Minkyweasel World

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Archive for the ‘Money’ Category

The demise of cash as a currency

Posted by Shirley Anne on February 10, 2012

Acceptance marks displayed on top left of this...

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Following on from my post on Monday. I had occasion to read something posted on someone else’s blog regarding the subject of the rise in credit and debit cards. Over the last few years we have seen an increase in the use of debit and credit cards resulting in many people falling foul of running up huge debts. When we use cash we can only spend what we have in our hands and getting into debt is never a problem but in a modern society which runs on what it produces there is a need to encourage spending. That being the case credit becomes easily available so that the economy can continue to develop. This however is only the tip of a giant iceberg. There is another evil behind the demise of cash as a currency and the lack of being able to buy things anonymously.  Only being able to buy and sell using cards means that control is taken away from us as individuals, moreover transactions carried out using cards can be and are monitored by the authorities. In some ways this is a good thing as it prevents things like fraud and tax evasion but in other ways it can be an evil tool. In a cashless society it will be impossible to buy or sell anything, including food, without a card. Anyone in business could only trade in the same way thus forcing everyone into submission in using cards. If nobody can trade with you, you cannot stay in business. This means that anyone who doesn’t have a card doesn’t have anything. It will of course promote an underground black market system and possibly cause an increase in crime too. Theft would no doubt be more commonplace and difficult to deal with. Now all of this seems a little pie-in-the-sky and fanciful but in reality is is happening all around us even now. Did you know for instance that some western countries are now deliberately not printing bank notes as they once did? Many well established companies have already laid down the ground rules by refusing purchases using cash and many only trade over the Internet thus eliminating the need for cash transactions. It can only get worse. None of all this however is news to those who read their Bibles, for in there are prophecies covering this very subject, prophecies which were written down around two thousand years ago and more than two and a half thousand years ago. Like many of the prophecies in the Bible, they are mis-understood, not believed or simply ignored. The truth is that they will all become fact. Many have done already so it is only a matter of time before this one takes everyone by surprise. It doesn’t matter how often some people are told of such things they will still remain unbelieving. For those who are of a more inquisitive mind here’s what the Bible has to say about it all….

Revelation 13

1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

The Beast out of the Sea

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

9He who has an ear, let him hear.

10 If anyone is to go into captivity,    into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword,   with the sword he will be killed.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

The Beast out of the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

The Bible (NIV)

The symbolism in the text above, like the seven horns, the ten crowns and other things are actually representative of governments and organisations about to come into power. The European Union is one such organisation for example. Here is a very interesting link about Europe http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/europes-woes-setting-stage-bible-prophecy/

Have fun reading it all, it is quite interesting and gives us an idea of what is really going on all around us. We just have to keep our eyes open.

For further information on this and other prophecies in the form of short videos click here http://www.worldtocome.org/player.html#!SubjectPlay=68&Media=3. Note especially that part starting 24 minutes into the first of the two 30 minute specific videos.

Shirley Anne

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Ahem! (again it seems)

Posted by Shirley Anne on November 24, 2011

Road Rage (Dizzee Rascal song)

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Looks like I used that title before but on a different subject. I am my worst enemy. Often I say jokingly that ‘I am passed my sell-by-date‘ or that ‘my shelf-life has expired’, new versions of ‘I’ve got one foot in the grave’ or ‘I’m in God‘s waiting room’. I laugh but the serious side of it isn’t really funny. Oh I can blame some of the things I do on my age with tongue in cheek but it is often down to a lack of forward thinking. A few weeks ago I wanted to cancel the automatic subscription facility on my Internet security provider account, which is Symantec. I have Norton 360 version 5 protecting my computer. What happened was this, I had purchased Norton 360 v4 before I had bought this computer and when I discovered that Norton 360 was pre-installed I kept hold of the disk version I had bought so that I could use that when renewing my subscription this year. Mistake number one. The present version is one up on the disk version, which I hadn’t noticed. I was having difficulty in locating the instructions to cancel the automatic subscription but the staff at Norton were able to help me. It turned out to be a very easy procedure but from the software it was easy to locate. Why they don’t make things easier I don’t know. The guy who dealt with my problem extended my old subscription by one calendar month so I got a bonus for my trouble. The present subscription was about to expire in 11 days so I took out the disk I had bought and loaded it. The screen display showed me that the disk version wasn’t as up to date as the one installed, which was the first time I’d realised my error. However it isn’t now possible to claim a refund on my original purchase of £59.99 which I could have done within 60 days. I don’t think I have a monkey’s chance now at over twelve months! I opened my Norton account and renewed my subscription for two years thus gaining a small discount on today’s prices (£124.99). The 11 days were added and now I have 741 days left at time of writing. Now back to the disk and the loss of £59.99. The only way out I can see is to sell it at a huge discount or give it away so that the other person can then update the product and thereby gain something from it. I should read the small print or have someone to hold my hand but that would be more of a distraction…..LOL. I have learned my lesson.

