crass ignorance of some executives who fail to assign value and meaning to their decisions. Stupid.
Protesters gathered in front of the BBC Building in London, photo from The Guardian
Staff at the BBC is protesting against the corporation’s decision not to show an appeal by a group of organisation for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza, MediaGuardian.co.uk reports.
The BBC is facing a growing revolt from its own journalists over its decision not to broadcast the Gaza humanitarian aid appeal, with sources reporting “widespread disgust” within its newsrooms, writes Leigh Holmwood.
In a statement released last night and quoted by The Guardian, the BBC said that the appeal meant to be aired as from today does not satisfy the requirements of impartiality at the corporation as it fails to provide for aid to be distributed among both sides of the conflict. “Whilst our records show that DEC stated in principle the aid could be applied to a wider area, they clearly indicated that the situation with Israel was unlikely to need the help of the appeal and in practice the request was solely for Gaza.”, said the statement.
This move has sparked protests in the UK.
DEC is an umbrella organisation grouping some 13 UK charities. ‘At times of overseas emergency, the DEC brings together a unique alliance of the UK’s aid, corporate, public and broadcasting sectors to rally the nation’s compassion, and ensure that funds raised go to DEC agencies best placed to deliver effective and timely relief to people most in need’, states its web site. The organisation had raised funds for humanitarian aid in the Congo by means of clips as this:
I took a 48-hour break from blogging in order to unwind from exam pressure (?!) and think a bit about my future. But now, I’m back.
Before I give you the latest updates I would like to thank you all for your interest and support. The blog has registered nearly 1,600 views in its first two weeks of existence. I think this shows that there’s demand for simple and concise information on financial news.
As part of my ‘celebrations’ upon the accomplishment of this milestone I shall soon be posting a survey asking you questions on which direction you would like this blog to take. I also intend to involve you more in the sourcing of news. I consult more thtan 100 financial news sources on a daily basis but I still believe that you are the best source there can ever be. Any ideas on how you would like to participate are welcome.
Obama’s staff are not allowed to use Facebook or any instant messaging software, reports the Los Angeles Times.
This is not the latest in a series of executive orders issued by President Obama, but the legacy left by the Bush administration which had imposed strict beaurocratic rules on the use of social networking sites and the internet.
‘Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking’, comments Anne E. Kornblut from the Los Angeles Times.
“It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs in comments to the same journalist.
Would you work in a place where online interaction is strictly controlled?
So, if you’re looking for a job and you’re worried the British financial services sector will shrink over the coming two years, why not try work on a cattle ranch, where growth and peace of mind are guaranteed.
Obama takes on the threat poised by Darth Vader even before he took office
Obama dances, fights, computes complex algorithms, makes calls, and, above all, sells fast.
Liam from blog.com.mt sent me a set of products featuring Obama that were launched to mark Obama’s inauguration. These range from dolls to mobile phones to t-shirts and even virus software.
The action doll in picture above is produced by Japanese company Gamu Toys.
Clearly, this toy firm is following the likes of Citibank, GM and Bank of America in placing its trust in Obama’s special powers.
Here’s the facebook message from Liam with all the links:
Subject: Obama stuff
Just for fun since I know you would be interested in Obama inpired stuff and how people are using him all over the place as a money generator
Update: After that Teodor from Schlock Magazine pointed out that Obama also co-starred in a Spider-Man comic, here’s an update sent by Daniel via Facebook:
Here’s what the BBC said about Obama’s presence. If you want a preview of the comic, click here.
The 21st of January 2009 will be remembered as the day which made postmen in the UK happy and taxmen in the US even happier.
Royal Mail, Brtains postal service, in fact today posted its first profit for all its business operations in 20 years, The Guardian reports. Perfect timing for Royal Mail: post a profit while virtually everyone else’s posting a loss.
Meanwhile in Washington, soon-to-be Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner apologised to the US Senate for failing to pay $34,000 in taxes which became due in 2001. He later admitted that he now settled all his dues. This is what I call responsible politics.
But not all was happy clappy today.
Ebay announced later on in the day that its income dropped 31% and traffic went down 4%. The web site generates more than 84.5 million visitors annually.
Whre did the traffic go?
Possibly to Iceland where citizens are fuming at their ‘corrupt government’ following its mismanagement of the financial crisis that hit the once financially strong island. The Huffington Post reports the story with an ironic headline: ‘Iceland is burning.’
I don’t know if the pun was intended.
(Video: A day in the life of a happy Royal Mail postman)
You might ask: But how has Fiat managed to buy 35% of Chrysler in the midst of a crisis hardly hitting car makers all around the world?
The answer is the successful launch of two models onto the market – the Fiat 500 and the Fiat Punto – and a successful investment in making its operations more efficient, says Forbes.com.
How much has Fiat paid for its stake in Chrysler? Fiat has paid technology.
In fact, Fiat did not even pay single cent into the company but has instead agreed to transfer its technology in the production of small and mid-sized cars.
Simply put, this is an example of the benefits of years of investment in innovation.
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