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Why You (USA) Should Be (Nearly) Seven Times More Grateful For Your Fuel Prices

Mon, 22 Jul 2008 09:14:22 GMT

posted by tsdonnely

Supermarkets in Britain have started a petrol price war – with three of the biggest chains decreasing the cost of unleaded petrol and diesel by as much as 5 pence a litre. Supermarket chain Asda announced yesterday that it would reduce the cost of unleaded and diesel by 3 pence a litre and Morrisons then jumped in saying it is prepared to cut the cost by 4 pence a litre (and thus did so). Another supermarket – Sainsbury’s – said that it was cutting petrol by 5 pence a litre from Thursday for any customers who spent £50 ($100) in their shops.

This seems to be a response to the falling price of oil in the past few weeks – it has dropped from a high of $147 to $130. This means that at Asda’s petrol forecourts, unleaded petrol will be sold at 113.9 pence a litre (about $2.30) and diesel at 128.9 pence per litre ($2.56). Yay.

And here’s the low-down from the spokespeople:

Asda trading director David Miles said: “We are seeing a more stable reduction in oil prices, allowing us to pass on the savings to customers. We urge other retailers to follow our lead at a time when customers need as much help as possible.” How kind.

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said: “From Thursday our customers can reap an even bigger reward because we are running a 5p off per litre promotion when they spend £50 or more in-store plus they will also earn Nectar points.” Rainbows and butterflies are starting to flutter into my mind again…

We should be grateful, right? You’d think any kind of price drop would be good for the customer. In one sense this is true. But there’s something still bothering me (and other car-driving Britons); the fact that Britain has just about the highest amount of tax piled onto our fuel prices than…well, anywhere. Approximately 57 pence ($1.14) of the cost of one litre of petrol here is tax. This compares with 31 pence in Spain, 48 pence in Italy and 48 pence in France.

Seriously, you guys should think yourselves VERY lucky when it comes to fuel. Sure, you probably have to drive the length of England to get just about anywhere in America, but, without VAT, we pay (nearly) seven times what the USA pays for fuel. Over there, the USA government ‘imposes’ a tax equivalent of 2.13 pence per litre and states then impose an additional tax of (the equivalent of) 5.29 pence per litre – which equates to a MAXIMUM of 7.42 pence for every litre of ‘gas’. In Britain this figure is 50.35 pence MINIMUM.

Your Snarky FM Popp (News) Agent Heather Gilmore

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Britain to demolish French aircraft carrier

Tue, 2 Jul 2008 05:53:00 GMT

posted by Kobus
Britain later this summer to be cut up for scrap. Able UK has been awarded a contract to recycle the Clemenceau, now known simply as Q790, at its facility at Graythorp on the River Tees.

Clemenceau is 238m long and sailed more than a million nautical miles during a 40-year naval career that ended in 1997. Plans to scrap her in 2005 in Spain or India fell through, but not before the ship had been towed all the way to the sub-continent and back.

Work on the Clemenceau will be the biggest ship recycling project so far handled by any European yard.

Source

UK Muslims targeted like “aliens” or ‘Europeon Jews’: MP

Sat, 6 Jul 2008 20:55:02 GMT

posted by moinansari

‘UK Muslims feel like aliens in their own country’LONDON, July 5: Britain’s first Muslim minister Shahid Malik, who is of Pakistani origin, has kicked up a media uproar here, saying that many Muslims in the UK feel targeted like ‘the Jews of Europe’.

Mr Malik who heads the Department for International Development (DFID) has said that it has become legitimate to target Muslims in the media and society at large in a way that would be unacceptable for any other minority.

Hastening to add that he was not equating the situation with the Holocaust, he, however, warned that many British Muslims now felt like “aliens in their own country”.

He said he himself had been the target of a string of racist incidents, including the firebombing of his family car and an attempt to run him down at a petrol station.

“Somehow there’s a message out there that it’s OK to target people as long as it’s Muslims. And you don’t have to worry about the facts, and people will turn a blind eye.”

Mr Malik expressed these views in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme which was widely reported in the British media on Saturday.

The interview is to be broadcast on Monday to coincide with the third anniversary of the London bombings of July 7.

A poll to accompany the documentary highlights the growing polarisation of opinion among Britain’s 1.6 million Muslims, who say they have suffered a marked increase in hostility since the London bombings.

Another small hidden garden (Hanover Square Garden) in London

Tue, 26 Sep 2007 19:03:00 GMT

posted by beady

I had few minutes before a meeting in Hanover Square and I took some pictures of this little garden hidden away. It has a history going back 300 years.

See this note for example dating back to 7th of August, 1725.

James reported on damage to Mr Secretary Molyneux's house by the building of church near Hanover Square. Garden wall and gutter to be made good speedily, and damage to cellar arches and street pavement to be repaired as soon as masons have set their steps at south end of porch. Molyneux to be informed.

This is named after George I, who was the Elector of Hanover in Germany. Quite a lot of the houses around the square are original, but obviously with loads of alterations. Prince Talleyrand lived on the square, perhaps the greatest of European Diplomats down the ages.

In the 19th century, learned societies and clubs moved in such as the Royal Agricultural Society, Oriental Club, etc.

It is not really well maintained, the grass is a bit mangy.

The board just to the left of the entrance talks about the history of the locality and the garden. Happy to send you the full image if you want to read the text. Just send me an email.

The view of the east (Hanover Street) lane from the bottom of the Pitt Statue

George Street, looking south from the Pitt Statue

Brook Street, view to the west from the bottom of the Pitt Statue

The famous statue, William Pitt the Younger, Incidentally, check out my previous essay on British Prime Ministers and how they kept on getting into trouble.

Hey, guess what? another cab man shelter!

I guess this is the final touch, all that famous history, one of the most expensive piece of real estate in town, and you still have 2 homeless people sleeping rough in the park. That blue patch in the middle is a blue sleeping bag, both were drunk out of their minds, and even though it was drizzling a bit, they were comatose and completely out.

Check out this charity, you good and kind folks. These people also need help.

Welcome to London.

Technorati Tags: London , UK

New Video of UK Hostages in Iran .. When Will it End?

Sun, 2 Apr 2007 11:56:00 GMT

posted by newsworthy22
The situation in Iran is completely out of control. The latest video show two more of the British hostages last night aploigising to their captors. The hostages were identified as Royal Marines Captain Chris Air and Royal Navy Lieutenant Felix Carman. The men, in combat fatigues, were shown pointing to a map of the Persian Gulf. The Iranian Al-Alum TV (which is run by Iran's government) said the hostages were identifying where the British Royal Navy Boats had crossed into Iranian waters leading to their capture. Lieitenant Carment then proceeded so say “I would like to say to the Iranian people I can understand why you were so angry about our intrusion.” To say this video is unacceptable is like saying a speck of dirt is sligtly on the small side. It is an outrage that they were taken hostage in the first place. An outrage that has only been compounded by the fact that these men and women are now being forced to act as mouthpieces for this horrible country and their fanatics and that our government is taking no definative or concrete action to recover them , forceably or otherwise. And did I mention, this video was being shot while they were attacking the British Embassy. How much more provacation does our government need? Do we sit patiently and have polite telephone conversations with Iran while they hold our people hostage and attack our country ? In case you are unaware the embassy is considered British soil and the Iranian Government is condoning this attack! No more talking or polite discussions... do what it takes to show Iran we will not tolerate this, if we do not draw the line here, what is next?