Now, I’m not defending Carr’s tax arrangements, but I feel it inappropriate for him to be singled out in this way by the leader of the government. I might be more in agreement with this, if the morally righteous Cameron hadn’t himself inherited a fortune made on off-shore savings, and if he had thought to comment on others who might deserve it a little more, such as businessman and government advisor Philip Green, whose own tax arrangements have saved him in excess of 250 million of personal and corporate tax.
Tag: tv
I enjoyed the first four series of Mad Men on the BBC, and was annoyed when I heard Sky had poached it, just as they did with Lost (from Channel 4) and numerous other programmes. I guess they think that by outbidding an open broadcast channel for an established show, they will attract the fan base and get new subscribers. I’m pleased to observe that it doesn’t seem to have worked. Like me, I am sure many folk will simply wait for it to come out as a boxed set, and watch it at their leisure, knowing the cost of the series will probably be less than one month’s subscription to Sky. And that isn’t even considering a possible eBay resale after you’ve watched it!
This is where Ed Vaizey, grasping at straws, actually said “Well they are up on their lowest point”.
We’ve recently had episode 3 of 4, but all the episodes to date are on BBC Iplayer – http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01bpkk9/
The premise – two angels sent to earth to help humanity, in the guise of lawyers – made me cringe when I heard it, but it really isn’t bad at all. Although it sounds like a typical American series, it is actually UK made, and set in York, and stars the excellent Samuel West. Apparently, it is made by the same team who brought us Life on Mars (which I loved) and Ashes to Ashes (which I hated).
The one that is currently doing my head in is the one for Flora Cuisine, a emulsified cooking oil substitute. The advert shows celebrity Vernon Kay being cooked for by his mum (and it *is* his real mum). As mum starts a stir-fry with a good dash of what appears to be liquid margerine, Vernon turns his nose up, and asks “What’s that?”. His is told (as are we) that it is Flora Cuisine, which has “45% less saturated fat than olive oil”. Wow says Vernon (and all of us), it must really be good and healthy then.
However, having just caught the first episode of series 2 – “A Scandal In Belgravia” – on iPlayer, this is apparently not the case.
[Spoilers follow]
Anna Torv is a genius!
It was a good excuse to watch some Fringe. I picked up the third season on DVD a few weeks ago, so today I watched the last two episodes of season two again, and then watched the first DVD of series 3 straight through. Brilliant stuff.
Meanwhile I discovered these on eBay. They are framed, and therefore not flimsey like other clipons, they are fairly flat and not curved, which means they fit well to most prescription frames (at least those I have tried). And they are only 4 quid, including postage.
The anachronistic language didn’t bother me too much, but one thing did. Throughout the whole drama, set in 1956, the two principle characters jokingly refer to each other as “Moneypenny” (frequently) and “James” (rarely, in response). The first James Bond novel was written in 1953, and at the time of the drama, only 3 novels had been published. While it is true that both the characters are intelligent and well read, so may have been familiar with these early novels, it seemed to me the joking seemed based on the depiction of Miss Moneypenny in the films, the first of which wouldn’t be produced for another 6 years.
I felt this was typical of the sloppyness (or absence) of basic research on the period. Despite this, I found the show fairly enjoyable to watch. However, this was mainly for the characters, as I felt the plot itself was rather weak.
What follows contains serious spoilers. Do not read if you haven’t yet watched this program (but intend to).
Time to hang out on eBay for a while, I think.