[The Life of Shaun #328] Brum, Broke and Home

This past weekend I made the latest stop on my Tour of Britain - Birmingham, or as it's (to some, un)affectionately known, Brum. Birmingham is Britain's second city and was one of the centres of the industrial revolution. Like the rest of those cities, it fell into decline once the world decided it didn't need so many wool knickers. And it has made its way back from the dark days farther than some other blighted urban oases - farther than Middlesbrough, for sure - but not as far as Manchester or the other Northern gems.

The word that appropriately comes to mind to describe Birmingham is middling*. It reminded me a lot of Boston. It's not a very interesting city - nice enough, if you've a reason to be there, such as for school or you want a comfortable, sedate, middle class life. But there's nothing striking or compelling, either in a good or bad way. I toured the bars, rifely as average as the city. You can tell the 70s had their way with the city though - lots of concrete, much of it designed by Polish architects from the look of it, which I love. It was fine, but no reason to rush back.

In local news, the credit crunch has hit home. I was lucky enough not to lose my job, but my flatmate was not. Today is his last day and there is absolutely nothing out there right now. But I really enjoy living with him, so in the interest of the longer-term living environment, I am going to make some rent concessions to him while he gets on his feet again. So, I will be poorer for a little while - TV nights, pasta and (a) bottle(s) wine anyone?

-- Special advertising section --

And speaking of TV nights, that's always easier when you live near - so why don't you come live nearer me?!

My development came to market just as the housing market crested and the credit market began to wane. They've not sold all the units, even with shared ownership and, as a result, are offering places on a unique scheme called rent-to-buy. With this programme, you get to rent a flat at a subsidised rate for up to three years.

The idea is, with cheaper rent, you can make the savings to buy. Then, at any time you decide in that three years, you can buy your flat (either outright or in shared ownership). So, it's a good, inexpensive way to get in a flat, wait out the decline in the market, and then jump in when you're ready. A friend of mine has just accepted a two-bed flat in the programme and it's a really good deal.

So, if you're keen, just drop a note to wbonazza@onehousinggroup.co.uk, CCing sales@onehousinggroup.co.uk and let them know you're interested. I think there's even an open house coming up.

Hope to have some of you as neighbours soon. :-)

Cheers,
Shaun

*For those not familiar with Britain's geography, Birmingham is the major city of a region called the West Midlands.

1) DSC00003 - Me reading the timely Christmas menu at a balti house

2) DSC00004 - Mary Keany crossing a footbridge in the city centre

3) DSC00008 - Mary and I at some basin someone told us about where the industrial canals come together. It's one of those urban-renewal centre points, but I can't for the life of me remember what it's called

4) DSC00009 - And we're ready for our close-up!

5) DSC00011 - Brum has some exquisite architecture

6) DSC00012 - Some even with trees on it

7) DSC00014 - Numbering as only the British could do

8) DSC00017 - The heart of 21st century Brum, Selfridges, at night

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #327] Brum

I'm off to spend Valentine's Day weekend with balti, canals and controversial accents in romantic Birmingham.  I am sure it will pale in comparison to Middlesbrough, but I hope to come across an adventure or two.

We shall see...

Cheers,
Shaun

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #326] It's just a jump to the left...

...to try and avoid the axe.  And it seems that, for the time being at least, I have.  Of course, the last "time being" was two months, so I am not exactly doing a little gay dance around East London.  But very relieved that I have somewhere to be at 08.00 in the morning - "for the time being".

The rumours of MS having layoffs today were true.  There was some thought that they'd only be for the finance (read: accounting) division, but they were all over.  Our overall larger team lost five people, but just one went from my more immediate team, though another person will now only be with us half time and elsewhere half time.

My year of exploring Britain - and a few other places on the side - will get ton continue for a little while longer - hooray!

Cheers,
Shaun


PS - Cerebral masturbation material for my urbanophile and coastal friends below.  As my friend, Russ, who sent it, says: "Finally, somebody revealed how expensive it is to live in NYC as opposed to SF.  Everybody always said how similar they are in terms of cost of living – unless you actually have lived in both cities...".

 

N.Y.C. so costly you need to earn six figures to make middle class

BY Elizabeth Hays
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, February 6th 2009, 1:04 PM

More than $2,000 a month for day care. Some of the highest phone bills in the country. Jam-packed, 50-plus-minute commutes to work.

You knew it was tough to live in New York City — but this tough?

