Current Affairs Articles

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 9:27 AM

Infection control has become somewhat of a political hot potato in recent years with the media producing stories on the spreading of so called 'super-bugs' in hospitals and medical institutions. Thankfully to combat the problem a growing number of workers are undergoing online training programmes to reduce instances of these bugs such as MRSA and C.difficile. The knowledge gained from these courses is expected to help if a pandemic of any of these virus strains breaks out. Rece... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Friday, 18th July 2008 @ 2:43 AM

The private hospital is experiencing a boom in the modern healthcare structure. The reasons behind this are diverse but there are a few which stand out; of these a dissatisfaction with the national health service is the most striking. However, people are also choosing to visit a private hospital so they can have their own room, a more diverse menu and the option to have family stay with them. Increasingly the NHS is sending their patients to private hospitals and paying for the treatment... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Patrick Omari @ Wednesday, 9th July 2008 @ 4:33 AM

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has stated that the average household in the UK is wasting around 8 pound sterling per week on unnecessary food bills. Brown's suggestion that the British public should think more carefully about their food shopping in an attempt to reduce the horrifying effect of the credit crunch seems laughable. With the cost of oil soaring and the cost of living up by a reported 9.5 per cent, it seems like a drop in the ocean to have two sausages for dinner instead of... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Gerald Greene @ Tuesday, 8th July 2008 @ 11:05 AM

America had an energy crisis starting in 1973 with the Arab oil embargo. Unfortunately we didn't seem to take it all that seriously as it was fairly short lived. Certainly the United States didn't learn much from it. The 1970's energy crisis led to greater interest in renewable energy and spurred research in solar power and wind power. It also led to greater pressure to exploit North American oil sources, and increased the West's dependence on coal and nuclear power. ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Friday, 4th July 2008 @ 5:37 AM

And once again we have health and safety madness at its true British best! Illegal raves that cause disruption to nearby residents, where illegal drugs are sold and consumed by many and where the countryside is trashed by people who couldn't give a damn, will NOT be broken up by police because they have not had the necessary health and safety training in the dark. We all know what a health and safety risk the dark is! Police have also raised concern that if they break up the raves, p... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Thursday, 3rd July 2008 @ 4:35 PM

We're all well aware of the benefits of recycling but who, in all seriousness, has the time or inclination to do so? Most households now have their solitary green recycling bin duly supplied by their local council but if plans to cut down to once a month rubbish bin collections goes ahead, how will this little recycling bin be enough? The whole issue surrounding recycling is very confusing but rules have been clamped down on even before anyone understands fully what can and can'... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Megan Rellahan @ Tuesday, 1st July 2008 @ 9:06 PM

"I was eating a tomato at teatime the other day and it occurred to me that mummy is not dead at all, just very, very mysterious." Tony Baekland. Based on the book by Natalie Robins, Savage Grace is a deeply disturbing, psychologically-charged film about Barbara Baekland (played by Julianne Moore), and her only son, Tony (played by Eddie Redmayne). Beginning with a mother's birth to her beloved child and following their years together, which leads to a tragic ending, this true... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Monday, 30th June 2008 @ 7:59 PM

Up up and away. Mortgage interest rates continue on their upward trajectory. 30 Year mortgage rates went from 6.32 to 6.42. 15 year notes rose from 5.93 to 6.02 and 5 year arms rose almost 20 basis point going from 5.7 to 5.89. 1 Year arms rose this week from 5.09 to 5.19. But unlike the other mortgage products (which are higher) 1 Year Arms remain about where they were a month ago. As we have talked about for the last several months since the FED is no longer cutting rates we can expected... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Gerald Greene @ Friday, 27th June 2008 @ 4:01 AM

What happens to an America built on cheap energy when energy is no longer cheap? It's a question that most Americans do not want to confront. Especially the slick talking politicians. The fact is that most of the way America was built depends upon cheap energy supplies. The love for the automobile, the vast suburbs that surround America's majors cities, the neglect of a high speed railway system, huge suburban shopping malls and office parks, American agriculture with its depend... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Mark Dawson @ Wednesday, 25th June 2008 @ 12:17 PM

With Britons continuing to struggle with money, it is important that they take steps to ensure the heat on their financial situation is not turned up even further. Such is the claim of uSwitch, which reports that despite a series of price increases occurring earlier in 2008, consumers should prepare themselves for at least one more round of hikes in the cost of gas and electricity. According to the price comparison firm, experts believe that the cost of energy bills are set to surge by up... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Wednesday, 25th June 2008 @ 2:37 AM

