Gordon Brown, the British PM, is under fire again. He should have realised this from the start, anything to do with genetic manipulation will be highly controversial & should be delicately handled. Instead the initial reaction from his camp was to disallow ministerial vote on the embryonic treatment which entails a hybrid human and animal embryo.

I have not been following the news lately so I’m not sure whether Brown’s controlled the threatened revolt.

But I have been asking myself, why is the thought of a possible cure to a lot of suffering people very abhorrent to me? When the first cloned sheep hit the news, I was disgusted and I feared the wrath of God will fall upon us. I have tried to reason with myself. I know the benefits of this scientific investigation. I pitied Christopher Reeves and sympathised with his campaign but I know deep inside I will never support it.

I feel horrible because on my own, I am condemning the afflicted to death and pain. And the thing all these are only in my head!

I carry so much guilt and my entire being seemed to recoil at the chance that I am trying to convince myself to side with the pro’s.

It has to do with my Catholic upbringing. It is ingrained in my being that anything that resembles an attempt to copy what should be a God-only privilege, is evil.

The media treatment and the doomsday type of films that ever dealt with cloning didn’t help either.

So today, although I understand the aim is good, I will say NO to cloning and fusing an animal gene with that of a human’s. For me, it’s taboo.

oohh but “taboo” is so naughty :-P

It was never going to be easy for Gordon Brown, for starters he’s Scottish. Okay maybe that one’s just my opinion, but we all know he’s going to live under Tony Blair’s shadow for a long time to come. In fact, according to news during his first few weeks in office his rating was lower than David Cameron*, the pompous elite Conservative Party’s Shadow to Brown, which encouraged the Tory to challenge him to a General Election (kind of a snap election). Obviously, Brown didn’t bite, which some will see as weakness. Don’t be fooled though, it’s not like there’s any real alternative.

Unfortunately for him, his first few months in office and his government’s immediately rocked by the Northern Rock saga.

Brown’s team decided to loan money to the sick bank and it caused uproar. Up to now they’re still trying to save it. I will not pretend to follow the current events in the UK (or anywhere else), so I do wonder why the UK government’s bothering to save this institution. I mean, shouldn’t they sort out the pensions crisis before saving some private organisation?

(more…

… and my heart is set on this!

It’s been difficult to keep the secret. I’ve been wanting to post about the big leap for days but I managed to still my fingers. Hubby has been encouraging me to buy my domain name. He shared my excitement. In fact, eversince I registered KWK.com he checked its progress constantly.

Well now, it’s up and running and all my blogspot posts & comments are here. There’s work to be done to clean up and re-shuffle a few things. I need to add my widgets, create my blogroll, etc. etc.

If not for my beautiful and gracious hostess’ help, this move would have been such a headache. Beng was kind enough to accommodate my requests and even made me my tailor-made banner! Thanks madam!

Some of you might have noticed already but I took a leaf off BatJay’s KT and thus the title “Kwentong Walang Kwenta“. I’m not as funny, as witty nor as pogi, but I do hope to stay a while.

Tuloy po kayo, wag nang mahihiya.

If you live in the UK or if you live to watch the goings-on in the money market, then you’re familiar with the problems reported with the financial giant Northern Rock. If not, then here’s the gist: Eventhough the Rock’s market is the UK, it was affected by the growing mortgage problems in the USA. Major lenders turned it down for a fund injection. BUT the Bank of England loaned them an undisclosed sum to tide them over (an unprecedented move). AND the Chancellor spoke to say that there’s no need to panic as they guarantee that the savings accounts are not affected by the problem at all.

Anyway, as expected the savings account holders were queueing around the UK, cashing in. The shares of Northern Rock continue to plummet. And a colleague and myself have been speculating whether we ought to buy some of those as a likely buyout can trigger an upsurge. Anyway I can go on & on about boring details & market news but that’s not what my post is about.

My corner of the office faces a Northern Rock branch. The morning of the news about their problems, I noticed a man taking pictures across the street. I didn’t think anything of it, our office is next to the gherkin so I assumed it was just another tourist. Then before I lunched I looked out again & I saw two photographes in the same spot as the first. Ah! So I whipped out my Nokia & took their pictures.

the photographers… I wonder how much they earn…

That was Friday. Then this morning, I saw a queue of mostly OAPs were already there! The queue would have grown longer had the branch remained shut for a while longer. By around lunchtime we saw staff giving away FREE coffee! I wanted to sprint & stand at the end of the queue for a while, freebies make me do strange things. The branch also put a burly doorman in front of the queue and a blonde woman just inside the main door.

the queue at around 730am

…and around 10am

I wonder what sight awaits me tomorrow?

