Monthly Archives: December 2008

Black Pudding

Posted on by
No Gravatar

union flag

… or should that be Blood Pudding.  Black pudding would certainly win out as the name among any UK pensioners who are resident in Canada.  They may lose out by having their UK pensions frozen and not increased with inflation but at least they can enjoy many of the fine products from the old country.  For any searchers for black pudding, it can be found at Black Pudding Imports, Unit A 20243 62 Avenue in Langley, British Columbia.  Although this is not a very travelled avenue, it is easy to spot Black Pudding by the many Union flags that are displayed.  It’s well worth a visit.  I was so delighted to find it that I cannot resist telling others about it.  It also brought to mind the next post on frozen UK pension sponsors, so that was another reason for mentioning it.

Black Pudding really is an astonishing place.  A real cornucopia of all things British. You can choose from their wide variety of meats, cheeses, breads, pies, condiments, candies, frozen foods, soups and more…  Whatever product you may remember from the old country, it’s likely to be found here.

If you do not believe that, why not try a little test.  First think of a product and then check their list of products to find it.  If there is one missing, why not add a comment below on the omission.  I’m sure they will do their best to correct that if at all possible.

They are also wholesalers and supply some very fine eating establishments in British Columbia that provide traditional British fare. They supply Victoria’s Beagle Pub, located in the Cook Street Village, where you can enjoy their bacon, black pudding, and sausages.  Pub specials include Toad In The Hole (3 bangers in a Yorkshire pudding)  and a full British breakfast – back bacon , bangers, Heinz Baked Beans, eggs, tomatoes , mushrooms and hash browns.  Black Pudding also supply the newly-opened Yorkshire TeaShoppe in the village of Fort Langley.  There you can eat Bangers and Mash, Beef in Guinness Pie or a Ploughman’s Lunch.

If you are not certain whether you would like black pudding, then a BBC item, on black pudding: past and present may be helpful.

Black pudding, as made in the UK, is a blend of onions, pork fat, oatmeal, flavourings – and blood (usually from a pig). As long as animals have been slaughtered to provide food, blood sausages like black pudding have been in existence. Sources indicate that the corpulent sausage had its origins in ancient Greece, and Homer’s Odyssey makes poetic reference to the roasting of a stomach stuffed with blood and fat.

The art of pudding making has had an epic journey across Europe over the centuries. Today it’s a staple of menus across the Continent. The black pudding has a range of European relatives: Spanish morcilla makes an excellent tapas, and blutwurst is an intriguing Germanic variant; the boudin noir is a delicacy in France, sometimes containing rich ingredients like brandy and cream.

Unfortunately such traditional food items can be in peril in an age of standardization.  Apparently the good citizens of Stornoway in the islands off the west coast of Scotland are seeking to gain European protected status for the Stornoway Black Pudding.  As with the Arbroath Smokie there will be a need for research into the history of the product and local people are encouraged to gather their memories and stories.  Why not get in touch with them if you can help preserve the black pudding.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Frozen UK Pension Issue Is Daft – BBC Expert

Posted on by
No Gravatar
bbc money box
The first pensions being paid at a post-office in London.
Source: Illustrated London News
9 January 1909.

January 2009 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first pension payment, following the passing of the Old Age Pensions Act in August 1908.  On today’s Money Box Live, Paul Lewis was fielding listeners’ questions about pensions and discussing them with a panel of experts:

  • Michelle Cracknell, strategy director at investment group Skandia
  • Tom McPhail, head of pensions research, Hargreaves Lansdown
  • Malcolm McLean, chief executive, The Pensions Advisory Service

You can listen to the actual discussion at this link, which will be available until January 5th.   Thereafter the transcript should be available at this link in two to three weeks.

The reference to the frozen UK pension issue being daft comes about 15 minutes into the broadcast.  David Wood of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia raised the issue that half of all British pensioners living outside the UK have frozen pensions while the other half receive pensions exactly like UK residents.  Indeed if he lived a little to the north in the Philippines he also would receive a pension adjusted for inflation.  He would also receive a subsidy for fuel even though that is clearly illogical.  As Malcolm McLean said, there is no rhyme or reason in the way UK pensions are being administered for their recipients.  It’s just plain daft.

Moneybox seems to be a great initiative and there are some excellent external internet links.  In particular Paul Lewis, the host, has a large collection of articles on Money, which will be of particular interest to UK residents.

Related Posts:

Technorati Tags: , ,

Leaving Home – Not

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Leaving home is never easy and oft filled with nostalgia for all those years of memories. The Beatles reminded us of the intense feelings that leaving home creates with their song, She’s Leaving Home.

Leaving home is tough for teenagers but even more difficult for seniors who are often surrounded by all their memories. It is therefore not surprising to see that according to CNN, the Duchess of Carnegie, 96, refuses to leave home.

(CNN) — Editta Sherman has celebrated more than half a century’s worth of new years in her palatial studio apartment above New York’s Carnegie Hall. But it’s unlikely the celebrated portrait photographer will be raising her glass there next year. Known as the Duchess of Carnegie, the 96-year-old came home a few days ago to find an eviction notice on her door.

