A woman has been spotted reading a book while driving down a British motorway at 70mph. Builder Andy Stonham was heading home on the M1 in Leicestershire when he saw the woman sitting at the wheel of her Nissan Micra with her book open in front of her. He says he followed for ten miles, …
I assumed that David Brat, who beat Cantor in Virginia, was a Tea Party operative, paid by the Koch Brothers. In fact, Brat won by running on opposition to Wall Street and Republican corruption in Congress, and must be loathed by the Koches. Brat is quoted as saying, “All of the investment banks, up in …
Ring, ring; click. ‘Hi, you’ve reached X. Please don’t leave a message, but text me…”. And just like that, I’m subtly put in my place; my time deemed less valuable than that of the person whose mobile I called. It’s me who must stop, ring off, type out a message so that they needn’t waste …
The shock defeat of Eric Cantor, House Majority leade, illustrates the mess American politics is in. While Epicurus might have wished a plague on all parties, the fact is that the US needs a government, and it is clear that the crazies want no government at all. This is bad for everyone and augments the …
Only 5% of British office workers take a full hour for their lunch break. 68% eat their lunch at their desks. 32% have the same lunch every day. (Philadelphia/The Times) They also increasingly work long hours, enjoy reduced benefits, and have to wrestle with money- purchase (instead of the old final salary) pensions. As a …
“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it”. (Buddy Hackett) How often have you heard little children whining, “I don’t like “bits” in orange juice”, or “I don’t like cabbage/onions/ blueberries” etc. etc? Fill in the blanks. Ad infinitum. I know one person who apparently ate only Heinz …
Israel has been caught carrying out aggressive espionage operations against American targets for decades, according to U.S. intelligence officials and congressional sources. And they still do it. They just don’t get arrested very often. As Newsweek recently reported, American counter-intelligence officials told members of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees at the end of …
Continue reading ‘Spying on your protector? How long can that go on?’ »
Can-do, hard work, dedication are the cornerstones of the America myth of success. There is much hand-wringing about the decline of social mobility. But recent studies show that, the situation has not become worse in the last 30 or forty years. In fact, US social mobility has been relatively stable, and more rigid, than most …
Continue reading ‘Social mobility: the myth and the facts’ »
Last year the Russian tenants in the London apartment beneath us decamped without paying a single bill. For weeks we were returning invoices “gone away”. These people were working for a Russian billionaire with a mansion in Notting Hill. Britain now has 104 billionaires (up from 88 last year), according to The Sunday Times, and …
A subscriber to the Georgetown Forum, a Washington DC website, is offering “Toddler Conversion” kits. The editor of this blog is not entirely sure how these work, but he is nonetheless hailing this invention as one of the greatest breakthroughs in the last two hundred years. The idea has to be this: in minutes you …
Let go of things that repeatedly disappoint or upset you, drain your energy, keep you awake at night, bringing neither reward or joy. Some people are born disagreeable, without the capacity for love, caring or particular empathy. We have all met them – the people who are always trying to score points, get one up …
Continue reading ‘It’s a short life. Don’t anguish about relationships gone wrong’ »
There is a Congressional mandate that requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fill 34,000 beds in some 250 facilities across the country, per day, with immigrant detainees (truly!). Not many people know about this “civilised” idea from the huge brains of the leaders of the US House of Representatives, so intent on cutting expenditure. …
Continue reading ‘Don’t give me the facts, just lock ’em up!’ »
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough”. Mae West Mae West was an Epicurean, even if she never knew it. To do it right you have to seize every moment, make the most of it, have friends, go out and about, travel, enjoy yourself, learn as much as you …
The owner of a US gun store who had planned to sell the nation’s first “smart gun” – a weapon that can only be fired by its legal owner – changed his mind after receiving death threats from gun enthusiasts. Andy Raymond, the co-owner of Engage Armament, a Maryland shop known for its custom assault …
Continue reading ‘I am totally at a loss. How can one possibly explain this?’ »
It seems fair to allow a successful people to enjoy their fortunes while they are alive. It is quite another matter to create a sort of aristocracy by allowing huge wealth to be passed on to the next generation and for that wealth to be barely taxed at all. But this is what so many …
