New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 07:22 AM CST

UK Interest Rates At Historic Low

The Bank of England has cut the UK base rate of interest by half a percent to 1.5%, a rate that is the lowest interest rate in the country since the Bank of England was founded in 1694.

Rates have been cut each month since October 2008 when the rate was 5%, and the hope is that lower interest rates will help stimulate the economy and start people spending money again. Whether this will work is open to debate, and opinion seems to break down party lines. There is scope for more cuts in interest rates, and there other measures, such as printing more money, or issuing gilts.

The question now is whether the banks will pass this cut on to savers and those with mortgages.

Do You Want Fries With Your Apprentice?

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 04:08 AM CST

McDonalds to recieve Government Funding to take on Workers

How would you like to become proficient in "multi-skilled hospitality" that’s equivalent to five GCSE’s at grade C or above? Thought so. Unfortunately you won’t get the opportunity to go large and have seven GCSE’s.

McDonalds will be one of the largest companies taking part in the scheme, which will see the labour Government (assuming it is in power in 2010) funding apprentice programs around the country to "strengthen the country’s competitiveness and help beat the downturn"

The Government plans to finance 35,000 apprentices next year by offering companies support to take on and train people in relevant skills. The fast food chain will be taking on 10,000 of them in 2010. I’m not knocking McDonalds here, but surely the money would be better spent on jobs that require huge amounts of learning, over many years, such as plumber, builders and mechanics, rather than one in eight of their employees on a production line that has a strict procedure for every element laid down by Management?

(Hat tip to Burning our Money).

Who Turned Out The Lights?

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 03:16 AM CST

100 watt lightbulbs are being fazed out and the UK public, as ever, is panic stockpiling

Some retailers have stopped restocking conventional bulbs as the Government looks to energy-efficient alternatives in its drive to lower carbon emissions. The bulbs that are fazed out first are the 100 Watt variety.

Hundreds of leading supermarkets and DIY chains across the country – including Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Homebase – have reportedly sold their last bulbs after panic buying.

John Lewis has said by the end of the month it will stop replacing all 150w, 100w and 75w bulbs, and by January 2010 will no longer replace 60w traditional light bulbs.

The Migraine Action Association called on the Government to provide a choice over light bulbs, claiming people with the condition could suffer attacks because of a flicker in fluorescent bulbs.

“We are saying the new bulbs should not be used in reading lights, or where people eat. They can be used in areas of low traffic, such as hallways, and people must be given a choice over which type of bulbs to buy,” said the association’s director, Lee Tomkins.

There is some good news though, Thelightbulb.co.uk, which supplies businesses as well as selling direct to customers, has seen its sales for last January almost matched in the first three days of January. Every cloud..

Where Do Z List Celebs Go To Find A New Date?

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:55 AM CST

Ben Adams told Lucy Pinder yesterday that his last three girlfriends were found on a social networking site

Ben, 27, admitted he found his last three girlfriends on social networking site Facebook and that he hates dating girls who order expensive drinks and food. He told Lucy this, shown on last night’s Celebrity Big Brother highlights show.

He said: "When I go for dinner, I look at the prices on the meals and I go like: “I’ll have the fish and chips, because it’s £11."

He continued: "I took this girl out and she sat there and she picked a starter.

"That was, like, £15. Then she went for a £56 steak. The wine that she picked was £60 quid. Then two mojitos at £12 each."

That may not be the way to get a new girlfriend Ben, still at least you didn’t say it on National TV..

Nigel Clough Helps Beat Man Utd - Just Like Dad

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:39 AM CST

Derby sensationally beat Manchester United last night in the Carling Cup Semi-Final

Brian Clough ended his hugely successful Derby career as Manager with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1973. Last night, the late Manager’s son, Nigel, (who officially takes over as Derby boss today) helped inspire them to another win over United with a score of, you guessed it, 1-0.

Derby striker, Kris Commons, scored with a superb 25-yard shot on the half-hour, the goal proving enough for Derby to achieve another famous win over United.

The Carling Cup final is not quite in the bag for Derby, in just two weeks, they will be playing the second leg at Old Trafford, expect a different scoreline unless, as hinted, Fergie sticks with the youngsters next time round..

Derby (4-4-2): Carroll; Connolly, Todd, Nyatanga, Camara; Sterjovski (Teale 57), Addison, Green, Davies; Hulse, Commons Man Utd (4-4-2) Kuszczak; Rafael, Evans, Vidic, O’Shea; Gibson, Anderson (Carrick 73), Scholes (Ronaldo), Nani; Welbeck (Rooney), Tevez

They’re Here….A UFO Strikes A Wind Turbine

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:24 AM CST

A wind turbine was wrecked yesterday by a UFO, leaving no trace of the missing blade

Engineers from Ecotricity are frantically trying to establish how a 20m blade fell off a turbine at Conisholme wind farm in Lincs. It is believed the a blade fell off the 89m turbine and another was left badly bent on Sunday January 4.

Some people think this is simply not an isolated case and blame it on the extreme climate conditions. Others, many many others, think it is to with a UFO.

Residents in Conisholme and the surrounding villages have been saying they saw strange flashing tentacle shaped lights above the wind farm on the night before it happened.

Mr John Harrison described how on Saturday night, January 3, he looked out of his landing window to see a ‘massive ball of light’ with “tentacles going right down to the ground”..

“It was huge” he said “At first I thought it must have been a hole where the moon was shining through but then I saw the tentacles – it looked just like an octopus.”

UFO expert Russ Kellett, of Flying Saucer Review said: “Balls of light were seen in the sky and the MoD has no explanation. We are very, very excited about this."

We are waiting on news as to whether David Icke and Robbie Williams are investigating..

Hat Tip - Louth Leader

Who’s Cleaned Up At The Bookies?

Posted: 08 Jan 2009 12:01 AM CST

Northampton time it right as Doctor Who Moves To Town

Local boy Matt Smith’s appointment in the Tardis as the eleventh Doctor helped someone have the time of their life this weekend, reveals bookmaker Paddy Power. 10 residents of Smith’s home town made the Irish company pay out close to £5,000 on his new role.

Who’d turn down a bet of £75 on Smith as the Doctor at 22-1?

Of course we shouldn’t worry too much that this is going to break the bank – with the front runners of Chiwetel Eijofor and Patterson Joseph likely to have thousands of punters backing them, we here at The Daily Dust suspect that Saturday’s news was just what they wanted to hear.

It’s unsure who the ten were, but Smith did admit in an extended BBC interview that he had to tell someone, and he told his Dad in advance. “He was rather flabbergasted and sort of laughed. He’s very proud because he loves the show.”

(Hat tip to The Register).