iblog

Virgil: Big Brother 7 has concluded with a winner that many of us may have seen coming from very early on in the series. Shilpa was by far the most interesting, attractive and decent individual in the house, unfortunately thrown in with a bunch of rather nasty UK celebrities. I found it interesting that, in contrast to previous BBs, this time round there was a genuine trend towards evicting people who were nastier - nearly every character was a Nasty Nick, and the most virtuous triumphed. If you look at the order of eviction in the final countdown - Jack, Danielle, Ian, Dirk, Jermaine - there's a clear progression towards the nicest contestants. I'm glad that for once people aren't being given money for their vices.

Rushda: We do seem to love our reality TV shows. So far we've had Pop Idol, Wife Swap, Big Brother, and Fear Factor to name just a few. But what's missing they say? Children. When I first read about this, I was very worried. Are children now going to be put through the humiliation that is Big Brother? But no, thankfully the new reality show featuring kids will be quite different. The show, named the Sorcerer's Apprentice, will follow a group of children learning magic in a Harry-Potter style boarding house. They will be taught all kinds of card tricks and illusions at the school. Not only will it be fun for the kids on the show, but viewers at home can also try out the tricks for themselves. Sadly, the show promises to teach no real magic or Quidditch, but it does look kind of cute and I may look out for it when it airs later this year.

Caroline: Much has been made of the Catholic Church's stance on gay adoptions recently. It has sparked one moral debate after another: should the Catholic Church be exempt from the law of the land, are the rights of adults being put before the rights of children, can a gay couple succeed as parents as easily as a straight couple, will the closure of Catholic adoption agencies mean that some of the most hard to place children remain in institutions, is it right to force a charity which is not state-funded to act against its moral pronciples, etc etc. However, surely the issue has descended into the realms of farce when a leading Bishop states that his agenices do place children with gay people so long as they are single. Presumably the issue is with celibacy but why should gay singles be celibate any more than straight singles. We are after all living in the 21st century!

Caroline: As a dog owner I am delighted to see that some companies are introducing "peternity" leave. I remember how difficult it was when our old dog needed some rather complicated surgery and extensive after care. Had I been working full time I don't know what I would have done. Then there was the trauma of her dying. I was certainly in no fit state to work. Problems also arise when you are trying to settle a new animal in and there is only so much annual leave that you can take. I suspect that many employees "pull a sickie" themselves to cover such times. The level of cover varies from company to company with some allowing staff paid leave to look after a sick animal or to take them to the vet and others giving compassionate leave on the death of a pet. Most pet friendly of all is Google whose central London office allow their staff to bring their dogs into work. The last time I visited my GP she had her labrador in a large cage in the corner and I am sure the dog made patients more relaxed. It sounds good news all round - unless of course you are allergic to animals! Companies will I am sure be rewarded by staff loyalty, employees will be happier and as for Fido - he will be in doggy heaven.

Rushda: Apparently, some companies have now introduced new policies for their employees which say that they can take days off (under paid leave) to look after their sick pet. There is also the possibility of introducing "compassionate leave" if a pet dies. All this comes after the recognition that pets often play a huge part in the owner's life. I think it is sweet that employers are being more caring but surely the scheme can be ridiculously taken advantage of? Hmmm, I think my goldfish looks a little under the weather today...

Rushda: As well as being the world's biggest online auction site, it seems that Ebay is also one of the biggest places for fraud online. For example, many Ebay sellers are now using new ways to boost the prices at which their auctions end. This is being done by a process called "shill bidding" which means artificially driving up prices internally so that the items sell for higher prices. What happens is sellers will bid for their own items using fake identities, the idea being to encourage other legitimate customers of the site to bid more for the item (which now looks like it is in obvious demand). The practice is illegal on Ebay and may constitute a ban if found out. Trouble is, it is often very difficult to detect shill bidding and I'm not even sure if the punishment would be enough to thwart sneaky sellers, who by then may have made all the money they needed.

Caroline: If you have trouble sleeping and counting sheep just doesn't help, you may be tempted to buy a proprietary sleeping remedy. However, they can often leave you feeling hung over the next day and you may be worried about becoming dependent on them. This is one area where nature can help. There are various sleep-inducing herbs such as passion flower, valerian and camomile which are contained in remedies available from health shops. Putting a few drops of lavender oil on a tissue or burning a lavender scented candle before going to bed can also help. Yoga type exercises can alleviate stress and make it easier for you to drop off and whilst everyone knows to avoid caffeine, remember that alcohol too is a stimulant. It may make you feel sleepy but you will probably wake after a few hours and be unable to get back to sleep.

Caroline: Like many other people I always dread the clocks going back in the Autumn. Not only is it so depressing having to put the lights on half way through the afternoon (all the more so if you suffer from SAD) but it's also a dangerous time for children coming home from school in the dark and motorists driving home from work and the accident rate soars. It is good news therefore, that the Government is considering adopting Central European Time which will give us darker mornings but lighter evenings. Not only would the death toll on the roads drop but it would also save energy - sounds good news for everyone.

Rushda: Oh how valiant is David Beckham. First he gave his wife a luxurious fairytale wedding in a castle and now he has taken on the role of a prince by starring in a Disney advertising campaign. Posing as heroic Prince Phillip, from Sleeping Beauty, he is displayed in posters on a white horse slaying a fire-breathing dragon. I must say, I am impressed with how radiant the pictures make him look. Shame though, that underneath all that he is still just a footballer with a funny accent.

Rushda: Though many of us hate to admit it, we do like soppy romantic music in our CD collection. How about then, to have a CD of love songs which does not contain a human voice, but rather, the voice of an amorous haddock from under the sea? Yes, that's right, a new love song CD is being produced which features mating calls of various forms of marine life. Though it's been done with dolphins before, the sound of the mating haddock is more rare. It has been described as sounding like "a small motorcycle revving its engine" and the makers of the CD are excited to finally have it recorded. As fascinating as a lovesick haddock may be, I'm not sure if the makers intend these sounds to turn us on romantically. I sure hope not.