He gets £180,000 a year as a salary, £18,000 room allowance for staying in the luxury Westminster Hotel, £5,000 a year for train fares, taxis and car mileage and £4,070 ‘travel allowance’ for walking the 164 yards from the hotel to his office.
The comfortably off
This year’s list of billionaires broke records in size (1,210) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion). China doubled its number of 10-figure fortunes, and Moscow now has more billionaires than any other city. Mexico’s Carlos Slim became even richer, widening his lead at No. 1. The Richest People on the Planet
Bye bye Bad Boy?
Current Hollywood Bad Boy, and highest paid TV actor, Charlie Sheen has been sacked by Warner Bros, the makers of hit US comedy Two and a Half Men. The sacking is with immediate effect.
Far away places
Here is an interesting collection of photos from far away places, not the usual tourist snaps. I particular like the Sri Lankan fishermen, quite ingenious and, I would imagine, quite difficult. Far Away Places
The literary trail
There are some pretty impressive libraries around the world, not just for their content but also for their design. The Strahov Theological Hall in Prague has a particularly ornate and impressive ceiling. Photo Essay: Amazing Libraries Around the World
Unexpected bestseller
It is not the first time it has been done, and it probably won’t be the last, but it always seems to catch on for some reason.
Spot the difference
Well, I suppose if one was to leave one’s brain at home and wander round the supermarket wearing a blindfold, there is every chance you might pick up the ‘parasite’ product by mistake. A bit like Ford thinking people would be confused between the Ford F150 Truck and the Ferrari F150 Formula One racing car. Can you tell the difference? …
Palaces
Here is a list of impressive palaces in the world to add to your ‘to do’ list. I fared slightly better than normal here, scoring a (paltry) 6 out of 20 on the Palace Scale. History’s Greatest Palaces Around The World. Must get out more.
Empire expansion
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has been given UK government approval for its controversial takeover of BSkyB following the media magnate’s offer to make Sky News an independent company to try and diffuse concerns about the concentration of media outlets in the hands of one organisation. Murdoch already owns, amongst other things, the Sun, the News of the World, the Times …
Something cheery
As dad tears up his rejection notice…