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Crazy days, crazy nights
IT'S official. The world is going to hell in a handcart.
The economy is in meltdown, shares are on a roller-coaster, the value of British shares has been slashed by a third and one in 10 householders is facing being plunged into negative equity.
The BBC is grovelling again after Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross upset national treasure Andrew Sachs – Manuel from Fawlty Towers – by leaving lewd messages on his voicemail. And kids are apparently more worried about their body image than being bullied.
Locally, major chain stores have been left squirming with embarrassment after refusing to stock Royal British Legion poppies.
It comes to something, doesn't it, when a local newspaper has to shame national chains into action?
Personally, I think that if such shops don't want to clutter up their counters with Poppy Appeal collection boxes, it's their decision. Just as it's our decision not to clutter up their precious shops – or tills – with our cash.
It's funny how quickly they saw the error of their ways once they realised the potential backlash, isn't it?
And the boss of Lloyds TSB has STILL not turned up. It's now nearly seven weeks since the takeover of HBOS was announced and nearly three weeks since a spokesman for Eric Daniels promised he would be visiting at "the earliest possible date". It hasn't stopped him meeting Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond, of course. After all, there are 17,000 jobs at risk in Scotland. Perhaps we ought to remind him – again – that there are 6,000 equally anxious people in Halifax waiting to learn their fate.
Worldwide, things are no better. The power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe has turned toxic – what a surprise – white supre-macists have been caught plotting to kill Barack Obama, America's longest-serving senator has been found guilty of corruption and a rags-to-riches Oscar-winning actress is having to come to terms with the slaughter of her family. Talk about living the dream.
But now we have absolute proof that we are in trouble. The harbinger of doom is truly knocking on our door. Yes, AC/DC are back at the top of the album charts.
The Aussie band formed back in 1973 – at the height of the oil crisis. Their first UK number one, Back In Black, was released in 1980, just as inflation hit 20 per cent and unemployment was nearing two million. Their comeback album, Razor's Edge, heralded the 1990 recession. This time the veteran rockers look ready to outdo themselves.
Still it could be worse. There is some good news around – BP's oil profits are up 148 per cent. Great.
News websites are trying to cheer us up with variations on News at 10's old "and now..." slot. A quick trawl will give you dramatic footage of a dog that risked its life to save four kittens from a fire or a newborn kitten rescued from a drain by firemen using a vacuum cleaner and a sock.
It's pretty desperate, I agree. But then, these are desperate times.
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Print this page- A58 crash UPDATE: road now re-open after man hit by car earlier this morning
- Crash on the A58 in Halifax this morning UPDATE: Man in hospital with several broken bones
- Taxi worker dies aged 35 after finishing his shift
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- How the new Halifax Central Library will look
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
