Newspapers are always being criticised for sensationalising banal news stories.  And what better way to add a dash of spice than to invoke a timeless folksy exclamation. 

Personally I'm hoping this is the start of a trend that catches on all across the western hemisphere.  Here's a selection of newspaper headlines from around the world I've taken the liberty of adapting.  I think you'll agree, folksiness is the new Hamburger Helper of headline journalism.

Cripes!  Brown on course to win el...

A colleague drew my attention to this TimesOnline article designed to scare the pants off would-be tax-raisers in the UK Treasury.  The article suggests the well-heeled are showing a clean pair to Alistair Darling as they live it up on sunny offshore islands (and/or Jersey, which I understand is currently under a few inches of snow).  But a careful reading suggests the picture may not be as bleak as the writer’s dubious statistics portend

This is a classic clip from the archives of The Daily Show, one of my favourite TV programmes from North America (actually its one of the few shows I can stand to watch).  The clip is from back in 2005 and features Ed Helms, best known from last summer's box office comedy smash "The Hangover" (which, if you haven't seen, I highly recommend).  The "banker" in the skit is actually local news anchor and all-round celebrity Cynthia Arie.

In searching for the clip I stumbled upon a blog post by my good friend Tom McCallum who was lucky enough to play host to Ed and the crew during the two day shoot, a lot of which took place at the Reef Resort in East End.

Please remember it's just a skit, posted here strictly for en...

The International Tax Planning Association recently hosted an event at Grand Cayman's Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Of particular note was Tim Ridley's speech which the Net News covers here, even if their headline Local Financial Services Survive was a bit on the melodramatic side! 

Accountancy Magazine reports the startling news that EY in England has all but abandoned the ICAEW in favour of ICAS and ACCA.  Scottish Accountants (which I am) belonging to the institute (which I do not; I trained with KPMG in England) will no doubt claim it’s evidence of superiority (right Isy?).  I’d love to know what’s really behind that mov...

The IMF recently issued a report on their assessment visit to the Cayman Islands in March.   You can read a good synopsis of the report here.

As reported by the local press, the report appears to say “Cayman works well in class but could do better” (sound familiar Mum?).

Notable by its absence was any reference to a supposed role played by the Cayman Islands in the global financial meltdown which precipitated the current recession.

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Yesterday was the Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon at the Marriot Hotel on Seven Mile Beach.  The guest speaker was Craig Wright, Chief Economist at the Royal Bank of Canada.  Wright delivered a pitch-perfect speech for around 20 minutes summarising the factors leading to, and hopefully from, the global financial crisis and subsequent recession, barely pausing for breath and with nary a note on the podium.  If I were Joe 90, this guy would be right at the top of my kidnap list.

His comments on the global economy were no surprise to any regular reader of The Economist.  *** SPOILER ALERT***  All...

I’ve decided to start writing a blog.  Of course, if you’re reading this, you probably already noticed.  And if you’ve made it this far I’ve achieved my first objective: to get at least one person to read beyond the very first sentence.  Yes, I set the bar low and yes, I made the sentences short.  I’m new to this, it’s daunting and I needed an easy win.

So what, you may ask, has inspired me to ascend to the blogosphere?  

Last month we attended the OnRec Expo 2009 in Chicago.  This annual event brings top recruiters from all over the world to share news about the latest and greatest recruitment practices, trends, companies and products.  But this year&rsq...

I'm now settling in to the way of life here.  I have joined a softball team - I hadn't played for about 15-20 years and it showed. The other teams have benefitted greatly from my erratic fielding style!

There are softball diamonds at the "Field of Dreams" in South Sound with a number of social leagues, as well as some more serious teams.  There is a very wide range of sports to get involved with here, including rugby, football, cricket, gaelic football, squash, tennis and even a bi-annual dodgeball tournament.

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