“I thought, oh, what is this? Are you kidding me that they are really going to send a woman like me down the street just like that? Have me scurry away without a fight,” she said, delivering a whooping cackle, punctuated with a grandmother’s tsk tsk.

“Oh, no, that’s not what I am going to do. They’ll have to take me out of here with their bare hands.”

The city of New York is renovating the space above Carnegie Hall, where Marlon Brando once lived and where Sherman and five other renters have enjoyed rent-stabilized bliss since Frank Sinatra cut his first demo.

Sherman pays $650 a month for her studio. Since Carnegie Hall announced its facelift, 43 residents have lost their battle to stay. Carnegie Hall has offered to pay for the rent-control tenants’ relocation expenses and move them to apartments which are “equivalent or better” in the neighborhood. The Hall also is offering to pay the difference in rent to each of those tenants for the rest of their lives. … But Sherman and her like-minded neighbors are not budging.

Living 50 years in one place represents a huge bank of memories and this palatial studio appartment couldn’t be in a better location. Hopefully the Duchess of Carnegie will be able to call some place home again in the not-too distant future.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Good Living, then why not visit the Good Living section of the Money Bookstore.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Lowest Gas Prices Help

Posted on by
No Gravatar

The lowest gas prices in five years may help to alleviate some of the economic hardship.

The national average price of regular unleaded gasoline falls to $1.63 a gallon matching a level not seen since February 2004.  Drivers returning home from the Christmas holiday this weekend will be paying less for gasoline than they have in in five years, according to a survey of credit card swipes at service stations across the nation..

The national average price dropped for its eighth consecutive day to $1.630 a gallon, down 1.2 cents from the previous day, according to the motorist group AAA.  The national average last hit close to the current price on Feb. 18, 2004, when it averaged at $1.63.  Prices are down 60% from the record high of $4.114 a gallon touched on July 17.

As Douglas McIntyre points out these low gas prices may help recovery from the global recession.

The price of gas may be one of the few “recession busters” of this downturn. The most obvious reason is that families who drive even modest distances for work will save several hundreds dollars a month. That leaves more cash to pay for mortgages and to lower credit card balances. That in turn helps arrest falling housing prices as fewer home fall into default and then foreclosure. The ability to make credit card payments should cut bank losses. In other words, low gas prices send a positive ripple though the economy and may boost consumer spending or at least keep it from falling further.

The impact on businesses may be even greater. The largest beneficiary of low fuel prices is airlines which were nearly driven to bankruptcy earlier this year as jet fuel price spiked. But, industries from newspapers to overnight delivery to trucking could be significantly helped as gas drops.

Lower gas prices alone are only a partial solution, but it may be that this will alleviate some of the worst effects of the recession.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Posted on by
No Gravatar

eartha kitt

For many, those words, who wants to be a millionaire, bring to mind a TV game.  Those of a different generation may well think of just an old-fashioned girl.  The sad news is that Eartha Kitt  is no more.  She died at 81 and will be fondly remembered by so many of her fans.

Eartha Kitt, 81, died in New York, where she was being treated for colon cancer, Freedman said. Her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, was by her side.  She was performing almost until the end, taping a PBS special six weeks ago in Chicago, Illinois. The show is set to air in February.  The ringtone version of her recording of the saucy Christmas song “Santa Baby” was certified gold earlier this month. 

Kitt was well known for her distinctive voice and made a name for herself in her portrayal of Catwoman in the television series “Batman.” That role produced Kitt’s recognizable sultry cat growl.

The reference to a millionaire relates to a 1962 song that Eartha Kitt sang entitled Just An Old-Fashioned Girl, which I remember so well.  Here is a video to remind you of her great voice.

For the record here are a few of the early verses of that song.

Just an Old Fashioned Girl

I’m just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I’m the sweet and simple kind.
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And an old fashioned millionaire.

I want an old fashioned car, a cerise Cadillac,
Long enough to put a bowling alley in the back.
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And an old fashioned millionaire.

I’ll stay weaving at my loom,
Be no trouble to my groom,
If he’ll keep the piles of money mounting.

In our cottage there will be
A soundproof nursery
Not to wake the baby while I’m counting.

I like the old fashioned flowers, violets are for me –
Have them made in diamonds by the man at Tiffany.
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And an old fashioned millionaire.

She will be sorely missed by her many fans.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

How to get cheap post-Christmas deals

Posted on by
No Gravatar

It seems that shoppers are hunting for post-Christmas deals.

It’s one more chance for retailers to salvage something from a dismal holiday selling season. Some are even calling the day after Christmas a second black Friday.  In Indianapolis, the Glendale Target was fairly quiet, but many customers were in the holiday section looking for deals.

A man at the Fashion Mall was taking a break from shopping. “To me the crowd isn’t as big as it has been in the past. I remember coming with my wife and my daughter before and it’s been so crowded you had to fight the crowds to get through here. We came early this morning and there was hardly anybody. Walked right in and walked right out.

However this year it may be best to wait according to Clark Howard. He says you will score the best post-Christmas deals if you wait a little.