For decades, bumper stickers have adorned cars all over central Austin, proudly proclaiming "78704 More Than just a Zip Code." The South Austin lifestyle originated there, but as Austin real estate prices rose, and fancy restaurants and shops re-energized South Congress, a migration of hip-ness began. Now, a new bumper sticker is gaining in popularity, reading "78745 the new 78704." This is the perfect area for a young couple to start off. The area is roughly bordered by W... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Linda Dipman @ Tuesday, 24th June 2008 @ 12:09 PM

The newly finished roof, leaks, the dog is sick, and I have a chronic back pain that makes it hard to sit in one place for very long. My business is completely dead and the bills are mounting on a pile on top of my desk. In total distress I turn on the television in hopes of getting my mind off all my problems, at least for a little while. Turning the station, I am drawn to a program where a couple is buying a vacation home. They're bored with their ocean front home in Florida! So, the... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Gerald Greene @ Friday, 20th June 2008 @ 5:49 AM

Bankers, who benefit from the American fractional reserve banking system, never criticize the Fed, especially since it is the lender of last resort that bails out financial institutions when crises arise. This year the Fed even extended its bailout provisions to Wall Street brokerage firms, like Bear Sterns, but the Fed's aggressive actions in trying to avoid a recession may well make matters only worse. The mismanagement of the spend, spend, spend federal government and the unoffic... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Ki Gray @ Thursday, 19th June 2008 @ 12:48 AM

After several weeks of staying relatively flat mortgage interest rates jumped up this week. 30 Year mortgage went from 6.09 to 6.32. 15 Year Mortgage moved from 5.65 to 5.93. 5 Year rates went from 5.51 to 5.70. The only rate that was somewhat stable was 1 Year Arms which went up from 5.06 to 5.09. Two weeks ago we predicted that rates would increase over the summer and they seem to be doing exactly that. June 12,2008 30-yr 6.32 15-yr 5.93 5-yr ARM 5.70 1-yr ARM 5.09 June ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Gerald Greene @ Sunday, 15th June 2008 @ 11:58 AM

Energy prices are continuing to increase as the global demand for fossil fuels increases, the US Dollar falls in value, and our limited refining capacity is regularly disrupted by hurricanes and flooding. A major part of America's current predicament is that America has not taken energy conservation seriously and has not planned well for the future. For example, part of the problem with high gasoline prices in the US is the lack of refining capacity. It has been many years since a n... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Thomas Pretty @ Saturday, 14th June 2008 @ 10:01 PM

As utility bills climb to unseen levels it is unsurprising that many people are starting to install water meters to their homes. This is because the old system of having a categorised water bill has become increasingly more expensive as water companies try to increase their revenue. As such, water meters are a way to not only reduce the prices of your bill but to also use less water in your home. The move towards water meters is not just a result of a homeowner's pursuit of cheaper b... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Catherine Harvey @ Friday, 13th June 2008 @ 7:12 PM

Car drivers have been suffering of late due to the ludicrous prices of fuel and people's lack of keenness to be driving anywhere. Information has been issued on the way to drive as economically as possible, (which if you ask me involves a push bike) but still drivers are under the impression that if they drive faster they will get to their destination before their fuel runs out. This is idiot thinking as a car takes more fuel to drive at speeds (whereas a pushbike uses the same amount of en... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Michael Littles @ Friday, 13th June 2008 @ 12:13 PM

There is a new way to get cheap fuel that is good for us all. How we have gotten to this new discovery is no secret. The truth is that the United States accounts for about 44 percent of the world's gasoline consumption. We drive more cars, more often and we've become dependent on fossil fuels about as stubbornly as a drug addicted is dependent on his or her next fix. In 2003 The United States consumed over 119,000,000,000 gallons of gasoline which is an absurd amount of f... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Rachel Yoshida @ Thursday, 12th June 2008 @ 5:34 AM

Have you recently been plagued by telemarketers pestering you at all hours of the day and night? Well, if you have been you are definitely not alone. These sales people have become a big thorn in the sides of a lot of people because they call us at home, uninvited, many times by folks that we can not even understand, about some product or sales package that we have never heard of, and usually are not remotely interested in. Some of the items that telemarketers like to try and sell us are ... more...

Culture and Society » Current Affairs | By Gerald Greene @ Tuesday, 10th June 2008 @ 5:44 AM

The US economy is failing by any objective measure, but just as long as the D or the R word is never mentioned, the powers that be in Washington, D.C. can deny, deny, deny and spin, spin, spin the obvious. Idiotcracy is right around the corner. The US economy is employing people to sell things, to move people around, and to serve them fast food and alcoholic beverages. The items being sold may have an American brand name, but many of them are made off shore. Even services are being handl... more...