one of the first thing you notice after moving to the UK is how prevalent credit is in everyday life. Ads in the tube, constant mail from your bank and of course the ubiquitous store cards are there you remind one that it doesn't matter when you pay for it, as long as you keep shopping. As Sarah Palin might say, "charge, baby, charge". Of course with the current economic downturn we have a reminder of how quickly that can change once banks and financial establishments decide to turn off the spigot, but overall you still get the sense that much of the growth of UK's economy is aided by future income, since that is in essence what credit is. In fact the Guardian reported this year that debt growth was higher than GDP growth, a fact that highlights how systematic the recourse to credit has become for consumers. In comparison, the level of household debt stands at 47% in France, or less than half that of the UK, which has the highest such level among the major European economies.
As a new-arrivant here it is awfully tempting to participate in this real-life Monopoly (side-note and top 5 WTF of the year: is Ridley Scott really directing a movie based on the board game?), but as I've found out, it's not at all that easy. Having opened a current account (Barclay's) within the first few days of my arrival, I was still using my French-based card for most expenses and, focused on starting a whole new life, didn't feel the need to go beyond the basic debit card provided by Barclay's. Over the next few months I thought about it from time to time, but never felt a need to take the plunge. In late 2007 I took a trip to Brittany, where I'd booked a rental car from the Nantes airport. This is where I found out that none of the major car-rental chains accepted debit cards, or even any alternatives I suggested (getting my mom's CC number over the phone, paying cash for the deposit...). With a 150km journey still to go to my destination, I had to improvise, which resulted in 1 cab ride, 2 trains and a 11:30pm pickup from my grandma at the train station. My grandma's in her late 80s, so let's just say driving late at night isn't her favorite thing to do. Once back in the UK, I decided to apply for a credit card at last.
This is where the main sticking point happened: in the UK, if you want to get a credit card, companies look at your credit score. If you've just moved here for the first time, you don't have a score. So you need one to get one, but if you don't have one you won't get one. Clear? Having got rejected from online applications to Amex and Barclays, I realized this might be a bit trickier than I thought. Yearning to stay away from the cold automated rejection letters (and complete lack of explanation from the associated helpdesks), I decided to stop by my bank branch a few months ago to see if my application could be processed by a real-live person, who could perhaps look at my situation and at least explain to me why I wasn't authorized to join the splurging masses. Going through my salary and current financial situation with the advisor, I was told there was no reason why I wouldn't get approved and that we'd do the application together to ensure success. And sure enough, two weeks later, I got a shiny new credit card in the mail, with a humongous £250 credit limit. Really nothing to brag about, but I figured it was a start, and at least I'd have one if necessary.
Needing to activate the card, I called the number stamped on it, thinking that it was pretty good timing, since i had my trip to Australia in a few weeks and would definitely be able to use it there. But when I called the number, I was told the card was already activated. Thinking that was a tad weird, I called the Barclayscard helpdesk and asked if there was a problem. After a few minutes of looking around on the system, the helpdesk operator explained to me that in fact the card had been cancelled, since Barclays had realized I wasn't fit to hold one after all. By this point I was wondering if I was stuck in a personal-finance episode of the Twilight Zone, and asked for more explanations. Unfortunately the calculations made to authorize or reject people are all automated, so no one can really tell you what is wrong when you're not accepted. All the person on the line was able to tell me was that I could cut up the card since I wouldn't be able to use it. Now there's some sound advice, not sure I would've thought of it on my own.
This happened over the summer, and since then I'd kind of resigned myself to being credit-less for a few years. Indeed through my application processes I'd noticed that they always ask for 3 years' addresses history in the UK, which I obviously do not have. Was it possible that my lack of credit score, and recent arrival in the country was the thing blocking all my applications? Too bad I couldn't ask the giant robot running the process, that guy's pretty heartless if you ask me.
