pap

Very good points, Lord D. The EU has long been presented as something vaguely cuddly and benevolent. Going abroad is no longer a hassle! Any UK citizen can live anywhere within the Union. No doubt, the EU does make things more convenient, for everyone, but people forget why everything is much easier. It's effectively one country, or if you're not happy with that, at least one huge pool of employees for any business looking to hire. One thing you didn't touch on is the typical immigrant motivation or experience. Those making the move permanently will eventually rebalance themselves with the UK economy, especially if they are living a typical family existence. Difficult to live in the UK in perpetuity without paying for it. I think a lot of the real wage pressure comes from those that are not the long-term subject of this thread, those that won't figure in the long term net migration statistics. It's those who are prepared to live ten to a house on a short-term basis to benefit from economies of scale which create real pressure on British wages, because it sets a baseline that is simply unrealistic for anyone with real British expenses to contend with.

I see.

No, it's a cultural reference - Jabba's pet from Return of the Jedi. It signifies the emergence of someone visible, but not really crucial to the plot. It's a sensible rejoinder to a "me too" comment and/or poster.

You'll have to forgive our Nolan ( or "Noley", as I like to call him ). He's still a bit bitter, whereas I was shopping for XBox Ones this weekend. Didn't end up getting one as no-one local had a decent bundle in.

This.

So, one Sunday later, and I'm all caught up on House of Cards. The series is at an interesting point. Content-wise, it has already delivered more hours than its UK inspiration. It is also getting to the point where the UK story ended, so it really needs to start creating its own universe if it is to survive. There's no more material to ape. At this point, the UK series would be thundering toward its endgame while I'm guessing Netflix are going to be quite happy spinning this one out, thank you very much. The result is something of a mixed bag. Where one could look at previous seasons and say "ah, season one charts such-and-such" and "season two is about this", it's more difficult to do that with the third series. There is a big multi-episode arc going on, but it's very much about the relationship between Francis and Clare, and not necessarily about achieving some defined political aim. Those motives are still there, driving much of the drama, but the overall arc is nothing like as momentous as the first couple of seasons. Widening the scope to bring in a Putin-a-like (and the actual Pussy Riot, for some reason) doesn't provide the thrills I think the writers wanted, while there are a couple of sub-plots that are just plain boring. Nowhere near as good as the opening couple of seasons, but I will hang on for the next season regardless.

Kids are learning that violence solves problems from somewhere....

Interesting article over at Eurogamer entitled Does resolution really matter? The stimulus for the article was this Nielsen poll, aimed at people 13+, asking people why they bought the system they did.

Always nice to get expert advice....

Just sorted travel out for this. A 500 mile round trip just to feel impotent. Looking forward to it

LAPD "helping" the homeless yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPKHbi09emg

House of Cards Season 3 just landed on Netflix.

Beaten by Our Tony Pulis.

Ha. Loved that you asked that. You need figures before you'll believe that buying something in your own currency is easier than buying something in another? Ever been on holiday at all? You can't even get your own dates right. 1921? It's like Bretton Woods, or indeed Nixon never happened. The dollar was effectively given reserve currency status at Bretton Woods. The dollar's convertibility into gold was removed in 1971. Nixon convinced the likes of Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC countries to still continue trading in dollars, despite the fact that promises to pay aside, it's backed by nothing. Let's remember the point you're arguing here, that the dollar's status as reserve currency makes no difference to the US economy. The buyers need to find dollars if they want to buy. The sellers will be paid in dollars. Historically, many had so many coming in that it was literally impossible to spend at the rate they were coming in. Now if you've a shítload of dollars, you've two choices. Convert the currency into something else, or spend it in another market which accepts US dollars as payments. I wonder where that might be.

Let's give this a go. What do you see now?

I loved it. Watched it with no expectations, and not much of a clue as to what it was about. It starts off masquerading as one type of film, but ends up being something completely different. It's greatness kinda skulks up on you. Right. Don't want to overhype it. Watch and hopefully enjoy.

I don't think you've got the point, and have ignored others. Reserve currency status creates demand for US currency, which has to be bought or traded. The Federal Reserve, a private corporation which has sole authority to create the money, benefits from all of that demand. It is the permanent beneficiary of that ever increasing and residual interest. Reserve currency status renders the dollar a commodity in its own right. You need A to buy B. The dollar is therefore a pre-requisite for all purchases of one of the most sought after commodities in the world. Let's not forget the fact that the US economy gets a huge advantage because it gets to buy oil in its own currency, something no other country on the planet gets to do. They either have to have a ready supply of dollars, or buy them from someone who does.

The Federal Reserve creates every dollar at a rate of interest. They benefit immensely. The US hasn't got a functioning economy. You can't really call a country that "budgets" every year simply by declaring an even scarier debt ceiling. As for how demand for dollars benefits the US, are you kidding? Every transaction that involves oil props up the dollar. That means that you've either got to have a ready supply of dollars, or you need to buy them from someone who does. Several approaches are taken to the former; companies either take on US cost centres, trade with American companies and/or get paid in dollars. The latter, no matter how many levels deep, started with a rate of interest on the creation of the money and converted at a rate of interest as it left the US. The dollar's status as reserve currency creates demand and/or business opportunities in the US economy that simply wouldn't exist otherwise, and gives the dollar a value it doesn't deserve. That's why foreigners haven't got huge stockpiles of say, Canadian dollars.

There's only one place that makes dollars, and without international value, only one place to spend them. If US dollars are the de facto trading currency of oil, it's going to create a demand for US dollars. Anyone with a smidgeon's grasp of economics would know that. Ultimately, that demand is sated by the Federal Reserve in the US.

Gutted. Was superb as Spock, particularly in Wrath of Khan. Didn't get to see him in much else, but that hardly matters. Sci-fi legend. He lived long and prospered.

Never take them to yours, ant.

I've been going through a little Roman phase in my amateur history studies. It's cool stuff, and basically where George RR Martin gets his best ideas from (Crown of gold, I'm looking at you). Anyway, knowledge in hand, I've decided to give Rome a rewatch. The first season in particular is fantastic, chronicling the end of the Republic and the birth of Empire. Pretty much all British cast; the two leads Kidd and Stevenson are excellent, but the whole cast is really good. Perv-wise, men of a certain age will be enthralled with Polly Walker, who plays Attia, a scheming milf sexpot looking to manoeveure her son into power. Second season gets a little bit more kitchen sink, and suffers for it, but still worth catching.

Britain was particularly duplicitous when studied over the long-term. Labour's government reconciled itself with the regime, making a very unpopular decision regarding the Lockerbie bomber. Cameron's government was instrumental in bringing it down, supposedly in a bi-lateral action with the French. The US are the key beneficiaries. The US dollar remains the reserve currency for buying oil. I wonder what would happen to the US economy were that to change.

The third movie was completely wrecked by a conflict between David Fincher and the studios. There is actually a version of the film called the Assembly cut, which is apparently closer to the director's original vision, but not a director's cut per se (Fincher didn't put it together). The best description I've heard of the fourth movie is that you've got a great deal on incongruency between Jeunet's direction (which is quite dark) and Joss Whedon's typically smart-arse script.