Third World?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/mcintosh/2011/06/05/how-we-treat-old-people-makes-us-no-better-than-the-third-world-115875-23179310/.

This denigration of the so called third world needs to stop. Does the average first worlder have any clue, any REAL clue what takes place in so called 'third world' countries in general, but specifically in relation to vulnerable people? And if they don't is it relevant? And are all countries in these groups the same? No. This assumption that if you are of the first world you are intrinsically better and more civilized than those who come from the 3^rd world is a load of unmitigated bilge! Measure yourself not by some fantasy of undeserved inbred greatness in relation to everyone else but by how you treat others – especially the vulnerable. With that in mind how 'first world' is the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand?

And while I'm at it stop making stupid jokes about Caribbean education. I watched a sitcom the other day which made the oft repeated tiresome joke about if they flunked out of a US med school they'd have to go to med school in the Caribbean. Just cut the foolishness! What do people like him think you do in med school in the Caribbean – learn how to resuscitate a blinkin' coconut? To people still making these jokes I say get a damn grip and stop making arses of yourself. The joke is there's a strong possibility your GP and half the nurses at your hospital were trained in the Caribbean. A Caribbean education isn't so distasteful when you need their assistance is it?

Creativity and budgets for it need to return

There’s too much damn BAD reality TV on the air right now. I know that creating well crafted dramas and comedies costs money and takes skill but its skill and money we must find.

Because reality shows make the subjects money and put them back in the limelight so many stars and pseudo stars go for them. But they usually degenerate into a voyeuristic following of people’s misfortune.

However, there is hope. It seems that there is creative and thought provoking material out there and guess where it is? That’s right, on the net. So it’s TV that has to pick it up several notches.

My Thoughts on the Royal Wedding

Immigration - from the immigrants' mouths

Check these stories out for a front line explanation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/immigration-the-bigger-picture-2269074.html

Doing things properly.

On too many occasions you hear of people suffering because other people haven’t used basic common sense when executing a task. How about we all commit to operating as human beings and not just do things by rote?

A Lethal Combination

It is happening – we have undereducated our people and the dumbest ones are the ones in charge of companies. Add to that a large degree of unproductiveness and voila – what do you get? The bottom falling out of our productivity and profitability. Our economy is in trouble and the only feasible and sustainable way out is through growth. How the hell are we going to grow when the things that will grow us are being cut right left and centre?

Do we Really Want a British Fox News?

So Murdoch has been given the go ahead to buy the world so to speak as it pertains to the UK media landscape. It is really hard to believe that this unelected government has been in power for only ten months. Even more amazing, even for me, is how swiftly they have laid waste to the country. How comes there is no mass protest in the UK? Because we've spent decades under-educating our people and encouraging them to be more concerned with voting for things like the X-Factor rather than the people in charge of the country who will make decision on our lives.

Nice.

Jessie J - a Pleasant Surprise

I heard an interview with this young star the other day on Channel 4 news and I was pleasantly surprised at how clear she was on what she had been, was doing and was going to do as an artist. I believe she said something along the lines of she sees herself as part entertainer, part therapist or something. Basically she was saying that there was more to her music than just being a star. It was refreshing. In addition to that her music is good. She also made the point that she doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed. That reminded me of another artist I respect – Eva Cassidy. I believe one of the reasons why she didn’t have a major record deal when she was alive was because she wanted to maintain her eclectic tastes and this didn’t fit neatly into the marketing rules of most record labels.

I’m not a huge fan of the video for ‘Do it Like a Dude’ but I do love the lyrics for Price Tag. Let’s hope she does well and that we’ll have more artists like her.