Got a couple of stories for you today.
The British treasury is expected to bring in close to £1.4 billion from the sale of 620 Lloyd's TSB branches and the whole of Northern Rock. I guess this is somewhat good news for the majority of people as the treasury attempts to begin recovering the investment it put into the Banks only a short time ago. I would be interesting to see what the +/- figures for this deal when you compare it to when Northern Rock had to be bailed by the Bank of England out due to excessive mortgage lending by the former back in 07.
This is a little bit further to the science(y) side so bare with me. The wealthiest Britons can now begin freeze and store their stem cells as an "insurance policy" that could later be used to treat diseases/disorders etc... as they develop in the foreseeable future. Granted this seems a major step forward as it is the first time the regulatory body (Human Tissue Authority) has actually acknowledged such a proposal however questions should be asked to whether or not this could be seen as the beginnings of a privatised state with the best care going to the "best" (supposedly richest) people. The companies leading the project offers charges of £2,495 for the collection and storage of your stem cells for a period of 20 years.
Currently no stem cell therapy exists under private or government health care however the hope is that diseases and disabilities such as:
- Parkinson's
- Alzheimer's
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Defective Organs
Will be at the forefront of future research.
