Depeche Mode "Personal Jesus" (album version edit)

the orb - blue room

Bank of China eyes HBOS bid

The Bank of China has emerged as a potential bidder for an alternative takeover of HBOS, it is reported.

The BBC said the bank was in "early talks" with former HBOS executive Jim Spowart and investment company European American Capital over a possible counter bid to the proposed takeover by Lloyds TSB.

Lloyds TSB says it will be able to deliver annual cost savings of more than £1.5 billion by the end of 2011 through its deal.

But there are fears it could lead to widespread job losses at the would-be combined banking giant.

Mr Spowart refused to confirm the report that the Bank of China was the potential backer.

He told The Scotsman: "We took a decision early on to neither confirm or deny which bank was behind any potential bid."

The report emerged as a former bank chief insisted the current offer by Lloyds TSB was "no longer the best deal".

Sir George Mathewson, ex-chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, is trying to convince shareholders they will not benefit from the Lloyds deal.

It emerged at the weekend that he and former HBOS chief executive Sir Peter Burt were seeking to oust the current chairman and chief executive in a move to thwart the Government-backed bid.

It has been resisted by HBOS which said Lloyds TSB offered "certainty".

Peter Gabriel Family Snapshot Live 1986

The story of the song most resembles the JFK assasination but don't write that off as being the only objective of the lyrics. Gov. Wallace is part of it also. Gabriel is really illustrating the fanatical assasin's personality disorder which leads him to this disasterous event. Gabriel offers the explanation- the murderer's deep sense of emptiness and neglect as a result of his upbringing; and how his childhood was so deprived of attention and affection, that a personality was created who only saw the world from the outside looking in. The assasin needed this crime, be it on a political figure or celebrity, to make himself exist in a world he never felt a part of. To think some people write songs about holding hands.
- Patrick, NY, NY

BANK OF ENGLAND CUTS BASE RATE BY 1.5% to 3%

Last time the Bank of England cut the Base Rate My savings account I have with ING Direct immediately had it's interest rate reduced - Now surely if The Bank of England cuts base rates below the rate of inflation surely this is exactly the same as blatantly saying that even money is becoming valueless?!!!

How much the UK Govt makes every year from the petrol pumps

There are 159 litres in a barrel of oil

Going on a price of $60 per barrel.....

a litre therefore costs 0.37$ per litre (1.6$/£)......

Therefore 23 p per litre goes to the Supplier when Petrol is £1 per litre....

7 p per litre goes to the Petrol Stations / oil refineries......

The Government charges (per litre):

53p TAX = 70 p TAX
17p VAT



The USA consumes 21 million barrels a day and has a population of 301 million people. Therefore if the Uk population consumes roughly the same proportion a day then that equates to 4 million barrels a day

So Govt tax = 4million x 159 litres x 0.7 x 365(days)= £163 billion tax a year

Arab money on way to help IMF

Gordon Brown predicted "The Saudis will, I think. contribute - so we can have a bigger fund worldwide."

A Senior government source said the Saudis had been concerned about becoming a "milch cow" to prop up "Basket case" economies aound the world