Then last week I saw an ad for Capital One, and remembered how in the US they were known for giving out credit cards to pretty much anyone. Despite knowing that each negative application can adversely affect you credit rating, I decided to try once more, figuring that it was worth a shot, having done my last one five months prior. Upon completing the grueling two-minute online form, I got the usual "we'll let you know" message and figured they were just cordial and preferred to send the rejection letter through the mail instead of telling me straightaway. Because nothing says courtesy like a mass-reproduced letter of denial. Only thing is I actually got accepted for the basic card, apparently, and sent back my signed agreement yesterday. So theoretically in 7 to 10 working days I should be the (oh-so) proud possessor of a Capital One credit card, with a minimum credit limit of £100, and a sweet 34.9% APR. Unless they decide to go for the sneaky Barclays-style now-you-see-it, now-you-don't technique. Either way I'm not sure I'll have a better understanding of how logical the process is, having seen so many shows on TV about uni students being able to get into £40,000 of debt while I'm stuck with my junior-high debit card.
After these various ups-and-downs I don't think I've become any savvier to the credit card scene here, but I do know one thing: my next salary falls on the 16th (hooray for Xmas early payment dates), on the 17th my primary bank account won't be at Barclay's.
(so that's where those 621 calories went)
Describing a new band's record as "just on the safe side of edgy" might sound more like a backhanded compliment than an actual endorsement, but when it comes to heirs to the U2-throne Coldplay, such a statement is actually a good one. Having achieved things in terms of commercial and critical success that 99% of their counterparts will never get close to, Coldplay could have played it either way: a decidedly pop-sounding effort, completely geared toward total radio domination, or a weird artsy release, in a bid to reclaim their future-Radiohead title of yore. Of course, either would not have been truthful to the ethos that has guided this band since their beginnings, which has seen them compose some of the most memorable pop songs (Yellow, The Scientist) of the past decade, while staying away from the saccharine excesses displayed in most radio hits. Coldplay have always been about honesty, but also about keeping it (somewhat) real.The separation between the sexes in Saudi Arabia is so extreme that it is difficult to overstate. Saudi women may not drive, and they must wear black abayas and head coverings in public at all times. They are spirited around the city in cars with tinted windows, attend girls-only schools and university departments, and eat in special “family” sections of cafes and restaurants, which are carefully partitioned from the sections used by single male diners.
so, Vampire Weekend. What to say that hasn't been said 36 789 times in the past few weeks on music blogs around the world? Actually, it's pretty simple: this is fantastic music. Beyond the "new Strokes" labels being banded about, at the heart of their debut album is a desire to give it their all, to meld their influences (afro-beat and indie rock with a varnish of Ivy League preppiness) in a way that is neither overbearing nor self-indulgent, and to basically make music that is fun to listen to, yet rewarding after continuous listens. A lot of what's on this record has been heard in various forms before (Paul Simon's Graceland, Talk Talk), but the freshness and sheer exhbuberance of the songs makes worrying about the orginality of this work a moot point. What's most satisfying is that the songs on here bounce around, yet never have that sticky-candy attribute that many pop songs seem to acquire so fast. 
dragging his body across the screen after falling into the oilpit he was digging Daniel Day Lewis has already done more in the first few minutes into the haunting There Will Be Blood to present a character than other actors will ever accomplish in their entire careers (made even more impressive by the fact he really fell and kept acting even though he had broken his ankle). And that's without uttering a single word. What follows is 2 1/2 hours of pure acting bravado, on a level that reminds us why we bother going to the movies in the first place. DDL is Daniel Plainview, a scheming, opportunistic, hard-working, evil and undeniably charismatic oilman building his fortune in early 20th Century California. Through his story emerges a portrait of American capitalism itself, in its relation to others, to nature, to religion. 
Operating within the so-called trend of glitch, Havergal released one of the more interesting offerings of the genre in 2004 with their second album Elettricita. Fusing traditional indie pop songwriting with decidedly electro aesthetics, the album was part of a wave of slickly- produced pop that illustrated the undeniable influence of electro on this music style. Three years later, dozens of magazines and music blogs have picked LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver as their album of the year, and no one is discussing whether it's pop, electro, both, or something else.
