Credit crunch chocolate

October 14, 2008

credit-lrg.gif

Here we are in the midst of the most perilous financial crisis since the Great Depression (solved, if Blade recalls correctly, by WWII), and Selfridges & Co have just launched a new edible chocolate treat called – yes, you guessed it – ‘Credit Crunch.’

On the one hand, this is eminently appropriate. It is, after all, National Chocolate Week, one of those brilliant weeks whose wonders are rivalled only by National Ironing Board Week, National Parquet Floor Week and even boring old National Adultery Week. But on the other hand, launching a pointless confectionery product at the same time as the world’s governments battle to save us from fiscal carnage might seem about as sensible as a chocolate fireguard. Though, yes, ‘Credit Crunch’ probably tastes nicer.

Note, by the way, the excellent spin on Selfridges’ site: “As the economy tightens and the weather gets colder, customers are looking for more affordable luxury treats for themselves and gifts to cheer up friends and family.“ That’s right – you can afford it and it does make sense!

In fact, believe it or not: “Sales of luxury chocolate are breaking all records across Selfridges’ stores.”

Blade confesses to be struggling with this one, but will take the large shop’s word for it, for clearly, you pays your money – if you’ve got any, that is – and you buys your Credit Crunch.

 

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From the inside of the maze, ethically outwards

February 9, 2012

Curious times in the media; strange days at The Times.

Would ‘Dacre Cards‘ – the system of licensing journalists proposed by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre – have prevented the embarrassment now palpable at the Times over the NightJack story?

Times editor James Harding’s evidence to the Leveson Inquiry seemed heartfelt and contrite, albeit that the paper’s former long-serving and much-respected lawyer, Alastair Brett, seems to have been, er, rather dropped in it. Clearly, mistakes were made with regard to NightJack by young reporter Patrick Foster who, once he had hacked into NightJack’s account and thus discovered his identity, then embarked on a quest to expose it via legitimate methods. This, as Inquiry counsel Robert Jay QC put it, was “rather like working from the inside of the maze out”.

But had Foster been licensed via a Dacre Card, would this unsavoury episode in the Times’s history have been avoided?

We suspect not. A raft of laws were in existence at precisely the time when many News of the World journalists seemed to believe that they were entitled to hack any phone they liked. Those laws forbade them from doing so, and yet made no difference. Aside from the obvious objection to them – that they will squeeze out freelancers and citizen journalists – Dacre Cards would simply amount to something to circumvent.

What is really required is an ethical shake-up, from top to bottom. Society generally – not just journalists – needs a sense that some things are just plain wrong.

Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.