A new report shows just how ugly — and expensive — New York City can be, especially for the middle class, squeezed by skyrocketing living costs and stagnant wages.

The study, released Thursday by the Center for an Urban Future, shows that New York City is hands-down the most expensive place to live in the country.

Among the findings:

• A New Yorker would have to make $123,322 a year to have the same standard of living as someone making $50,000 in Houston.
• In Manhattan, a $60,000 salary is equivalent to someone making $26,092 in Atlanta.
• You knew it was expensive to live in Manhattan, but Queens? The report tagged Queens the fifth most expensive urban area in the country.
• The average monthly rent in New York is $2,801, 53% higher than San Francisco, the second most expensive city in the country.

"Income levels that would enable a very comfortable lifestyle in other locales barely suffice to provide the basics in New York City," the report concludes.

Other belt-tightening details include:

• New Yorkers paid about $34 a month for phone service in 2006. In San Francisco, similar service cost $17 a month.
• Home heating costs have jumped 125% in the past five years and are up 243% since 1998.
• Full-time day care costs can run up to $25,000 a year for one child, depending on the neighborhood, or about as much as some college tuitions.
• Meanwhile, wages in the city have remained mostly flat in all boroughs but Manhattan — even during the boom years from 2003 to 2007.

It's not only money that makes life here hard, researchers said — which might not be news to most New Yorkers.

Take commutes, for example. The report found that many New Yorkers put up with commutes double the national average of 25.5 minutes.

Commuting to Manhattan from St. Albans, Queens, can take 51.7 minutes, while getting there from Canarsie, Brooklyn, can run 50.8 minutes.

Researchers said the combination of skyrocketing costs, stagnant wages and a deteriorating quality of life forced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to flee the city for cheaper areas during the boom years from 2002 to 2006.

The report found that more New Yorkers left each year during the boom than left during the dark days of the early 1990s.

Center for Urban Future Director Jonathan Bowles noted that the number of people fleeing the city has slowed since 2007 as the rest of the country has sunk into recession, jobs have dried up nationwide and home values here started to sink.

Mayor Bloomberg downplayed the report but said he is concerned about the constant drumbeat of job losses in the city.

"There is turnover all the time. That's very healthy," Bloomberg said. "We're doing fine, but it is very worrisome, the number of people who are losing their jobs."

ehays@nydailynews.com

With Adam Lisberg

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #325] Snow

It's snowing again.  HUGE fluffy white flakes!  Like Midwestern snow!  I wonder if the city will shut down again...

Well, off I go to give TfL a shot!

Shaun

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #324] Student loans

This is off-topic, but something tells me those of us with student loans aren't going to be getting a phone call from our lenders any time soon letting us know about this option, so I thought I should get the knowledge out there.

Shaun

Help for Paying Off Your Student Loans

By Kim Clark Kim Clark Mon Feb 2, 4:27 pm ET

A new federal program starting this fall promises relief and hope for millions of students and recent graduates burdened with big federal educational debts. Starting July 1, those with federal student loans can ask the government to limit their monthly payments on their federal student loans to less than 15 percent of their income. Many of those who qualify for the new Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program will pay much less than that.

Those who earn less than a base budget allowance of one and a half times the poverty level for their household (which was $10,400 a year in 2008 for a single person) won't have to pay a penny on their federal student loans. Everybody else who qualifies for IBR will have to pay 15 percent of the difference between their income and the base budget allowance.

Best of all, those earning a low income because they are in public-service jobs can have their remaining federal student debts forgiven after 10 years of income-based payments. Those who maintain low incomes and stay current on their income-based payments for 25 years can also have their remaining debts forgiven, no matter what job they have.

"It will be an enormous help to many thousands of borrowers," says Edie Irons, spokeswoman for the Project on Student Debt

To take advantage of the new repayment program, current students should make sure to limit their borrowing to the federal student loans--primarily Stafford, Perkins, or Grad PLUS loans. By shopping around, students can still save a few hundred dollars on even federal loans. Those who've left school and are now faced with bills can simply apply to their lender for the new Income-Based Repayment option. Be careful not to mistakenly apply for older and less attractive but similar-sounding plans offered by the government and some lenders such as "Income Contingent Repayment" and "Income-Sensitive Repayment," Irons advises.

