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More Older People Should Be a Golden Opportunity for the UK

As 60 becomes the new 40; 80 the new 60, old age boundaries are pushed ever back. Is there a truly natural lifespan and how can the best be made of it? ‘Hope I die before I get old,’ came from The Who’s 1965 hit, My Generation. It was a youth anthem, suggesting young people should stay young by dying before the onset of old age. But what is old? Money man Warren Buffett (80), The Queen (84), Dame Judi Dench (76) among others, exude life in old age. Nobody’s any longer too old to achieve new things. A man in India fathered his first child at 94, in December 2010. The Bible records scarcely credible ripe ages. Job lived 140 years seeing four generations (Job 42;16). Genesis 6:3 says: ‘The Lord said, … Read entire article »

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British Theatre Is Not The Sole Terrain of the Middle Class

The debate about British theatre accessibility is old, but actually misses the point. Performing arts cross all class barriers & genres to survive and grow. A sketch in the 1960s’ British satirical TV series That Was The Week That Was, showed three comedians in height order, representing upper, middle and lower classes. The middle one looked up to the upper; down to the lower, who looked up to both. Some might argue little has changed, Britain, is still class-ridden. That class influences the arts in general and performance in particular, surprises few. Typical Audience Profile Mintel reported in October 2010 that British performing arts are the domain of the middle classes, despite schemes to make audiences more diverse. The National Theatre, among others, tried subsidised tickets for young people, but there is concern, … Read entire article »

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Stand-Up Comedy Is Alive, Well and Flourishing in the UK

Heard the one about stand-up enjoying a rebirth in Britain? Well, it’s no joke, it’s true. In hard times, people need laughter and comics are bringing it. 2010‘s Royal Variety Show saw more stand-up comedians on the bill than anyone can remember. This, along with shows devoted to the genre on British TV, rising popularity of cruise ship entertainment and the growth of corporate comedy, confirms that solo comics working crowds with gag after gag, are ever popular. Stand-up comedians, whether the natural clown in a classroom, at work or out for the night, or the jester who entertained the royal court in days gone by, telling people how foolish life is, are vital. Nonetheless, it’s a difficult performing art because everybody’s humour is unique. Humour is not only personal, it varies regionally … Read entire article »

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The Politics of the Great British Weather

UK’s most talked about topics are weather & politics. Put together, they can be a potent barometer of public opinion, ignored by politicians at their peril. Bob Dylan sang: ‘You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,’ (Subterranean Homesick Blues, 1965), but in politics, those who keep an eye on the weather usually do themselves big favours. British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1894-1986) is attributed with warning in response to a question from a journalist about what is most likely to blow a government off course: ‘Events, dear boy, events’. The weather is the ultimate event. When sporting events go well at a national level (like England winning the football World Cup in 1966, tennis doing better than normal or Olympic golds coming home), politicians bask in the … Read entire article »

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Conspiracy Theories and Computers Are Natural Bedfellows

From ‘The World Is Being Invaded By Computers’ to “The Greatest Invention of the 20th Century’, views are polarized about everything to do with technology. By the end of 2010, in tandem with computer technology evolution, advances in the information-age and increasing disenfranchisement many individuals felt, WikiLeaks arose. Global, new media and non-profit making, it released millions of documents acquired from anonymous and leaked sources. Is All Information Valid in the ‘Information Age’? This publishing of secret, confidential, controversial and embarrassing files from inter and intra-governmental communications, horrified administrations and their agencies and possibly compromised security, but fed the appetite for disclosure that the internet and social networking birthed. The founder of the platform, Julian Assange, was wanted in a number of nations on a variety of charges, as people and officials responded in … Read entire article »

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The Real Power of Some UK Parliamentary Procedures

Early Day Motions to be signed, Adjournment Debates to be attended, Private Members’ Bills to pass: life in the Commons is not all effective. The MPs’ expenses scandals in 2008-2010 and refreshing of the Commons at the 2010 General Election did not elevate public approval of elected representatives. Most people understand how laws emanating from the European Union render Parliamentarians impotent. Nevertheless, a disapproving public expects MPs to do their duty. And that means doing voters’ bidding. Edmund Burke’s warning from 1774: ‘Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion’, means little to voters who want their MP to deal with localised unemployment, doctor/dentist/schooling matters, tax/unemployment issues, planning consents and a new pedestrian crossing. Many of … Read entire article »

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Can Freelancing for All be the Future of Work?

As globalization, technology and economic reconfiguration take hold, most people’s future patterns of working are changing. But can everybody be freelance? Shift Happens is not the only site to warn that young people are being prepared for jobs that don’t yet exist; that world change is happening exponentially fast, and learners of 2010 will have 10-14 jobs before they are 40. In November 2010 the Professional Contractors Group: PGC ‘the voice of freelancing in the UK’, held its first National Freelancers’ Day to promote the career choice that increasing numbers of people are adopting as traditional job opportunities change, or disappear altogether. A message from the Prime Minister added official endorsement to the concept. It’s not just the UK that is waking up to an emerging freelance workforce of around 1.4m. The USA … Read entire article »

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Charity and Compassion Fatigue Is Wearing Down Fundraising

They say that ‘charity begins at home’, but people give generously all over the world and always have done. In times of hardship, will they stop giving? According to Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, caregivers experience high levels of compassion fatigue. They meet daily ‘heart wrenching, emotional challenges,’ with chronic stress tolls taken on all carers, from full time employees to part time volunteers. “Eventually, negative attitudes prevail.” These people have a strong identification with helpless, suffering/traumatized people or animals or some aspect of the environment. In the extreme, carers can exhibit symptoms from neglect to abuse of their charges, simply because they’ve become worn out with caring and emoting. With the economic difficulties of the early 21st century, some people may find their compassion fatigue extended to weariness with charities. As some people … Read entire article »

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Movie Heroes and Villains Naturally Mirror Life’s Realities

‘Hero’, ‘star’, ‘celebrity’ are devalued words, but a true hero is valiant, brave, selfless; a villain is evil. But in film, it’s not all black and white. While the world is not full of stereotypical good/bad, evil/righteous people, nonetheless, a struggle between the light and dark sides of life and the supernatural have been inspirational in the film industry. In Christian belief, God/Jesus versus the Devil/Satan/Lucifer is at the heart of faith. All good drama needs and feeds on clearly defined conflict. Perhaps an example of the perfect hero is Gregory Peck’s portrayal in To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962) and the ultimate villain is Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs (1991). In the words of the Brian Wilson song by The Beach Boys, Heroes and Villains (1966/67): ‘heroes and villains, just … Read entire article »

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Loneliness & Isolation: Paradoxes of Today’s Easy Communication

More technological convenience; less personal contact. More computers, less human communication. Is young people’s health in danger by social isolation? Literature has long recognised the problem. John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men, is about the pervasiveness of loneliness and isolation: “a guy gets lonely an’ he gets sick”. In 1959 Alan Sillitoe published The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, about a young man who takes up running to escape dismal home life and bleak prospects. It was made into a movie in 1962. All Ages Can be Isolated and Lonely Neither is it confined to young or old. ‘Julianne’ is one of many lonely hearts mid-lifers who write of their isolation on the internet. She is 41, and has always suffered low self-esteem and confidence, has no partner, no children … Read entire article »

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