Not sure who he is, but I suspect we're both referencing the same joke.

It really has been poison.

It's part of the idiotic end game - a slow(ish) accumulation of assets in fewer and fewer hands means the tax-base is diminishing in number and increasing in cunning. Taxes are for little people.

Yep. We're a little more protected in Europe by our more universal welfare systems, but it's basically where capitalism inevitably ends up when neoliberalism and globalisation take over.

Even with Obamacare, the US health system remained an object of confusion and horror to most of the rest of us.

My father once scared off some attackers in an alley by reciting Schwitter's Dadaist sound-poems at them, so don't let anyone ever tell you that art isn't important.

Gin's really taken off in the UK over the past few years, with lots of new small distilleries and brands - is it the same in the US?

In Raimi's SM2, I thought they conveyed spider-sense quite well as a subconscious awareness of all available sensory information. When Doc Oc threw the car at the diner, Peter seemed to be reacting intuitively to the sight of it reflected in MJ's eyes.

1. The character stuff was fine, and the first half hour was good enough, but the resolution was absurd, and seemed to be counting on unearned pathos. And how the fuck did they resurrect everybody?

She's not his wife? I get so confused. I mean, he basically fucks them all, doesn't he?

In all honesty, 'slave' shouldn't be a problematic word to use in that sort of context. On the other hand, like it or not, you're married to a big fat racist, Ivanka. You don't get to quote Morrison and get away with it.

It looked more like one guy intervened, and the others thought he was some kind of nutter and tried to tackle him before realising that he was one of the good guys.

Only time that's happened with me was Ripley's "Get away from her, you bitch". The entire audience seemed to rise to their feet as one, applauding and cheering.

I've just ordered Yanis Varoufakis's book, and this one's been in my sights too. It looks like "Politics - how to fuck up" is my theme for the month.

Carrying on with "Horizon: Unnecessary Colon", which, as I've mentioned before, I rather like for its low-stakes choices. I have enough anxiety from real-life choices.

You'd think the wealthy would have an interest in ensuring that there are people with enough money to buy the shit that keeps them wealthy. Sometimes, the wealthy are as thick as pigshit (or possibly, capitalism has inherent problems and needs constraining).

Oh, correct that error. It's a lot of fun.

And the nonsensical characters?

I didn't hate it (as I did much of LC and IF), but it was very uninspired, and felt largely like dead air.

I guess so (and I did suggest some gentle finger-rimming in my scenario, which is a warning of sorts). I just remember it being a nice accompaniment to cunnilingus (for her), so not the best time to talk. I checked with my wife, and she's on my side, but we're both old fogies.