Shirley Anne

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Rogue traders and vulnerable people.

Posted by Shirley Anne on October 6, 2011

Portrait of old woman sitting by a window.

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You’ve seen the programmes on television, rogue traders seeking lots of money for doing very little work in return. Often these so-called traders are unqualified although some are qualified but choose to rip people off. The most vulnerable are the elderly but many other people can easily be fooled too. The reason that many get deceived is due to a lack of knowing what is involved in carrying out any repairs, if there are any required, how long they should normally take and at what cost. Fictitious scenarios proffered by rogue traders often lead gullible people into parting with vast sums of money without realising they are paying too much for work that has not even been carried out. I went to do a small job for an elderly lady recently and it involved changing a faulty light fitting in her bathroom. She needed a new fitting and I had to purchase one for her. She offered me money which I declined to take explaining that wasn’t the way I operated. I would purchase a suitable fitting and fit it for her. Then, and only then would I expect to be paid but only if she was happy with my work. The point is this, she was ready to part with her money before the job was done and so many older folk are vulnerable in this way. Unscrupulous persons take advantage of this and leave many of the elderly robbed of their money. It is a sign of the times. In years past people were more trustworthy by and large although not everyone was but today there seem to be far more rogues about who do not care how they obtain their money as long as they don’t have to work for it. I enjoy watching programs where these despicable rogues are caught in the act but unfortunately they all seem to escape justice and go on to rob more people of their hard-earned cash.

Shirley Anne

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Nearly there

Posted by Shirley Anne on October 4, 2011

Somebody Loan Me a Dime

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In 1988 we took out a mortgage in order to buy the house we are still living in. It was an endowment mortgage meaning the funds to buy the house were loaned to us and we then had to produce that loan at the end of the term and pay it back. Along the way of course we paid the interest on that loan and to do that we took out an endowment insurance policy which covered us in the event that we were unable to keep up the payments. Some of the money the insurance company took from us was placed into a fund that earned interest and the theory was that at the end of the term there would be enough to repay the original loan. Each year we receive a statement from the fund managers to see how much we have accrued during the time span of the policy. Unfortunately those funds will not be enough to pay off the original loan because the global recession in these last few years has reduced the amount of interest that we could earn. I have the cash to cover the shortfall but at this moment I have no idea how much that will be, I only have what could be the maximum amount. I hope it will reduce a little more before the termination of the mortgage. That is in twenty months time. Not having to pay the interest or the insurance will be a blessing and will allow us a little more income each month. No doubt that money will be spent where it is needed. I feel sorry for those who are embarking on the journey to buy their first home at this time when the financial world is in upheaval and where mortgages are hard to come by and for those who have a mortgage and finding it a struggle to keep up with payments.  The world is in a bit of a mess and it is difficult to see where it is all going to end. The only way is forward and I hope those who are setting off will be able to say in the future that they are nearly there too.

