May 31, 2017

Amazing political game

Hi,

The international (France based) software developer Ubisoft has a new shooter game coming out, in which the target for the player is to hunt down and kill American Christian Republicans!

The controversy is already around the web, unsurprisingly. An amusing feature of the game is the ability to call out characters as racist and ‘hurt their feelings’ as part of gameplay. I kid you not.

http://uproxx.com/gaming/far-cry-5-white-genocide-controversy/

http://www.gq.com/story/far-cry-5-video-game-controversy



D.

May 18, 2017

Forced equity release

Hi,

The Guardian has today (18/5/17) reported on the Tory manifesto. If this manifesto becomes law, elderly and unwell people requiring care at home will be required to give up sole ownership rights to their homes if they lack the savings to pay. Currently the home is not regarded as an asset in means testing this level of social care.

Helpfully, the Tories will offer a range of 'equity release products' to facilitate this legal process. No doubt the products will be supplied by private companies with shareholders and profit margins to meet.

This sounds like a conservative wet dream to me, but what's not to like?

c.

May 3, 2017

The Brexit spirit

Hi,

We are in an English seaside town. We go into a posh hotel and ask for Martinis in the bar. The Brit barman says “What’s a Martini?” before going off to find out what we are talking about and how to make them. We leave.

Later we go into a seafront cafe and I ask for a black Americano with milk on the side. The Brit waitress gives me a white Americano with extra milk on the side. This drink contains precious little coffee but much milk.

In desperation, we go to a coffee chain, Costa. I ask for the same and the Brit ‘Barrister’ shouts ‘White Americano’ to his colleague. It tastes like sludge.

I have been abroad in Europe. I know that this would not happen in any other EU country, or even here if the employee was an immigrant from anywhere. But in Brexit Britain it is a short step back to the 1950s, a time of poor food, worldly ignorance and terminally bad service. What’s not to like?

D.