Anyone hoping for public-service loan forgiveness should first consolidate their loans directly with the federal government, because private lenders won't offer that goodie. Once that's done, they can apply for IBR. Then, they'll need to keep excellent records because the burden will be on the students to apply for forgiveness after 10 years of payments. They'll have to prove that they made all the payments on time and didn't violate any other rules of the forgiveness offer.

There are plenty of other catches in the new program, warns Deanne Loonin, a student loan expert for the National Consumer Law Center:

--Those who qualify for payments that don't even cover their interest will see their total debt actually rise year after year until they qualify for forgiveness.

--While those who earn debt cancellation through public service probably won't have to pay taxes on the amount forgiven, those who have any debts cancelled because of low income after 25 years might very well have to pay income taxes on the debts from which they are released.

In addition, she notes, the new program won't reduce payments on defaulted student loans. Those who have already fallen so far behind on payments that they are in default will be rejected for the program. The program also won't cover:

--Private, alternative, or "signature" educational loans.

--Parent loans such as federal Parent PLUS loans or any kind of alternative or private loans

--Other pressing debts. If you earn enough so that your federal education debt makes up less than 15 percent of your income above the base budget--even if most of your earnings go to medical bills or private educational debt, you won't qualify for Income-Based Repayment. The current rules will also likely disqualify, for example, debtors whose spouses are comparatively high earners--even if those spouses are also burdened with big education debts.

Those who worry they might be affected by some of the fine print can take heart, however. The Project on Student Debt, National Consumer Law Center, and other groups are lobbying for improvements to the law. Congressional staffers say their bosses and the new administration are considering some tweaks.

Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #323] *** BREAKING NEWS ***

The weather in London has deviated slightly off mildly cold and moist!
All tubes must be closed or delayed by several hours and buses cannot run!
Employees must be sent home at 1:00 pm and no one should go outdoors unless absolutely necessary!

So went the headlines today. Well, basically to that effect...

Today London had its worst snowfall in 18 years - 8" of snow fell overnight and into the morning. I freely admit it is a real snowfall, sticking to the ground and everything, but it's an amount that in New York would only get a word of caution, almost in passing. Here, in London, the city has quite literally shut down.

Every tube line was at least part suspended and delays were endemic; even the Waterloo & City line, which is entirely underground and has only two stations (Waterloo and Bank [formerly called, you guessed it, City]) was suspended. Most overland train routes were closed and don't even think about flying in or out of here today. From 03.00 this morning, long before any real accumulation, every bus route in London was halted - this despite London's unforgivable nightly closure of the tube. Late shift worker needing to get home? Too bad.

London sauntered along heroically as Hitler rained bombs over London, but eight inches of fluffy, chilly, white stuff proved too much to bear.

But it turned out well for me - I couldn't go in until 10.30 (and didn't have to go in at all, but now's not a good time for uncommitted impressions) and we were sent home a bit after 13.00 due to the "severe and worsening" weather conditions. Only three of us made it in today and only my manager and I, being the closest to Canary Wharf, are even trying tomorrow.

Attaching some photos from my journey into work on this apocalyptic day - and hope you are all warm and safe wherever you are.

Cheers,
Shaun

1) DSC00019 - Looking out from my balcony

2) DSC00020 - The City

3) DSC00021 - The DLR lines and, somewhere out there, Canary Wharf

4) DSC00027 - Shadwell station tormenting commuters: "C'mon give it a try. BWAHAHAHAHA!"

5) DSC00031 - Watney Market and my building behind. The Polish workers from the bakery felt right at home!

6) DSC00032 - Taxis ply Commercial Road, absent of its normal bevy of red buses

7) DSC00033 - The brave few who made it to Canary Wharf, keeping what's left of Britain's financial sector ticking

8) DSC00038 - And when I got home, the City had fallen behind the grey

And two pictures from my friend, Alexi, featuring a snowy taxi and deserted park.

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #322] Here we go again!

And the nerves kick in!

I actually have some thoughts on what I will do if I meet the axe that I won't be half sad to do, to be honest.  But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

On a brighter note, cool pictorial summary of 2008:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/the_year_2008_in_photographs_p.html

I'm off to drink red wine with pizza, and watch Lost, B&S and Project Catwalk - alcohol is a necessity this eve!

Have a good weekend, all,
Shaun

BUSINESS NEWS

Tops Firms Said To Be Considering More Big Layoffs

last updated: 30 January 2009

The Wall Street Journal reports that Morgan Stanley is said to be considering laying-off an additional 5% of its 47,000 employees. Any layoffs are likely to be announced in the next two weeks, and are thought likely to affect operations, IT and support staff.

