Violence against Taxi drivers in Bournemouth

Boscombe Seafront Development

Institutional racism in Bournemouth

Predicted hike in interest rate causes concern

Small businesses in and around Bournemouth will be adversely affected if there is another interest rate hike as forecasted by economists.

Global Insight chief UK and European economist Howard Archer has predicted another rise in interest rates owing it to Britain’s economic growth in recent times.

However, this is cause of concern for mortgage holders and small business owners all over the country and so much more in Bournemouth.

“Bournemouth attracts many small businessmen and being a tourist place this can adversely affect many,” says Mr. Timothy Bacon, owner of The Cuckoo Inn near the new forest area.

“It is a headache if it increases again,” he says adding that most people who hold mortgages and loans stop spending as much when interest rates go up which in turn has a toll on his business.

The Bank of England’s decision to increase interest rates by 0.25 per cent to 5.25 per cent earlier this month was a verdict that had investors smiling but most borrowers were unhappy.

Statistics reveal that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by an estimated 2.7 per cent last year after unexpected output during the last few months.

According to Mr. Archer this has given rise to inflation and this can be only curbed again with another interest-rate hike.

However, Mr. Bacon, who now owns four pubs in the area, says: “It is only in theory that interest rate hike curbs inflation. In real, it leads to a price hike and people’s spending power is less especially that of borrowers.”

Srikanth Ranganathan, who owns a news agency in Springbourne, Bournemouth says: “I have a loan from the bank as well and I can’t think of how to deal with another interest rate hike if it happens. I hope it won’t.”

On the other hand, Cheryl Laurie an employee at Llyods TSB in Bournemouth and a regular investor says: “I save regularly and my flat is rented not on a mortgage so it sounds good to me.”

While the very suggestion of another interest rate raise has aroused concern among people, an actual hike might even do worse as Mr. Bacon said, “I hope its one of those forecasts that doesn’t materialize."

Save as Draft

Barratt blocks Boscombe sea view

Residents at Boscombe Seafront are unhappy about a Barratt Homes construction that will block their ‘priceless’ sea-view.

Honeycombe Beach, a residential development undertaken by Barratt Homes a national housing development group will soon come up by the Boscombe seafront obstruction the sea-view of the existing buildings that face the ocean.

Honeycombe Beach has been planned to attract new residents to the area and it will built on the place where there now stands a parking lot.

A local resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “The authorities were well aware of our feelings. My flat faces the ocean and the parking lot and when this thing comes up what’s the point in having a house here. I don’t want to go to my window and look at other people’s houses.”

She adds that a formal protest that was launched was

Andrew Emery, Seafront Service Officer said: “We had to sell the parking lot by the sea to raise money for the artificial reef which is a part of our plan for the new look Boscombe will get. It is for the larger good and I’m sure those who are upset will be fine once the new look sets in.”

“There’s always going to be one or two protagonists and we can’t please everyone,” adds Chris Saunders, the Seafront development manager pointing out that a new residential area only means a hike in local business and economy.

Barratt homes held an Open day on Saturday, January 27 in the Chines Hotel on Boscombe Spa road to showcase their flats in Honeycombe Beach which is now open for sale.

The open day welcomed a crowd of potential residents but those in authority at Barratt Homes were unavailable to comment on the woes of the existing residents.

We are Youth!

YOUTH. We’re a horde of fervent yet frolicking, steely-eyed and unassuming, paged-out-of-this-generation group of kids. And yes, YOUTH! That’s who we are. Period.

We won’t let norms subdue us. We won’t let systems restrict us. We won’t let the media label us. We’re YOUTH. Youth, who refuse to let ourselves be judged by our libido. We refuse to let ourselves be classified as bizarre or unconventional. We are here to reform what’s conventional. To make the unusual routine. To raise the standards, to push the limits of the possible, to think creatively, to act ardently, to laugh loudly, to have fun living this one life we have.

This generation may not accept our style, our lingo or our fashions. We don’t expect them to, either. They won’t understand us. We’re a stride ahead. Our mannerisms and fads hide our high intellect and our ability to reason. We may come across as shallow or trivial, but the world has no clue how intense we are or how profound we can be. Let’s beat it! We are the soul of mankind. The youth of this planet. The energy that drives the country. And we care less for those we look down on us and compartmentalize us.

