Wet Ealing Comedy and well done Nationwide

Ninia a great MC in the  Comedy Tent

Most years we go along to the Ealing Comedy Festival for at least one night of laughter, this year we chose the Gala closing night - partly because it was a Friday and partly because there were two acts I'd heard of.

Well if you're a West Londoner you'll know Friday was a wet day despite this we braved the 15 minute walk to the Comedy tent and had a pretty good night - the format is a good one as the sheer number of performers means that you'll probably find someone who tickles your particular funny bone - last night there were 8 performers  along with a very funny MC  (the effervescent Ninia Benjamin) who kept the whole thing moving along.

As well as being delighted by the names I knew a very professional Jo Caulfield and a surprisingly move Paul 'The Cinnamon' Sinha  (famed as the T**t in the white suit from ITV quiz show 'The Chase') I very much enjoyed  Irish comedian Chris Kent, North Londoner Ian Stone with his thoughts on the Jehovah's Witness business.

Anticipation ahead of acts

 

 
 


Slightly flabbergasted by the revelatory nature of the somewhat over the top and in your face  Luisa Omielan and won over by the expectation confounding  persona of  Jeff  Innocent - a good night despite getting pretty wet and not visiting the bar!

 

 

 

Well done Nationwide

I know I moan and wanted to give some credit here for a helpful bank.


A bank that helps without calling me an idiot

Yesterday I was going on about my own stupidity in being caught out by 'Scammers', warning others  - and I mentioned the action I'd taken to correct my errors - well credit to Nationwide for getting a fresh card to me so quickly (and not calling me an idiot) .

I don't know about other banks but they seem to have performed really well on this 

PayPal Scams and Advice agencies

I like to think I'm fairly switched on and know my way around computers, social media and finance - well hands up I've been drawn into entering details into a scam website (so you should take care).

I would say (of course) that it was credible and I would also say that immediately I realised I'd been a fool and reported to relevant parties stopped cards etcetera and revisited passwords.

[If only I'd seen this]

Here's what I should have done:

1) Checked the source of the message that directed me to the scam site - and then deleted the message or forwarded to someone like Paypal spoof mailbox

I should not have entered a password to the seemingly authentic site.

I should (if I'd got this far) have noted that the site was not https (which denotes a secure site).

I should not have entered bank details.

But  in my defence I did on realising that I'd acted  in a foolish way immediate report this and carry out the advice given....

Scams don't always arrive at the doorstep

[Good tips here]

And on scams..

CAB needs to join the  21st Century

Well one of my first 'gigs' with the CAB was helping deliver a message about Scams top old people - I should have picked up on the limitations here but didn't) we were in hindsight more of a sideshow that really engaging and alerting the audience (elderly) to the issue.

I'm not too sure how well the CAB are able to deliver warnings on more up-to-date scams, I've been helping CAB for the last couple of years but can say that my feelings about their services and the organisation are at best ambivalent.

The CAB are in a position where they try (I think) to help those at the bottom of the pile but often it feels for these clients that they are another bunch of bureaucratic clerks.

My views are  influenced by personal experiences so please do listen to others who may have a much more positive spin on the activities of the CAB.

I reckon that they're in a very difficult situation as although they purport to be helping Citizens their financing (now) is tied up with both Local and National government making them (I think) subservient to political goals- they often are required to 'bid' for what would have been social services work and use volunteers (many inexperienced) to deliver.

The methods of delivery and standards of material are variable and my perception is that brand management is not what it should be.

I would say that the campaigning and good intentions can sadly get buried in a 3rd sector professionalism and grudge mentality (Cinderella service anyone?)

I'm not sure what the answer is but to me I reckon the questions need to be asked  as extra requirements are loaded (like Pensions) the organisation needs to decide what is their primary aim delivering an effective service for those who need it or servicing Government contracts at low cost.

More on 20th Century design and the Days

Great to be back hearing more about 20th Century Design at OPEN Ealing last night (a swig of red wine adds to the ambience too).