Shirley Anne

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The way it goes

Posted by Shirley Anne on August 6, 2011

Summer House

Image by marcusjroberts via Flickr

On Thursday I had a job of installing wiring and accessories in a ‘summer-house‘ in someone’s garden. I then had to lay in a supply from their garage which meant using special cable called pvc/swa (pvc, steel wire armoured). This cable was to be sunk underground between the buildings, a distance of about twenty metres. Fortunately I wouldn’t be doing the digging but I laid it along the route ready for the guy to do it himself and got on with connecting it both ends. First of all though I had to buy it! I had spent a couple of hours installing the wiring and accessories in the summer-house then I had to drive back into town about six miles away to purchase the armoured cable and some sundry items. The supplier I usually use was out of stock! Just my luck! I wanted to complete the job on the same day. Fortunately there is another supplier a few metres away and they were able to supply me with what I needed. As I was leaving the first supplier a young girl came in. Whilst I was being served in the second place the same girl walked in. I asked her if she was having the same problem as myself, they were out of stock. ‘Oh no’ she said, ‘I am trying to sell tickets for a local charity. Would you like to buy one’? I said, ‘Here is £5, I will buy a ticket’. She told me they were only £1 each and I could have five. I agreed and she asked which ones would I like. I told her to pick them for me. She took my details in case I won then she asked if I was an electrician. She could see that I was buying electrical things that the average woman wouldn’t be buying so I guess it was a logical question. Having told her that I was she asked for how long and I said almost 45 years. She was amazed then went on to tell me that she had been training to be a plumber but stuck it out for only twelve months. I asked why and she giggled and said it isn’t good for my nails! Her short experience as a plumber had landed her a job with the plumbers merchant just across the way from the electrical suppliers and she said she was doing fine there. She is a little over nineteen years of age and I am wondering just how long she will stay with that organisation. Incidentally, it was a slightly older female who served me in the electrical shop! She has been there some time and she must be about 28 years old I would think. I returned to my job and finished what I could do and got everything working. The guy will most probably be digging a trench this weekend! Yesterday, Friday, I was sitting with my computer some time in the morning and the phone rang. It was the young girl who had sold me the tickets. ‘Is that Shirley Anne’? she asked. ‘You have won the ticket draw’, she continued. ‘£40′, she said. I said thank you of course but I would collect the prize next time I was in the neighbourhood. I discovered that she lived quite close to me so I asked if she could drop it at my house on her way home. She would do that she said. However, about an hour later, a large van belonging to the plumbers merchant pulled up outside my house. It was the girl. She had come out with the van driver to deliver my winnings. Nice surprise eh? It has been some time since I won anything but that’s the way it goes.

Shirley Anne

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Busy again

Posted by Shirley Anne on April 20, 2011

Tuesday turned out to be quite a busy day which at first I thought I couldn’t handle but as it turned out all was well. I’d had a really good night’s sleep on Monday having been so tired after Sunday’s work and again on Monday. It was like I had aches and pains where I didn’t know I had parts! Anyway my first job yesterday was not until 9.30 so I didn’t rush to get out of bed. The job was relatively easy but a little time-consuming. My second job at 1.30 was extremely easy. I was back home for 2.00. I’d had my lunch at home after the first job was completed. So I had the afternoon and the rest of the day to myself. I made myself busy relaxing, playing guitar in the warm sunshine and generally pottering about. E went out in the afternoon and didn’t get home until after 5.00. I had a visit from our youngest son who told me his job was under threat and he would be losing half his salary at the very least. He works for his friend who pays his salary but it is his friend’s father who is cutting back on expenditure by paying his son less. He is in property management and is a multi-millionaire. Why he wants to do that to his son (and subsequently our son too) is anyone’s guess. Both my son and his friend actually make money for his business! I suspect it is just greed. Even his wife has pleaded with him not to do what he is doing. My son has a lot of debt to control, his apartment, car, telephone and television contracts aside from general living expenses and to top all of that, his university loan. He may have to return to live with us if things get too difficult. It’s such a shame when he’s just beginning to get on top of things. Even his older brother and his wife are considering a move back home with us if they can sell their property. Their present house is too small and is losing them money. I am only happy to help my children and I am fortunate in that I am in a position to accommodate them should they come back home. Well the house is certainly big enough!
Today I have two more jobs to do. It looks as if things are picking up a bit for me after a recent dry spell. I am being careful though, I am not taking on too much work at once so that I can find more time to myself. If I could just work every other day or perhaps mornings only I would be happy with that. Assuming I get the opportunity of course!