Americans have been on a buyers’ strike all fall and have not been interested in 50 percent off sales, doorbusters or any other promotions to get them to pry open their wallets. In a normal year when Christmas season sales are strong, retailers offer whatever they have left after the holiday, just the unloved stuff that didn’t sell, at incredible markdowns.

This year is different. You may get some bargains after Christmas, but if you want really rock-bottom prices, wait until January 5. Retailers are going to be stuck with massive amounts of goods and those will be reduced to fire sale prices. If you have money that you can afford to part with, get out there the first full week of the New Year. Everything from electronics to clothing to appliances to furniture will be a deal.

So if you want to stretch your limited cash, wait a week and just see the post-Christmas deals that will be available.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: ,

A Cheaper Mortgage – Now Could Be The Time

Posted on by
No Gravatar

A CNN story points out that Falling interest rates are leading to a rush to get cheaper mortgages.  There is a mortgage refinance frenzy as homeowners rush to reduce their housing payments.

The average rate for a 30-year, fixed mortgage dropped to 5.08% last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, more than a full point lower than just a month ago.  Mortgage applications were up a whopping 48% last week, according to the MBA and more than 80% were from homeowners looking to lower housing costs.

Who should refinance their mortgage?

The following mortgage borrowers should consider whether now is the time to refinance their mortgage:

  • Anyone with high adjustable-rate mortgage loans.
  • Those who would lower their mortgage rate by a percentage point or more.
  • Those who are planning to stay in their homes for a while.
  • Borrowers with significant equity in their homes.
  • Borrowers who don’t think mortgage rates will decline much further.

Borrowers must weigh the advantages of gambling on mortgage rates turning around or locking in savings at the present very low rates.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Money as Debt

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Any blog on money could not fail to include Paul Grignon’s 47-minute animated presentation of “Money as Debt”.  It tells in graphic terms what money is and how it is being created. The Cowichan Citizens Coalition and its Duncan Initiative received high praise from those who have previewed it.

Given the present global depression, it is particularly appropriate.  It deserves the widest distribution and use by all those who are concerned with the present unsustainable monetary system in Canada and the United States.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Money, then why not visit the Money section of the Money Bookstore.

Technorati Tags: ,

One Law For The Rich, And …

Posted on by
No Gravatar
Technorati Tags: ,,

With so many seniors in dire straits around the world, it can be distressing to read the headlines.  CNN has a particularly upsetting one: Where’s the bank bailout money?

“What the banks have said largely is that we’re using the money to stimulate the economy, to get the economy moving,” said Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “That’s far, far too general to know what … the banks are doing with the money.”

The vague responses from the banks should not come as a shock, said one U.S. House Financial Services Committee member who opposed the bailout.

“One of the fundamental problems with the Wall Street bailout was the people who had caused the problem were never called in front of Congress to explain what they had done, what needed to be done,” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, a Michigan Republican.

One hopes that those who do not have lobbyists will be kept in mind too.  However it is often the squeaky wheel that gets the oil.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Money, then why not visit the Money section of the Money Bookstore.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Frozen UK Pensions – Should Legality, Equity or Morality Apply?

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Three issues that affect seniors by causing extreme financial distress were handled according to different principles by the UK government during the past month.

In the first case it was legality that rules.  Expats Pension: Appeal against frozen pensions ruling

The International Consortium of British Pensioners will appeal against the European Court of Human Rights’ rejection of its claim that Britain’s frozen pensions policy is discriminating and in breach of the Human Rights Act.  The judgment adversely affects more than half-a-million expat retirees and some of the most vulnerable people in society. It will also deter thousands of Britons still resident in the UK from joining family overseas – surely a right that none expected to have taken away after paying pension dues throughout their working lives.

In the second case, apparently forgetting the principle of legality, the UK government seemed to be looking at equity in this case.  Brit pensioners abroad face fuel pay cuts

A Parliamentary investigation into fuel poverty is to investigate £12 million a year of winter fuel payments made to British pensioners living abroad. Under official rules the £200 winter fuel allowance is paid to anyone living in Britain on their 60th birthday on a state pension, even if that person intends to retire or spend winter months in warmer countries. The payments rise to more than £300 for the over-80s. There is not even a requirement for the money to be used for heating bills.

The payment is only made if British citizens move to one of the 29 countries in the European Economic Area. It is part of the European Union portable allowances scheme and cash is paid into overseas bank accounts.  It does not apply to anyone moving to Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand or Canada, who have their pension and fuel payments frozen once they leave Britain.

The third case illustrated that the UK government was now moving to the higher plain of morality.  Gordon Brown and Archbishop of Canterbury in moral clash

Mr. Brown said that as the son of a church minister he always listened to senior church figures.  Drawing on the parable of the good Samaritan, he said: “Every time someone becomes unemployed or loses their home or a small business fails it is our duty to act and we should not walk by on the other side when people are facing problems.  That’s the reason why our fiscal policy is designed to give real help to families and businesses and to give them that help now.

Picking and choosing among these different principles is hardly moral.  At the least going forward one might hope that all three cases would be handled with a certain consistency.

PS. If you’re looking for a way of keeping up-to-date on the first topic, the Pension Parity UK website is a complete information source with all the latest news.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Search the Internet for related articles:
Loading