The newspaper also says that Goldman Sachs is also thought to be mulling over chopping more headcount, as revenues continue to be under pressure.

CNBC is reporting that UBS is expected to soon announce that Managing Directors and above in its investment banking unit will receive no cash bonuses for their work in 2008, with all bonus allocations going into deferred equity instead. The Wall Street Journal reports that deferred payouts will also be cancelled if the bank does not make a profit in the year the stock is due to vest.

Reuters reports that Morgan Stanley is to give up around 25% of its office space in Canary Wharf, as it has exercised an option to break its lease for 345,000 square feet of space at 20 Cabot Square.

The news agency also reports that JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at the World Economic Forum at Davos that his firm 'has plenty of capital', and 'would be fine if we stopped talking about (the) damn nationalisation of banks'.

And, in Bernie Madoff land, all is not well.. The New York Post reports that Bernie, currently under house arrest, has fumed: 'I'm a prisoner in my own house. I can''t go anywhere! I'm stuck here all day!'. Be patient, Bernie, you'll be moving on soon - and then you'll be a real prisoner!

Finally, The Wall Street Journal reports that former Merrill Lynch executives Daniel Tully and David Komansky are among Bernie's victims, and The Financial Times says that The National Bank of Kuwait has fully reimbursed all of its clients who lost money in the Madoff affair. The bank is said to have shelled out $50m to around 20 investors.

Please use the 'E-Mail' button immediately under the article title to send this item to a friend.

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://shaunism.blogspot.com

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[The Life of Shaun #321] Scenes of Middlesbrough

Having had a drink or two at the glorious Trader Jacks the night before (not to mention on the train rides up), a hearty breakfast of grease was in order. We set out like good modern tragedy tourists to find a local greasy spoon, which was delivered in spades as Grubbs. Cheeseburger, chips and Coke? £3.00. Massive egg/bean/toast ensemble? £2.60. Look of Argie's and Lottie's faces when they bit into their burgers? Priceless. Three meals were purchased, three meals were left on the table as inedible. We tried to eat locally, but were forced into the bosom of Pizza Hut by the chefs of Newport Road.

However, the locals sure seemed to think it was tasty. And apparently wholesome, too. Sat at the table next to us was a family, Mom, Dad, Grandma (I think) and Baby. The baby girl wasn't old enough to speak yet, but Mom, Dad and Grandma fed her a steady stream of sausage, bacon, fried turkey, fried mushrooms and fried bread, all washed down with generous helpings of Coke.

I myself couldn't eat the banner dish of the Northeast, the parmo, as it is made from chicken or pork. I did, however, try the cheese "sauce"/"topping" on some fries and promptly spit it out. Middlesbrough is not a culinary capital, I'm afraid; it was fated that Pizza Hut would be my best meal of the trip.

At The Oak, Middlesbrough's main gay bar, rum & Coke, vodka soda and a water: £3.10.

Tower Green used to be the cheapest street in the UK to buy a house on. No longer! But not for any upwardly mobile reason; it seems Middlesbrough was not proud of this achievement, so you can no longer buy a house on Tower Green at all. They are going to tear them all down and redevelop the area. I am glad I got to see it before it went! The street's not as god awful as you'd expect of one that had £10,000 semi-detached homes at the peak of the housing boom, but the location is unforgivable. Isolated from the city centre by a highway and a rail line, the area's only neighbours are disused factories, a nuclear plant, the transporter bridge and a small field of 10-20 cows. What is that they say about "location, location, location"?

On the way from The Oak to Mboro's only gay club, Saturgay @ Cornerhouse, we asked two local lads if we were going in the right direction. They confirmed we were and added "But you don't want to go there tonight, it's gay night." We assured them that we were comfortable with this and did indeed prefer it to the strip club they suggested instead, but I thanked them for their concern.

While inside, I saw a fight! A real bar fight, not a poofy gay bar fight. Choking, hard punching and - the masterpiece - a bar stool being smashed on a guy's head! Not unsurprisingly, he started bleeding at a decent rate at the impact site. But don't worry, his friend came to his aid very quickly, picked him up and said "Let's get you a drink, then." It's good to know who's got your back.

Can I just tell you, this town is too much. It is almost comically impossible to have such a ludicrously tragic place. I loved it thorougly. For nearly two years Lottie and I made plans to go there with various people, each of which pulled out for one reason or another until Argie, our Northern Rock, agreed, booked, paid and went. It was honestly one of my favourite weekend trips ever. My year to see Britain is off to a good start! (Especially if I include Edinburgh as a prologue.)

