Friday notes

Last night's gale ceased at midnight, but not after wind gusts of 76 mph had occurred. There is now a force 4 blowing, and the day has brightened up after a very wet night. Although the wind has dropped, the sea takes a little longer to return to calm, judging by this recent webcam image from Eoropie.


I was quite surprised to hear of the French Nick Leeson, the rogue trader who lost £3.5 billion ($7bn) by trading with tens of billions. Thought regulations would have been tightened up after Mr Leeson brought down Baring's Bank in 1995. Speaking on BBC TV last night, Nick Leeson explained that the banks are not as much interested in the regulatory side of their business, rather than in making money. This chappy knew how to cook the books, apparently.

The contraceptive pill has been credited with lowering the rate of ovarian cancer in women who use it, according to a report on BBC News. Since its introduction in 1961, 100,000 cases of the disease have been prevented. Calls were made for the Pill to be made available over the counter, but it should be born in mind that the hormones in the Pill could contribute to an increase in cases of cancer of the breast and cervix. It does have serious side-effects, which mean that a doctor does have to keep an eye on the user on a regular basis.

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