YOUTH. We are the youth that so drive the government up their walls and get our teachers and elders worried. But we’re substance. We have a voice and a strong one for that. We only want the real stuff. Authentic things to believe in. Rational logic that needs no proof. Genuine principles to put our trust in. We have an acute sense of judgment. We can identify fakes just like that. We can tell what’s the difference between Coke and Pepsi. We selectively vote for the relatively less corrupt politicians. And we know which part of culture is humbug. We’re basically smart.

And you, you there reading this: We are you. You are us. What we are trying to say is that we’re the same. YOUTH. Youth, always looking for something that promises to elevate our senses. A higher high. A more elaborated level of ecstasy. A permanent state of bliss. A lasting hang over. We won’t rest till we find it. Eternal EUPHORIA.

Council tackles graffiti with cash reward

Winton residents are skeptical about the effect of the Council's plan to offer a £100 reward for reports which lead to the arrest and conviction of a notorious Winton graffiti artist.

Winton's rising graffiti problem has left residents upset, but the effectiveness of the council's latest scheme is yet to be seen.

Locals have continually voiced their concerns at monthly Winton forum meetings and now the council has taken the issue into its own hands.

However, not all residents think that the council's cash incentive will work.

Barber Richard Hopkins, of Withermoor Road, Winton says: "There is obviously one person or a particular gang responsible and you can tell this because most of the graffiti styles are similar and they all have the same signature below that says 'TMC'."

Mr Hopkins used to be a graffiti artist as a teenager and he adds: "Graffiti in itself is not bad, it's a lovely art. These kids have no youth groups or places where they can meet and let out their creativity. The council should not only be set on catching the guilty. They should also look to help them use their talents in a creative way."

Winton doesn't have a local youth group, which has further angered locals.

A local newsagent owner who didn't want to be named is doubtful that the council will do anything productive to tackle the issue: "Young idiots who have nothing to do are responsible for this mess. What the council needs to do is give them a separate wall or a place to do their work, so that our businesses are not affected. The council could at least send someone to try and clean up the mess and repaint."

Head of Pest Control and Specialist Cleaning at the council, Nick Wedge, admits that more can be done to catch the culprits than just offering rewards: "Basically, CCTV cameras are the most effective way to get a lead on this problem."

However, most streets in Bournemouth with graffiti issues do not yet have CCTV cameras.

The Future Told

There are many things in this world that bemuse me, but the wackiest of all would be beliefs that are evidently surreal but still so widely acknowledged. Let me elaborate.

A friend gifted me a little, green Singaporean tortoise a few years back, claiming that, according to the Feng Shui faith, it would bring me good luck. The tortoise made a good pet for a few months before it died and I realized it wasn’t a tortoise in the first place, but a turtle that was to be kept in water all day. My luck didn’t change a teensy bit all those months, but the turtle’s luck was pretty ugly, I must say.

Then there was the woman I met in train, on a trip to Pune, five years ago. A conversation struck between us, after I saw her reading a book titled ‘The Art of Reading Hand Writing’. “Interesting” I thought, as I gave her a sample of my handwriting (it was all jagged with the train moving fast) and what followed was a detailed description of things that would happen to me in the next three days. I’m not ruling out the possibility that telling one’s future by studying their hand writing may be likely, but it’s just that those ‘next three days’ haven’t come yet!

A friend, a good student, visited a tarot card reader who told him that he would fail his forth coming exams and he definitely failed with negligible marks. He admitted that he didn’t bother to study at all, knowing he was going to fail anyways!

Yes, hilarious as it may sound, you will be surprised at how many civilized and educated people believe in palmistry, tarot card reading, astrology, Feng Shui and the likes. If my future is held in a pack of cards for real, it is in vain that I toil to any end, right? And if, a horse shoe on my door can tilt my fate even a slight bit, I bet there’d be no horse on earth with a horse shoe on and no house on earth without one on their door. And for crying out loud, if my fate depends on how my hand writing looks, then what about my country cousins who can’t write to save their skins? I thought how many children I would have would solely depend on my husband and our effective family planning; not on a few abstract lines on my palm. Astronomy, I admire but, astrology? Can the stars influence any decision I make any more than a rock by the road?

