Clara's Blog Updated

Clara has finally posted her long-awaited blog entry on the Romans in Lincoln and York.

In other news, the American dollar is now at its weakest against the British pound in more than two decades. A dollar is worth about 49p. Financially, this is the worst possible time to be in England. And just how much more expensive are things in England? Let's look at the price of gasoline (or "petrol"). In England, gas is heavily taxed, as it should be, and sold by the litre. A litre of gas is now about 95p, which translates to roughly $1.90. Remembering that there are 3.78541 litres in a gallon, gas in England costs approximately $7.19 a gallon.

Here's a letter that appeared in yesterday's Guardian newspaper: "I have always been opposed to the US-led invasion of Iraq. Shortly after the war started I instituted limited trade sanctions against the US, trying not to buy products made by American companies. I am astounded how successful this has been in bringing low the once-mighty dollar. It makes me wonder what would happen if there were two of us doing this."

The pound's rise versus the dollar is fueled in part by inflationary trend in the British economy, which means a double whammy for us: British goods are more expensive as the buying power of the dollar is weakened. Last week, inflation in Britain rose above 3% for the first time since 1997; at the same time, the pound rose to $2.0074, the highest it's been since 1981.