Who the heck are these guys? Led Zeppelin that’s who!

Some trivia first, do you know that they dropped the “a” in Lead because they fear the Americans will pronounce it as “lid” as in “Lead the Dog”.

And do you know that Jack Black produced videos of fans asking Led for permission to use “Immigrant Song” in his film “School of Rock” (which I saw & loved)?

Well I just saw the news last night that these old rockers are doing a reunion concert at the o2 Arena! Thing is the tickets are limited & are sold for £125!!! But if you think about it, this could possibly be their last concert. So I am having a go at entering the ballot.

Please, please keep your fingers crossed that I get a ticket.

With her flamboyant personality, very public stance against multinational corporations and outspoken opinions on traditional stereotypes of attractiveness, Roddick will be remembered as a maverick in the world of beauty.
—- WWD.com

Anita Roddick died on Monday and for the second time in my life, a public figure’s death touched me and I mourned. Roddick may not be Mother Theresa but she’s certainly an inspiration to women around the globe. Her death meant losing a powerful and credible role model for our children.

Roddick is the founder of Body Shop and she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C which she caught from a blood transfusion upon giving birth. I don’t really know much about her. I don’t have any of her books. I’m not a regular customer in her shop. But from the little news and history that I learnt since coming to London, I can’t help but be amazed by how much she has accomplished & how much she managed to give back to society. I know this is superficial I also liked looking at her pictures and more than once I told my husband that I want to grow old like her: gracious and always simple but elegant. Truly classy like a modern day Audrey Hepburn in her greying years.

For most of us still living & breathing, especially those struggling to do the right thing or to “make it”, Roddick’s life can still inspire us to persevere, to stay focused, and to challenge the norm if it meant staying true to what you believe in. She’s truly one a kind. God Bless her soul.

I’m not a big sports fan but this one is sure to tickle your fancy, too. Rhain Davis, a 9 year old boy, has been tagged (or is it bagged) by Manchester United. Fergie’s scouts watched amazed at the schoolboy’s fancy footwork. His family’s on their way to UK from Oz, relocated by the club.

Apparently Rhain’s been on YouTube for a while but his move/skills/presence was announced today. Hubby’s very quick on the draw (being a Red Devils‘ supporter!) & checked out the internet for more information on the young guy.

Watch this video… Please even for a minute & look at the way this 9-year old does Cristiano Ronaldo’s footwork with so much ease, he’s even as cute as Ronaldo! I can’t wait to show it to my toddler!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG47FDenyXw]

I’ve been fidgety all day Friday (20 July 2007). I sent Joel at least three text messages and called him several times, then repeated to him in the car on the way home, that he MUST go back to the supermarket that night or at dawn to get me the book. I’ve seen pictures of snaking queues on almost all the dailies & I cannot bear the thought of not having my own book when it’s released.

I’m a Potter-maniac. It started on an impulse airport-buy (was it 1999? I don’t even remember). And I’ve always been on the edge of my seat every time a new book is to be released. I even pre-ordered HP6 on Amazon. But this year, I was expecting consumers to win on the pricing war for the final “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”!

I’ve never been more glad to live in Britain than this month. HP7 retails at $37 in the United States. It has a suggested retail price of £17.99 in the UK. But since every major supermarket in the UK wants a big share of the audience, it’s been a crazy “beat this” price war since the start of 2007. I thought the lowest offer on HP7 will stay at £8.00+ from Amazon & most bookstores. Still I didn’t pre-order. I was patient as Tesco & ASDA haven’t announced their plans yet (& I lost out on their discounted price for HP6). Then two weeks ago, the super-duper-markets set their prices at £8.16, just a few pence cheaper than the bookstores.

But the day before the release night, ASDA announced they’re selling HP7 at a lose. It was an added attraction for shoppers at £5 a pop!!! I was elated. That is the right time to buy. I thought my plans were scuppered when Joel complained of migraine. I can’t have that! I can’t drive, someone needs to get me the book. I feeding him paracetamol tablets to make him better or at least for him to manage the wheels… I know I was insane, I was unfeeling, I was inconsiderate… but it’s HP7!

