Words About Things

There is a new trend in town for those who wish to completely rearrange their bodies in order to match up to an idealised body shape. There must be no end of money in these kind of products because as long as people an insecure they will be willing to spend money trying to ‘improve’ themselves. I’m torn between thinking it’s completely up to the individual what they do with their body and thinking that people need to just accept how they look and get over it.

The new product offers women the ability to make their bums look bigger. Padded Shorties are basically pants (if you are American bear in mind this means underwear not trousers) with fake buttocks stitched on to make your bum stick out more. I suppose it makes more sense than the ones that are supposed to make your bum smaller using industrial strength elastic. Either way they only work until the point you take them off and everything returns to normal.

Perhaps we are seeing a shift in what people see as attractive, towards those with more curves (bigger curves?). Apparently during tough economic times men prefer curvier women. These padded shorties are probably more to do with improving the self esteem of the women who buy them than impressing men. Men are pretty much just impressed by women in general.

If you’ve seen Saw (or Saw II, III, IV or V for that matter) you will be familiar with the combination of fear and exhilaration the series is known for. But, if you prefer your psychological torture a little more real how about a Saw themed rollercoaster with a beyond vertical’ drop of 100º from 100ft? If that’s your idea of fun then you need to get yourself to Thorpe Park to experience Saw: The Ride. Judging by the video below it’s pretty full-on.

Savings rates have hit a record low, in January notice accounts (simply accounts which require notice before withdrawals) paid an average of just 0.29%. Instant access accounts, for instance instant access ISAs, were also at an all time low. The fifth interest rate cut since October occurred on the 5th of February, bringing the rate down to just 1% . All this has lead to worries that consumers will be dissuaded from putting their money in savings accounts. This would only exacerbate the bank’s problems as they will have less to lend.

There are of course other factors involved. The massive amount of job losses that have occurred so far this year will have an impact. While some will be forced to live off their savings, others will see this as a possibility and attempt to save more incase they have to rely on their investments in the future.

Some will choose this as a good time to invest in property. The cut in interest rates makes mortgages a more viable option and it is hoped that this will kick start the stalled property market back into life. Rental prices have been increasing in most areas for the past few years to the point where monthly mortgage payments are often lower than rental prices. Those who have enough money for a deposit will be tempted by low rate first time buyer mortgages in the coming year.

The recession is forcing us to become more aware of the financial situation both nationaly and in terms of our own accounts. With daily updates about the status of various courporate banks on the news each evening it is hard