Shirley Anne

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A rip off?

Posted by Shirley Anne on February 17, 2011

We have a television program here in the UK called Rip off Britain and it brings to light various complaints from viewers regarding their experiences with being ripped off by certain companies and organisations. I am of the opinion that we, as a nation, are being ripped off in all sorts of ways. A few years ago we something called the Poll Tax whereby every adult individual in the country had to pay a fixed sum of money which paid for amenities such as the police, fire brigade, water sewage, waste removal and other services that we each use. Many people did not like the tax as it was the same amount for everybody irrespective of their income. That resulted in an even more unfair system called Council Tax which is essentially the same a Rates. This system  places a levy on each house and apartment in the country the amount of which is determined by the size of the property, irrespective of how many people living there. This means that two people living in a large house (as in my own case) can be charged more than six people living in a smaller house. How can that be fair? We each of us use the same amenities by the same amounts irrespective of the size of the property. A fairer system would be to re-introduce the Poll Tax but link it to a persons income so that the more that is earned the more that is paid. Place a fixed percentage on the taxed amount. This is only one example of the way people are ripped off, there are probably hundreds more.

About forty years ago I remember a television program called ‘Tomorrows World‘. It was a program about technical and medical inventions and progress with an outlook on future developments. On one particular program they showed a method of mixing petrol (gasolene for our american friends) with water using a sonic device. It was tested in a car and proved efficient, without any detrimental effect on the car’s performance. The ratio of the mixture was 25% petrol and 75% water! This would have cut fuel charges by almost 75% assuming there would be little water charges involved. What happened to that device? You can be certain that the inventor was bought out! In an age where we are desperately trying to cut fuel charges and emissions inventions such as these would be really valuable. Of course the government would lose a lot of revenue should such a device become available. Makes me wonder.

No doubt the reader will know of other incidences where we as a nation are being ripped off. Can you?

Shirley Anne xxx

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Crazy world practices

Posted by Shirley Anne on January 12, 2011

One of the most annoying things in my life is advertising. Necessary up to a point but often taken to extremes. In view of the fact that we are in a recession and many people are finding it difficult to survive or will do financially, wouldn’t you think there would be less advertising where money is involved? Oh, silly me! That is what advertising is all about. We see people short of money so they advertise gambling sites, holidays, financial investments and all sorts of things geared to encourage spending! Spending what? I think that at least during these lean times there should be a curb on high-pressure selling and encouragement to spend. Advertise if you must but take a low profile approach. Simply show what is available without the constant unnecessary added pressure that seems to pervade the advertising industry. The news is replete with stories of hardship, people having to rely on State handouts or support of one form or another. It is symptomatic of a democratic society I suppose though that the poorer among us have to have their faces rubbed in the affluence of those who are financially well off. They could do without watching adverts that promote the sale of vehicles costing £30,000, £40,000 or even more when they cannot even afford the price of bus fare sometimes. There will always be poor people in our societies but it shouldn’t be that way and need not be that way either. We cannot avoid the repercussions of a world-wide recession and we must all endeavour to tighten our belts and try to survive in these worrying times. It just seems to me that the world goes about things in some crazy ways sometimes.

Shirley Anne

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So what do you think?

Posted by Shirley Anne on January 7, 2011

This week we had a rise in VAT (value added tax for those outside the UK) from 17.5% to 20%. That’s 20% or 1/5th extra on the purchase of goods and services that we buy or use. There are some exceptions to the rise, certain goods and foodstuffs. However even these are affected in some way; the fuel used to transport them will have risen in cost. That is another rise. Fuel has not only risen in price due to the cost of raw fuel and other costs but also in the extra revenue imposed through VAT. It has been suggested that VAT should have dropped to 15% to encourage spending and in a round about way production of goods which is argued would improve the economy by increasing the circulation of money. There always remains the fact that we are in a global recession and we have a National Debt to reduce, something in the order of £13 billion. In any event we are going to have even less expendable income unless we have unlimited resources. So what does the public make of all these increases in taxation whilst earnings are being maintained at low levels? What are your opinions on the subject? How will your circumstances be affected?