Joel called me from the store, he was told the books were gone by 3am. I nearly cried. I told him his migraine’s a big pain. I told him to go to the nearby Tesco branch. I received a text message, again none left, he says. I lost. So I told him he ought to buy me the book at the regular price then. I assume after the first week the stores might revert to the original retail price. But the hubby actually got two copies: one for me and another for my friend in the US. Jerk. He says it was a joke…. grrr.

Anyway, the book is — wow. Really, read it. At the end, Harry was… Voldemort didn’t… you know. hehe Joke joke, no spoilers here.

My post really is about the power of competition & how consumers benefit from it. Isn’t it great? Yes there were tears & cries of “foul” from smaller shops. They’re missing out on the profit, the boom should be shared amongst everyone, they said. Most of the small players ended up buying from the supermarkets just so they can sell the Potter book at the same price level as everyone (between £4.99-£8.90). But still I’m a consumer & I’m happy not to fork out nearly £20 for the book of the year.

Last week on the BBC Breakfast’s business news, they said Bloomsbury did earn a lot from Rowling’s series. But the backlash is that some of their stockholders are jumping ship due to fear of a possible post-Potter slump. It is expected by most quarters that the Bloomsbury share prices will fall in the coming months. So of course the publishing house is quick to dispel the rumours by saying they’ve got more bestsellers ahead. Will it work? Let’s wait and see. I’m sure a lot of market players are eagerly watching.

On that note, did you know that Bloomsbury’s agreement with stores (across the globe) to only sell the HP book a minute after midnight of 20 July 2007 was even rumoured to have been in jeopardy? Apparently Bloomsbury dictated before that if a seller doesn’t comply with their “release policy” they will not be given the succeeding Potter book. Since HP7 is ‘it’, there were talks about Bloomsbury’s lack of control over the sellers. I didn’t hear any problems about it. But still it must be scary to be on the board of the Bloomsbury. It’s an end to a great money-making era… Well, if you don’t count the merchandise, the movies, the games & royalties.

PS
Bewitching read to you all… Thanks for visiting again & again & I’m really, really sorry I haven’t been bloghopping as much. Work & sickness really gets in the way of life.

Sam Wishart suffers from a rare condition called cone dystrophy, which has severely damaged his ght. His eyes shake and he can see no colour. Looking towards a light source reduces his vision further, hence he can only see through dark-tinted lenses.

Sam is one tough lad. He’s got an indomitable spirit and is very sociable. So recently, his teammates at the rugby team in Somerset vote him captain! - He’s very good-looking, too.

Check out this photo:

Isn’t he brilliant? I just thought I’d share this heartwarming story. I think motherhood has recently “softened” me, because Sam’s little story on the paper made me wish that Kelvin becomes as whole as him.

Last night, all the news station carried the same story: UK expelled 4 Russian diplomats because of Kremlin’s refusal to hand over former KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi. Lugovoi is the suspect in the murder of former KGB Alexander Litvinenko, was poisoned last year in a London restaurant. The poison is said to be a radioactive material traced in Russia’s nuclear plants.

Anyhow, this post is short & sweet (I’m running out of time) so apologies in advance if you are bitin (left wanting).

It’s a good publicity for Gordon Brown’s early days in Downing Street. Set aside the fact that the Bank of England just raised the interest rates again (& is likely to do it again in 6 months’ time), his government’s response to the recent failed terrorist attack & the continuing investigation seemed to put Brown in a very positive light. You know, Man of Action, no BS. Then we got all these publicities (aka. news reports) that Brown will not be pandering to the US, you get the sense that finally UK is not US’ doormat anymore. The Blair-Bush romance is definitely over.

And now Brown said in his press statement that there is no “apologies” to the UK’s expulsion. In one newscast (I forget if it’s SkyNews or BBC News 24), the reporter said that the speech was a clear warning to any country that the UK will no longer tolerate defiance. Something to that effect, basta it looks like Brown is keen on being seen as a hard man after all. Not the sullen, boring Chancellor of Blair’s.

Now here’s my thought… All well and good. But I can’t help but wonder, if this “pressure” on Russia isn’t a joint scheme with the White House to push Putin over the edge. Recently America & Russia’s relationship has been fraught due to the bases being opened/planned in former Soviet countries. Putin didn’t like it & there were all these talks of the Cold War returning. Now with Brown’s decision, the term “Cold War” is being bandied about again.

It can make you wonder. In exchange for Brown’s PRs about distancing himself from the US, like we-don’t-need-you & Iraq is a mistake kinda-spin, we’re pulling out our troops as soon as we’re able… could it be Russia’s on a two-pronged attack from distant cousins?