Lifestyle topics
A new study has found that people who get little exercise and sleep poorly are 57% more likely to die prematurely compared to those who exercise a lot and sleep better as a result. Bad sleepers also had a 67% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 45% higher chance of being diagnosed with …
Damian Hirst reveals that his mum is happy with his shift from provocative artworks to cherry blossom oil paintings: “When I was making animals in formaldehyde , she said, “Oh, there are enough horrors in the world. Can’t you do paintings of flowers?” And I think, my God, it’s taken me until I’m 55 …
Food and drink exports to the EU almost halved in the first three months of the year, the Food and Drink Federation reports. The group’s data showed that EU sales dropped by 47% compared to the same period in 2020. Covid is likely to have had an impact but the trade body said the decline …
~ Robert Benchley. (American humorist and writer) I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.
Public officials have taken the idea of affordable college from something everyone should have to a luxury item only for the super-rich and super lucky. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and chuck Schumer have spent months asking Joe Biden to use his authority to eliminate or reduce crushing student debt. Biden promised to do so. But …
Americans are quitting jobs in record numbers. Several retail workers among them recently spoke with The Washington Post, describing how the pandemic led to increased hours, pay cuts and understaffed stores, frequented by more disruptive customers. “We’re seeing a wider understanding that these were never good jobs and they were never livable jobs,” said Rutgers …
Continue reading ‘Will there be a sea change in the wealth gap?’ »
~ WH Auden.. We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea.
Phone conversations It seems that 75% of people with mobile phones value an actual phone conversation, but that 92% mainly use their phones for internet access. Long rambling phone calls are on the out, declining yearly. Extroverts prefer face- to- face conversations, which they find energising. Introverts, of which I am one, use the phone …
.Many CEOs and politicians like North Carolina State Rep. David Rouzer have been adamant in their beliefs that extended unemployment benefits and $1,400 direct stimulus checks have led to the lack of workers in the fast-food industry. This assertion is patently false and anyone who repeats it should be ashamed of themselves. Did it ever …
Welcome back to all kind readers! The British “Daily Star” ( which offers a take on the news that really “matters”) calls on readers to “do your bit for Britain”, as it reports that economists estimate every member of the public needs to buy 124 pints of beer to save our “beleaguered pub industry”. …
“Yesterday I was at my local store buying a large bag of My Dog dog food for my loyal pet and was in the checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. “What did she think I had an elephant? So, since I’m retired and have little to do, on …
The mighty US dollar continues to reign supreme in global markets. But the greenback’s dominance may well be more fragile than it appears, because expected future changes in China’s exchange-rate regime are likely to trigger a significant shift in the international monetary order. For many reasons, the Chinese authorities will probably someday stop pegging the …
Continue reading ‘The future of the dollar (a bit long, but important)’ »
Fossil fuel companies in the US received billions of dollars in tax benefits through government coronavirus relief measures, but laid off tens of thousands of workers, figures show. A group of 77 firms received $8.2bn in tax-code changes under the massive stimulus bill passed by Congress last last year, and some benefited from the paycheck …
Thousands of British citizens in France have been left without a valid driving licence, or face losing theirs within months, because of bureaucratic overload and the failure of the two countries’ governments to sign a post-Brexit reciprocal agreement. “I’d say there are 3,000 who are seriously worried – for whom this has really become nightmarish,” …
The world’s 60 largest banks have provided $3.8tn of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate agreement in 2015, a coalition of NGOs have said. While the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a drop in energy use, funding is still net rising. US and Canadian banks comprise 13 of the 60 banks analysed but …
Continue reading ‘So much for fighting global climate change!’ »
