Hopefully not the last laugh

We went to see The Last Laugh ( known in Japan as Warai no Daigaku) a comedic play by the Japanese writer Koki Mitani I can’t help feeling that this already sounds slightly pretentious (which I like)

The plays starred Martin Freeman (Tim from The office) and Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger from Only Fools ..).

It was slightly dark and had some value in questioning the value of humour and how arts can flourish even when censorship is the norm– worth catching if you get the chance, if only as an opportunity to be slightly pretentious.

Darling’s Sky Chalice and institutional leftism at the BBC

Always mildly suspicious of reports from the Mail stable on SKY and ITV but I think there could be some truth in this one.

The New labour pact with News International goes to the heart of the electability of a Labour Government, with the removal of Blair there’s likely to be a reassessment of how Sky’s dominance of commercial TV affects democracy, in truth the question is not about if Sky bought into ITV as a spoiler to NTL Virgin but can they get away with it ? I wonder if James Murdoch will alter anyone’s mind on this before he leaves for the U.S.A.

If I was holding ITV or Sky shares I’d be unloading them now, Sky does not need regulatory issues and ITV although improving has some way to go.

The Sunday Times has a provocative piece by Robin Aitken around the BBC’s stodgy slightly left of centre world view, I’m in agreement but not sure how it should be tackled, Channel 4 is not much better and a right of centre bias is just as bad- true independence is perhaps a pipe dream but the idea that the BBC is something other than a state broadcaster is a view held by all at the BBC but not so many outside of it.

Health

Checked my Blood pressure again it’s 125/78
So the aim is to

• Lose weight.
• Eat a healthier diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt.
• Be more physically active.
• Limit alcohol to no more than two drinks a day .

Get a first life

As promised I made a trip to Second Life – seems pretty hopeless and a bit of a waste of time, I guess it's suitable for Trekkies and other low-lifes but think the web has plenty of better uses.

Age and Youth

Pensions

Now I’m fortunate in being someone who can potentially retire at a relatively early age, and to this end I’ve been trying to salt away some funds to make this possible (perhaps) what I’m picking up as I go along this path is that (of course) pensions are costly, and something few want to consider.

The strange thing is that a Labour government is helping those who would save anyway and ignoring a lot of folk who won’t be able to put anything aside until the benefit from their saving is likely to be marginal to put it mildly.

Higher rate taxpayers can get over 40% relief (and often get help from their employers) those on lower incomes often get no pension and are having a struggle to make ends meet anyway.

Not really sure what the answer is and am a little dismayed by people who continually blame the governments (present or past) few want to pay higher taxes even fewer seem to want to assume responsibility for their old age. We need an informed debate and to offer some choices.

Storm over a Smoking Pot

The storm in a teacup over Cameron’s run in with his school authorities seems to have blown over, which as far as I’m concerned is a good thing, with knights McCartney, Jagger and John (Elton) being familiar with mind altering substance of a not altogether legal nature it seems to me we (the body politic) should take a realistic attitude to ‘youthful indiscretions’ I’m unlikely to vote Tory but welcome Cameron as a 21^st century leader of a viable opposition.

(Listening to Emotional Rescue by the Stones as I write this, it'd earn Mick a knighthood by itself.)

Second Life

I was listening to Click on this morning and interested to hear talk of Second Life - it's considered Nerdy but as I heard to paraphrase-'try before you criticise' - I'll have a look and report back next w/e.