EDITION 739
12 NOVEMBER 2018

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I'd be very grateful if you did.

1. Lest we forget. Nearly ten million men were killed in combat during the First World War, and another 21 million were wounded. Six million men were mobilised from the UK, and three million from the colonies: just over 700,000 of the former were killed, along with 300,000 of the latter. On the first anniversary of the armistice, the tradition of Remembrance Day was inaugurated by George V at Buckingham Palace, observing the first two minutes’ silence at 11am. The remembrance poppy, inspired by the Canadian doctor John McCrae’s 1915 poem In Flanders Fields (“In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row”), was actually first used by the American Legion in 1920, and was adopted by the Royal British Legion in 1921. BBC
    
2. How to keep your performance levels up. Do you like to follow the news at work? Be careful what you read: Research has found that consuming negative news has a significant detrimental effect on our mood and emotions, undermining our performance for the rest of the day. Here’s how to keep your performance levels up without tuning out the news altogether: [MORE]
    
3. Blow for Theresa May as EU rejects key compromise. Brussels has rejected Theresa May’s key Brexit proposal, which was intended to avoid the UK being trapped in an indefinite customs union. There are now fears that talks have broken down just days before “no-deal” preparations costing billions need to be implemented. Four ‘Remainer’ ministers are reportedly on the brink of resignation after the departure of Jo Johnson. The Independent
    
4. UK would now vote 54-46 to stay in Europe. 54% of people would vote to stay in the EU if a second referendum were held. 46% would vote to leave. In the event of Britain failing to reach a Brexit deal with the EU, 36% would want to leave without a deal; 35% would want to remain in the EU, while 19% would back delaying Brexit to allow for further negotiations. Channel 4
    
5. Million more disposable coffee cups sold each day despite pledge. Britons are getting through a million more disposable coffee cups a day than they were two years ago, despite the industry’s 2016 pledge to do more to tackle the waste problem. Almost three billion single-use cups will be sold in the UK this year, up from 2.5 billion in 2016 [see below]. The Times
    
6. ‘Single-use’ named the Collins word of year. Lexicographers at Collins have decided on their word of the year, compiled from a list of notable neologisms. ‘Single-use’ has been chosen as a term which has increasing currency, used in reference to plastic items which are made to be used once and then thrown away. Collins says it is now being used four times as often as it was in 2013. The Guardian
    
7. State pension equality one step closer. Last week witnessed ia landmark day for state pension equality, as women in the UK qualify for their state pensions at the same age as men - currently 65. John Major began the process of equalizing male and female pension ages some 25 years ago. Up until 2010, women received their pensions at the age of 60. Campaigners say that women are still a long way from pension equality. BBC
    
8. UK has worst work/life balance in Europe. More than one in eight (12.7%) toil for more than 50 hours a week; in France, the figure is 7.8%, while in Germany it is 4.6%. On average, UK employees spend 325 more hours a year at work than their German counterparts. CityAM
    
9. Matters of the heart. A survey by Interflora has revealed that 6% of British people have never said “I love you” to their partner. 25% have never told their mother they love her and 32% have never told their father. Mail on Sunday
    
10. The bottom line. If all those who fell in WW1 and WW2 were to march past the Cenotaph four abreast, when the head of the line was in London, the rear of the line would be in Newcastle. That is the extent of the slaughter inflicted during the two world wars. As a veteran of 26 years myself, I will remember them. Editor