Shirley Anne

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Peppercorn rate

Posted by Shirley Anne on December 30, 2010

Every year I get a demand to pay the ground rate for my house which has a leasehold agreement with something like 900 years left to run. The annual rate is the princely sum of £1. which hasn’t changed in the twenty-two years I have lived here. I have to send them the amount by post! They do not have the facility on their website allowing payment that way so I am obliged to send them a cheque. I have to buy a postage stamp also of course. They send out the demand around the twentieth of the month and expect the fee to be paid by the thirtieth! At this time of year that is almost impossible! I have sent it of course but whether they will receive it on time I have no idea. You would think that in this day and age even paying over the phone would be possible but again they don’t do business that way either. I would even like to send them a cheque for £50 and not have them asking for the paltry sum of £1 every year. Crazy. The landowners must be raking in a fortune each year despite the small annual rate as they own most of the land around where I live and there are plenty of properties on it.  

Shirley Anne

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Just a couple more numbers

Posted by Shirley Anne on November 13, 2010

Had I had a couple more numbers on ‘Thunderball‘ (Lotto game) I could have won me a small fortune tonight but alas I didn’t. I did win £100 though! Nice surprise for me when I got home late this evening. I do tend to win on the Lottery from time to time but the winnings are generally small, the previous largest amount being £65 I think. They usually amount to £5 or £10 normally. I have spent much more than I have won though but it is nice to make a good ‘hit’ now and then.

Shirley Anne

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Money matters?

Posted by Shirley Anne on February 3, 2010

This morning as quite often I was listening to and occasionally watching the news on my television whilst I was dressing. Yes, I am one of those sad people with a television in my bedroom. Anyhow one item of news centred around Alzheimer’s Disease and the percentage of the (UK) population affected by it. Included in the facts were the financial costs to the Country. It calculated the financial burden on the economy in the range of billions of pounds per year. I notice that the practice of calculating financial costs to the economy is commonplace when there are reports of this kind. Recently a report about the latest ‘flu epidemic raised similar facts about the financial costs and also the number of ‘man hours’ lost. Everything it seems centres around financial costs. Monies not earned because of external influences are only prospective losses. Authorities talk however about losses as if they had already been earned! Everything boils down to money because it seems, money matters!

Shirley Anne

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Credit Cards

Posted by Shirley Anne on July 16, 2009

What is it with my credit card company? Originally I used to get my bill and go to a bank and pay it off. Then along came the Internet. ‘OK’, I thought, ‘I’ll do it all online and save myself a lot of bother’. So I set it all up on my computer and it worked……….ONCE! Since then each time I have tried to pay online I end up with a ‘Failed to complete the transaction’ statement. There is nothing wrong with my details nor my debit card details (I was using a debit card to pay off the debt). I telephoned the company and was told that my transaction had gone through but that it might take a while before I could see that on screen. Huh? I don’t think so. I was right, it should have been displayed immediately. So I paid over the phone. Now I am trying to pay off this month’s bill and hey presto, it still won’t work online! Now there’s a surprise! I am off to the bank this morning to pay it off by cheque………,just like I used to. Modern technology…..Huh! Oh, by the way I have set up a Direct Debit on my account so they can now do it all themselves! All I have to do is make sure I’ve enough cash in my bank current account each month.

Shirley Anne x

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Who Runs the World?

Posted by Shirley Anne on March 3, 2009

Do you ever think who actually runs the world? Immediate thoughts point to governments, then individuals. Maybe it is large consortiums, conglomerations, businesses, even supermarkets! Do we really know who pulls the strings? In light of the current economic recession one would assume it is the banks of the world which have control over things and that is why we are in such a state at the moment. Is it greed which determines what happens to the rest of us? Is anyone in a position to know the truth and is that the privelege of the few? It seems to me that there are two parallel worlds in operation, one in which we all live and work and the other that the vast majority know nothing about but which has the power and control of the one in which we do. The Matrix?

Shirley Anne x

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