Darling to unveil bank bonus tax

Alistair Darling may unveil a 50% tax on bank bonuses above about £10,000 in the pre-Budget report, the BBC understands.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8402769.stm

This strikes me as targeting the wrong people. From next year people earning over £150,000 will be paying 50% anyway so you're really only hitting relatively junior people in the banking sector who had very little to do with the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. If he really wanted to punish the bankers who recklessly invested their bank's money then they should look at the top earners on say £1m+, even then as a real money making exercise it would be a waste of time or even counter productive.

This is simply a publicity stunt designed to attract uninformed voters.

Thank god I work in insurance and not a bank. I pay far too much tax as it is.

The West Wing

We finished watching the first series of the West Wing last night. It ended so well we HAD to watch the first of series two. That was a two parter but we couldn't justify watching another as we'd already watched four and it was passed 11pm.

Maybe a few more tonight...

No fair... I'm coming down with a cold

I felt it coming on last night so had a pre-emptive lemsip last night. It was not better this morning and it's getting worse now. Boo hoo!

Time for more lemsip.

I passed the exam

I get the official results within a week but seeing as it was an online test they gave me the preliminary results there and then.

1) Main features of risk and insurance: 88.9%
2) Main features of the insurance market: 95.8%
3) Main principles of insurance contracts: 77.5%
4) Main legal principles of transacting insurance: 75%
5) Main methods of dealing with complaints: 100%

A straight average would give me 87.4% but there are more marks attributed to different sections so it may be higher or lower than that.

£500 bonus, not bad for a few hours work. Bring on the next one.

Just seen a fox in the back garden

I don't think it's old limpy. He wasn't as mangy and didn't have a limp.

Both cats are in so he can't get them.

Christmas Tree

On my lunch break I popped into B&Q for a tree. Big problem being the car we have.

Sorry about the picture quality on the first one, not sure what went on there, something to do with the light I think...

Biscuit and Poppet relaxing

Poppet's looking a little pissed off, but Biscuit's having fun helping me with Football Manager and npt having any arms...

Exam on Monday

I've got my frist insurance exam on Monday afternoon.

I've read 7 out of the 10 chapters and have just done the online passed exams. I got a grade 9 out of a maximum of 10! 88%

I've also got Friday and Monday morning off as study leave so plenty of spare time to top up my reading too.

You're allowed 2 hours for the exam, I took 25 minutes.

5 days study leave and £500 for passing each one. He, he! Not bad really.

Why didn't he just beat them up?

http://www.northantset.co.uk/corby/Boy-attacked.5870920.jp

One was 5ft3, the other 5ft6.

Wicksteed Park twinned with Disney World???

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Kettering-on-the-shortlist-to.5873328.jp



I wonder if the judges have ever been to Kettering?

Smiths of Smithfield

We're off here for our team Christmas lunch.

http://www.smithsofsmithfield.co.uk/sos/index.html

I've been there about 5 or 6 times before but never to the 3rd floor. Should be good.

Head hunted again?

This time I think the guy got the wrong Stuart. When I was out for lunch I received this voicemail message “Hi Stuart, my name’s Paul and I’m calling from Capital Systems regarding the new quantum mechanics breakthrough and the stats for the ‘hydron collider escaper’… can you call me back on …

I initially thought it was from an ex colleague who's name was Paul and also had a novelty northern accent. He's now relatively senior in a large insurer so thought he was messing about to try and get passed our receptionist. He’s asked me if I want to join his company before so it was certainly on the cards.

I checked with a friend to see if the mobile supplied was the same as his own mobile, it wasn’t but could quite easily have been his work mobile.

In the end I called

It turns out it was a head hunter but not for me. They wanted experience in Oracle Fusion.

Idiot!

SSS

Mmm. Swiss Salami special from Basil's.

I haven't had one for years, usually Markus would pick them up in the morning after a heavy session the night before.

Saying that I think I might ask for less mustard mayonnaise next time.

All I want for Christmas is

... 32% beer.

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8380412.stm

"This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost."

It should be drunk in spirit size measures? Probably because it tastes so rough.

http://www.brewdog.com/

The Half Moon may be closing down

Or at least change from where I took April on our first date.

http://www.halfmoon.co.uk/information/closure.html

It looks like it might change into a gastro pub. Boo. It's not as if Putney is short of gastro pubs.

Amongst other bands we saw the front man from Dodgy play there (Valentines)

What to watch on Sunday afternoon?

Everton v's Liverpool (Sky Sports 1)
Kettering Town v's Leeds (ITV)

Decisions, decisions...

Ooh. Just installed Firefox at work

I've been using a dodgy old version of internet explorer here at work and they even won't let me upgrade it to the latest version.

Ha, ha. I'll install Firefox then thank you very much.

Never let the system get you down. Stick it to the man. Yarda, yarda, yarda...

Automation

I'm working on automating many of our procedures for putting data into our models and extracting useful info out of them.

If everything goes to plan my models will be nice and slick and consistent. I don't envy other members of the team having to do it with theirs...

Home alone

April's going to a ball tonight and is staying at a friend's house later so i'm left home alone.

Boo!

The cats better keep me company.

Cat news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8374495.stm

Old CV

A friend of mine was looking for his original job specification when he first started at Lloyd's and stumbled upon my old CV, the one I used when I started working in insurance back in 2002. He, he! It's changed a bit since then.

Bloody cats!!! Strike back!

I was running late for work this morning so was rushing into the kitchen to feed the cats. Without looking I stepped into the kitchen and then into a pile of cat vomit.

Yuk! Bloody cats!

I didn't have time to clear it up so had to shout upstairs for a spare sock and asking April nicely to clear it up for me. Sorry April (you now have a voucher for one free cat mess clear up).

Idiots. What a waste of time and money

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8373794.stm

West Wing

Finally started watching the West Wing (30th birthday present from the dweebs) this week. Is it good? Yes. Very. Another high budget American TV series.

Only another 150 episodes to go...

Mmm, I love a bit of S&M

Sausange and Mash that is. Guffaw, snigger...

http://www.sandmcafe.co.uk/

I've started a monthly team lunch recently here at work, last month was Wagamama now for some sausage and mash at Sausage and Mash.

My next step it to make it gross account...