Smoke And Mirrors
Of all the things that the corporate world has done, the most devious was to create the myth of consumer demand. We hear about it all the time, in news reports, in the papers, in documentaries. I heard about it just the other night in a documentary about the Amazon. The narrator was telling us [...]
And, talking of milk . . . The day I was tested for food intolerance on two different kinds of milk (pasteurised and unpasteurised, both organic) is often described by Sally or me as our Eureka Moment. At the time though, I had no idea how emphatic a moment that would turn out to be. [...]
In the constant stream of traffic that thunders daily down the A40, I noticed today a DHL truck emblazoned with the words: Jaguar Land Rover Environmental Innovation. By way of further illustration, there was a strapline that read ‘Sustainable Manufacturing with DHL supply chain.’ Sustainable manufacturing – are they kidding? This is the car industry [...]
I used to think that we in the UK had cornered the market in political sitcoms when we were given the Dave and Nick show to keep us amused, but our friends across the pond always try to go one better. So now we see the hugely comical tussle for a Republican presidential candidate taking [...]
It seems that the global financial crisis has reached a new peak this week, what with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank using words like ‘dangerous’ to describe the current situation. Dangerous for whom, we must ask. I would suggest that it is the bankers and parasitic high rollers of the money markets [...]
Hmmm, I can feel a bit of a rant coming on . . . I have long been suspicious of accolades, awards, qualifications and labels. From the little red triangles that my Mum used to sow onto my green Cubs shirt, to the Tourist Board diamond rating that can be so meaningless in terms of [...]
Continue reading about Fair Trade – another naked emperor struts his stuff
From time to time, I find an excuse to call on the doctor for a bit of a check-up. It’s a bit mischievous, but the devil makes me do it! So, just recently I popped into the surgery again, to confess quite honestly that I had been though a pretty stressful period and it had [...]
I’ve just come up for air from a recent discussion about the comparative worth of different supermarkets. Everyone has an opinion on supermarkets. Some say that they hate Tesco with a vengeance, but that they are happy to shop at Sainsbury’s. Others say that they will shop only at Waitrose, because Waitrose is ‘different from [...]
conspiracy n. 1 a secret plan to commit a crime or do harm, often for political ends I love a good conspiracy theory. It brightens my day, a) because it is often founded on something quite plausible, and, b) because it provokes heated arguments between supporters and detractors, which is always good for a laugh. [...]
It has been fascinating to watch the recent series on TV, The Victorian Pharmacy. Apart from opening another window onto a time when the general attitude, in a country devoted to imperial expansion, was one of fearless inventiveness, it also gives us an insight into the new commercialism that defined the era. Everything was seen [...]
Continue reading about With this little pill, I can cure all ills