As with any overtly focused visual study one is more open to stimulus after the event and on the way home I noticed the rather nice logo of the Electrician's van - he was kind enough to give me a flyer so here's his phone number if you're a West Londoner needing a 'Sparks' 07783 581 157

An example of how we 'read visuals'

Seeing the design reminded me of how semiotic ally we read such signs - almost subconsciously talking in the multiple meanings and deciphering it all - so much we see from an early age that it is second nature.

Subject matter last night was British husband and wife duo Mr and Mrs Day who were particularly active in all sorts of designer projects after WW II - you can see some items in Collection Lab at Design Museum if you're so minded.


Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day from Design Onscreen on Vimeo.

Robin and Lucienne Day transformed British design after World War II with striking furniture and textiles that signaled a new era of modernist sensibilities for everyday living. Robin's revolutionary furniture designs introduced materials such as plastic, steel and plywood to homes, offices and schools. His stacking polypropylene chair endures as an icon and now graces a Royal Mail postage stamp. Lucienne's abstract textile designs brought accessible elegance into the homes of postwar British consumers.

The Days' fresh design approaches, including their contributions to the Royal Festival Hall in 1951, helped fuel the artistic and commercial awakening that led Britain out of the devastation of World War II. The film traces the Days' personal and professional progression over the course of their careers, spanning more than seventy years - from their days at the Royal College of the Arts in the 1930s, through their long heyday at the forefront of British design, to their recent rediscovery by new generations of design aficionados.

The 60-minute film was created by Design Onscreen, with award-winning Scottish Director Murray Grigor and Cinematographer Hamid Shams.
On the subject of Design Museum we also spoke about Deyan Sudjic   now director there but a figure who has written engagingly about Design.

part of my library of Design

And here's one of the most significant examples of 'Brutalism' in Architecture - not a criticism here but the label that was attached to the style (this by Erno Goldfinger -no kidding).

Trellick Tower A design classic but doesn't mean you'd want to live in it

TV for the future and a History of 20th Century Dersign at OPEN Ealing

I've experienced a number of employers with bases/cultures and interactions involving many countries.


Writing a new book on 'Rights'?

From what I've seen the American companies are those that are strongest in straight Capitalist enterprises and I  anticipate  with curiosity of  how the entertainment giant Discovery (via Eurosport)will come to terms with the acquisition of Olympics rights -this will begin to affect much of Europe from 2018 onwards.

Much of the discussion around the BBC's future  in the UK remains (it seems to me) ideological with those who wish to see more market forces in play but there's a danger that such manoeuvres favouring 'Free enterprise' will limit the ability of Great Britain PLC to  have a distinctive voice and to be a World Player.


The idea that a diminished BBC will benefit UK viewers or native Media businesses seems to me a naïve and unsophisticated analysis of consumer behaviour with respect to 'liberalisation' - I am on such topics reminded of a truism from my University studies in Mass Media  - the value laden use of the term, de-regulation should often be replaced by re-regulation and the forces promoting such changes should be critically judged.

The limits of the State

You can learn more than just the aesthetic of 'Design' from the course

Balancing the above I do recognise that for most of my life  i.e. for  more than  50 post war years the UK was a strange blend of Socialism and Freedom under governments of both Tory and Labour hues.

I'm enjoying learning about 20th Century Design - from what I would say is a deeply personal view by the Artist Nick Pearson at nearby OPEN Ealing.


Reading last weeks' always engaging notes the idea of how pervasive the state was immediately after WW II  hostilities ended was summed up by the act of the eventually  to be Prime-Minster  Harold Wilson when at  the Board of Trade.
Wilson effectively  banned the then UK Vogue editor from mentioning Dior for fear of encouraging profligate use of fabric in the country.

This is the sort or rule one can imagine in North Korea or Iran but seems out of Kilter in a 'free Country'.

It's great to see that the History of Design encompasses so much  and through finding out we are able to consider such diverse influences as the effects of New Synthetic Materials, Hollywood and (of course) Modern Art.