On Sunday, we woke up and had lunch much earlier than necessary for our train tickets, so we hopped on an earlier train. Unfortunately, National Express East Coast has not fully grasped that it is in competition with the likes of EasyJet and RyanAir and has let their concept of customer service atrophy, so we were instructed to disembark at York and wait 3.5 hours for our scheduled train or pay £80 each to change our tickets. We were aggrieved, but what a blessing in disguise! York is ancient and gorgeous, well preserved and wonderful. The contrast with Middlesbrough could not have been more iconic. We happily wandered its old streets and cathedral before settling into a centuries old pub for a closing couple pints to our trip. Two cities checked off in one weekend! Brilliant.

I hope all your weekends were as satisfying as mine. Next Great British stop? Birmingham!

Cheers,
Shaun

If you'd like to see the full set of pics from the trip, they are here:

Middlesbrough: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=713081334&k=5YF242UYV5ZMYJ1FSD64W

York: http://www.new.facebook.com/p.php?i=713081334&k=6ZGU245YPZVMYJ1FSD64W

Some indicative samples below:

1) IMG00114 - Me and my meal at Grubbs; family in the process of causing infant heart attack behind

2) DSC00013 - Middlesbrough city centre

3) DSC00029 - Bottom of Tower Green with the Transporter Bridge (Mboro's one sight) behind

4) DSC00038 - Trader Jacks knows how to pamper its guests

5) DSC00039 - Said bar, which is pretty near the top of the list of my favourite bars ever

6) DSC00040 - Girls queueing to get into a club. Notice what Argie & Lottie are wearing. Now notice what they were wearing. Outside! It was like this everywhere, I don't know what they have against wearing their coats out in this town, but it's something egregious

7) DSC00045 - Argie @ gay Middlesbrough's hot spot

8) DSC00061 - The outside of our hotel. There used to be an old church there. They tore it down and built a Travelodge, but they kept a corner doorway as a memory. Seriously.

9) DSC00064 - Proof! I was there!

10) DSC00074, 80 & 84 - And then there was York! Could it be any more of an antithesis?

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://www.friendster.com/shaunism

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[The Life of Shaun #319] Middlesbrough 2

OK, I guess my message was a bit cryptic - I was just beside myself and didn't know what to say.

We came up to Middlesbrough because it's supposed to be a horrible, trashy, chavtastic (trailer trash is the most analagous term in American, but it's not the same) city and it did not disappoint. Surpassed any expectations, honestly. I never realised hair could be bleached quite that colour, and that so many girls would decide to do it.

I tried to take some incognito pics by framing the right sort around my friends as I took their photo. Most didn't come out. This one you can see my favourtie outfit of the night in, at least.

Cheers from the home of the parmo*,
Shaun

*Pic attached

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://www.friendster.com/shaunism

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[The Life of Shaun #317] Off to Middlesbrough!

Middleswhere? Why Middlesbrough, of course!

I am going with two friends of mine from the MBA, Lottie and Argie. During the MBA I was watching a show on the BBC that was showing how five Northern industrial cities were trying (and failing) to recover. Lottie found an article that said that the cheapest street in the UK to buy a house on is Tower Green, in Middlesbrough. Later that year, in the annual countdown of best places to live, Middlesbrough scored dead last. This is somewhere we have to see.

So from America's prettiest city (though Seattle's a close fight for that title, IMHO) to Britain's worst in a week's time - I do get around, don't I?

Completely inapropos, for those useless knowledge junkies, I just read this in National Geographic and found it pretty incredible:

"For all of its allure, gold's human and environmental toll has never been so steep. Part of the challenge, as well as the fascination, is that there is so little of it. In all of history, only 161,000 tons of gold have been mined, barely enough to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools."

I don't know about you, but I always imagined Fort Knox and other such national troves to be cavernous warehouses full of the stuff. Now to know there aren't even two Olympic swimming pools' worth in the world? That really threw me for a loop, as they like to say in Illisota.

OK, off to bed with me. I can't seem to stay up much past 8:00 since getting back - I am quite enjoying this preview of my 40s!

Cheers,
Shaun

Shaun H. Coley
Shadwell, Tower Hamlets
London, UK

http://www.friendster.com/shaunism

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