Streets of Baltimore

Robert Fisk: snapshots of Baghdad.

Any passing social workers will find Fighting Monsters interesting.

I keep hearing that the government feels our financial pain, that the bankers feel our financial pain and that big business feels our financial pain. Then I hear that none us should ask for a pay rise sufficient to cover the increased cost of our daily necessities, because that would be short sighted. If we have a decent rise, prices will have to go up, inflation will rise and we will all be worse off. Fair enough, their brains are large and mine is small and I know nothing of economics.

But a question is bugging away at me: why is it always us at the bottom of the food chain that gets the shitty end of the stick? Banks fail spectacularly, don't worry the taxpayer will bail them out. Rover goes belly up and it's sorry chaps, you will have to retrain as a waiter. Prices of basic commodities go up, so the price of the goods made with them goes up and the price in the shop goes up. There only seems to be one loser here, us.

When the price of everything goes up, why is it only the poor old consumer who has to suffer? Can't the bastard capitalists swallow some pain for a change. Why is that we can work our knackers off, yet have to walk around skint, while big business continues to make huge profits. Why do they have to keep making huge profits? Can't they make a bit less of a profit for a change? Can't they share their sweeties with the rest of us? How much money do the oil companies need? How much do Tescos and the rest of them need? When will these capitalist bastards be sated?

The new Firefox...............I can't stand it, how do I get the old one back?

Found on Mefi, a great site for the cack handed cyclists among us: The Bike Tutor