Paperwork
July 24, 2007 by Jake Anders · 1 Comment
Those of you who know me, or have read this blog for a while will know that I am frequently involved with technical support for local theatre productions. I am doing this once again, with a new play written by my friend Joz Norris.
It is being performed in Salisbury Playhouse on the 7th and 8th September and tickets are available from the Salisbury Playhouse Box Office - telephone number: 01722 320333
Tickets cost £7 (£5 for concessions)
The demonic figure of Mundane, “the Professor” is bound in by an unending cycle that he cannot break. Every week, every second, he writes and works towards an unknown goal, a goal that he will not know he has reached unless told by his mute manservant Also, similarly bound into this monotonous cycle, endlessly reading over Mundane’s work, unable to ever tell his master when it is complete. Neglected and alone, the only relief from this tireless routine is the Professor’s Friday evenings, when his few remaining friends come to join him, sharing in his company and the darker secrets of his existence. But on this night, the arrival of Glamour, “the She,” an outsider unfamiliar with their world, prompts them all to reconsider the morals of what they do, and what they see, every day of their lives. This is to be the night that changes the weekly cycle forever.
On an unrelated note, I would like to apologise for my lack of articles recently, this is due to a lack of internet connection brought on by Virgin Media. Unless the fault comes back I expect to be back to my usual posting regime from now on.
Alan Johnston is free
July 4, 2007 by Jake Anders · Leave a Comment
Like many others in this country I am delighted to hear that BBC reporter Alan Johnston has finally been freed. There is never a good reason to silence a journalist like this and I am very glad that his detention is now over.
I’m sure everyone reading this will agree with me in thanking those who did the real work in securing a peaceful end to this situation despite the times when it seemed that that was a very unlikely outcome.
See the BBC News site here for more information.
Another Rate rise looks likely
July 3, 2007 by Jake Anders · 1 Comment
Once again, it looks like the Bank of England will raise the Interest Rate tomorrow (Thursday). Despite the fall back of underlying inflation to 2.5% there are still many concerns about the potential for inflation to continue now it has got into the system.
The RPI is still higher than the usual comfort zone, and although 2.5% CPI is back within the target range for the Monetary Policy Committee, it is above the actual target. In the high street there is strong evidence that consumer spending has slowed, so there is much optimism that this may be the final rate rise for some time.
The only sector where this is not true is food retailing. Food retailers are still reporting buoyant trade despite the higher interest rates. The recent lack of sunshine, as well as pressure from biofuels, has lead to significant rises in the prices of British grown foodstuffs. Maybe there has also been some comfort eating to cheer people up about the weather and their rising mortgage repayments. The reason I look at this particularly, is that up until now food had been a deflationary force for our economy. If that’s changing it could be far harder for us to get rates as low as we have got used to for some time to come.
House prices are back in double digit growth too, continuing to add to inflationary pressure indirectly. In my opinion this gets rid of the last argument against raising interest rates this month, which would be that it could lead to a dangerous bust in the housing market.
Let’s hope that everyone other than the food retailers are correct and this last rate rise will be the tipping point, cutting off the source of inflationary pressure and bringing us back inside the inflation target comfort zone for good. However, I think there may be one more rise before the year is out due to the lack of spare capacity in the economy.
Sources:
- Bank expected to raise UK rates - BBC News
- Rates and rain dampen non-food retailers - Reuters
- Data leave bets for higher rates intact - Reuters