So, Father Fallacy and Mother Myth give me a break and let me decide my future. There may be many out there who will buy your little fibs and stories, but for me, I need more convincing. My future is in God’s hand first and then, in mine.

Condoms??? I’d rather have coke!!!

The recent installation of Condom vending machines in the university campuses at Delhi as well as in public urinals all over the capital has aroused varied opinions. Will Mumbai universities follow suit?

You’ll be surprised this is coming from a 22-year-old, but nevertheless, it’s an opinion. .

Whoever thought that a condom could come straight out of a vending machine is one heaven of a genius. The wonders of human creation. First, coke cans and then, candy and hey, now condoms. Isn’t it amazing what the human mind can do? So, the idea sounds great. And think about this, not even half of the university campuses in Delhi that have the condom vending machine will have a coke vending machine.

So, that brings in my second argument. With condoms that accessible, would sex be more of a conscious choice? Think of it this way….. Would a couple being aware of the condom machine still choose to hang out behind the rocks and crevices, where they previously used to make out superficially for fear of pregnancy, or would they simply look for a better place to have sex, now that the safety part is taken care of?

Oh! We understand your intention ‘Aunt Aids Awareness’. It’s only aids that you want to prevent. The Indian National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) estimates that approximately 5,100,000 Indians are infected with Aids. Most of these are men and women over the age of 30 and children below the age of 10. Also, the south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh (2.25%) and Karnataka (1.25%) are the states that harbour most victims. The list on the NACO statistics do not feature Delhi. Condom vending machines in ‘university campuses’ in Delhi??? Mull over this awhile. I’m wondering myself.

Doesn’t this have less to do with preventing aids and more to do with promoting safe sex? And what is sex with a condom ‘safe’? ‘Safe’ is subjective isn’t it? Does ‘safe’ mean protection from aids? Does ‘safe’ mean a lifelong promise to commit? Does ‘safe’ mean to have and to hold for better and for worse? Statistics also say that 93% of relationships that involve pre- marital sex do not end up in marriage. The condoms can come easily but commitment doesn’t come easy, does it? The coins seem little to give away in exchange for a condom but is virginity that inexpensive?

Will Mumbai colleges be next? We can’t let our college grounds be places where the sex is defiled and separated from the confines of matrimony. Nah! We’re substance. We don’t need those machines in our colleges. Get us the coke vending machines instead. Period.

YOUTH!

Youth. We’re a horde of fervent yet frolicking, steely-eyed and unassuming, paged-out-of-this-generation group of kids. And yes, YOUTH! That’s who we are. Period.

We won’t let norms subdue us. We won’t let systems restrict us. We won’t let the media label us. We’re YOUTH. Youth, who refuse to let ourselves be judged by our libido. We refuse to let ourselves be classified as bizarre or unconventional. We are here to reform what’s conventional. To make the unusual routine. To raise the standards, to push the limits of the possible, to think creatively, to act ardently, to laugh loudly, to have fun living this one life we have.

This generation may not accept our style, our lingo or our fashions. We don’t expect them to, either. They won’t understand us. We’re a stride ahead. Our mannerisms and fads hide our high intellect and our ability to reason. We may come across as shallow or trivial, but the world has no clue how intense we are or how profound we can be. Let’s beat it! We are the soul of mankind. The youth of this planet. The energy that drives the country. And we care less for those we look down on us and compartmentalize us.

YOUTH. We are the youth that so drive the government up their walls and get our teachers and elders worried. But we’re substance. We have a voice and a strong one for that. We only want the real stuff. Authentic things to believe in. Rational logic that needs no proof. Genuine principles to put our trust in. We have an acute sense of judgment. We can identify fakes just like that. We can tell what’s the difference between Coke and Pepsi. We selectively vote for the relatively less corrupt politicians. And we know which part of culture is humbug. We’re basically smart.

And you, you there reading this: We are you. You are us. What we are trying to say is that we’re the same. YOUTH. Youth, always looking for something that promises to elevate our senses. A higher high. A more elaborated level of ecstasy. A permanent state of bliss. A lasting hang over. We won’t rest till we find it. Eternal EUPHORIA.