Beneficiaries of Cancer Financials

Put simply, the British public pours £millions into cancer research and we celebrate when there is a breakthrough. It then takes years for the drugs to be made available to the NHS at an extortionate price.

Recap: the public pays for the research then the public pays again for the results - or not, because there's not enough money to cover the costs incurred by the pharmaceutical company. Specific costs include further development, testing, manufacture, packaging and sales commissions; shared costs include constantly upgrading laboratories, staff salaries, general business costs and shareholders profits.

What is the money cycle? This is not a factual statement, not even an educated guess, I am just wondering... 

• Charity donations presumably passed to universities and non-profit trusts to aid research?
• Do the pharma companies then have to bid for the research information or is it given freely?
• If no one buys the drugs, does the whole investment get written off as a loss? 
• If so, wouldn't it be better to halve the cost of drugs to the NHS and recoup some of the expenses? 

Compassion and emotion drive the campaigns, creating a demand for solutions and providing the blueprint in terms of research information, but commerce controls the engine. The NHS holds the role of completing the circle by bringing the benefits of cancer research to the British public.

There is an imbalance of power. The moment that Joe Public hands over the money, any control over its onward journey has gone. This applies both to cancer research donations and to compulsory NHS contributions.

Who has a workable solution?

Review - The Butler

On IMDB, The Butler has only 3.5 stars. Forest Whitaker's performance alone is worth another star.

The story is based on a real one and shows how the USA has progressed from apartheid to the election of President Barack Obama, as experienced by the lead character, Cecil. His family worked in the southern cotton fields and were brutalised by the owners. As a boy, Cecil was taken to the house as a servant and subsequently perfected those skills throughout his life to become a respected member of staff at The White House.

The story of his career is interlaced with his family life. He had a long, solid relationship with his wife (played by Oprah Winfrey) and a difficult relationship with his rebellious first son. He was proud of his younger son who was killed in the Vietnam war. Snippets of Cecil's life at The White House reveal insights into the administrations of several presidents over a number of years.

In Cecil's later years, he and his eldest son are reconciled and, towards the end of the film, they celebrate Obama's victory together.

Why Forest Whitaker's performance was incredible: I really believed he had become a frail old man in his 90s and found myself wondering if he was still alive in real life... he's only in his early 50s!

Other films to watch with Forest Whitaker: The Last King of Scotland, Good Morning Vietnam & The Color of Money.

The Monuments Men - film review

Based on a true story, The Monuments Men (2014) stars just about everybody - George Clooney (who was also co-writer/director), Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean DuJardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban, oh and Cate Blanchett who plays a Parisian.

It was like watching an interesting documentary but better, as the actors were masters of under-acting and seemed so natural . It was amazing to learn about the number of artworks that were stolen, stored or destroyed - and there was tons of gold stashed, too.

An enlightening and enjoyable film. If you want to know more, you can decode the following paragraph by pasting it into a text document and changing the font to something readable.

Guess which two of The Monuments Men team died - none of the Americans – just the Brit and the Frenchman!

Recommended. Give it a whirl!

FM soundtrack

I've never seen the film but I bought the double album of the soundtrack on vinyl in the late '70s and I subsequently got the CD. The FM soundtrack features Steely Dan (FM & Do It Again), Bob Seger (Night Moves), Joe Walsh (Life's Been Good), Boston (More Than A Feeling) - all favourites - plus tracks from Queen, Rolling Stones and more. It's a collection of some of the best artists of the day.

The full track list is below:
  "FM" - Steely Dan
  "Night Moves" - Bob Seger
  "Fly Like an Eagle" - Steve Miller Band
  "Cold as Ice" - Foreigner
  "Breakdown" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  "Bad Man" - Randy Meisner
  "Life in the Fast Lane" - Eagles
  "Do It Again" - Steely Dan
  "Lido Shuffle" - Boz Scaggs
  "More Than a Feeling" - Boston
  "Tumbling Dice" - Linda Ronstadt
  "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" - Linda Ronstadt
  "Livingston Saturday Night" - Jimmy Buffett
  "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler" - Dan Fogelberg
  "Just the Way You Are" - Billy Joel
  "It Keeps You Runnin'" - The Doobie Brothers
  "Your Smiling Face" - James Taylor
  "Life's Been Good" - Joe Walsh
  "We Will Rock You" - Queen
  "FM - Reprise" - Steely Dan

A last minute Wannabe Guide to the Fringe of the Edinburgh Festival

Suddenly inspired, penniless and without any sponsors, you decide to wander up to the Edinburgh Fringe and try your stuff, for free, on an audience that is likely to be receptive. As long as it isn’t raining, The Meadows is a great place to find people relaxing with their picnics.

Tip#1. Your material must be suitable for a family audience - nothing rude, lewd, illegal and no swearing.

Tip#2. Keep your act short and have some variations so people seeing you for a second time are not immediately bored.

Tip#3. Don’t force people to watch you by invading their space or interrupting whatever they are doing - let them find you.

Tip#4. Ensure that you stand out from the crowd. This isn’t easy in a city full of wannabes who are also trying to get noticed. Try a number of ‘looks’ to find out what works best. For example, heckling Tim Vine whilst dressed as a tomato will allow him to use you in his act – let’s face it, you won’t even need to heckle if he can see you in the audience.

Male, female or a duo, here’s a brilliant ‘family audience’ costume that you can wear with ease…

TWISTER DRESS | TWISTER JUMPSUIT   

Finally, here are some useful links for visiting the Fringe:

Survival Guide http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2014/features/a_guide_to_visiting_2014_edinburgh_fringe/

What’s On http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2014/

Tickets https://www.edfringe.com/

Le Quatorze Juillet

Just 10 days (plus a few years) after American Independence was declared, the French Revolution began.

The French Revolution

La Fête Nationale, usually referred to in Britain as Bastille Day, is the annual celebration of the beginning of the French Revolution, an uprising of the common people against the Monarchy, which began on 14th July 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris.

King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, had become increasingly unpopular as the gap between rich and poor became wider. Despite re-establishing the previously disbanded Musketeers, Royalty was officially abolished in France in 1792.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine in the large public square now known as Place de la Concorde, which is situated next to the River Seine, nestled between the Champs Elysees and Jardin des Tuileries (which leads directly to the Louvre museum, home of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa).

Le Quatorze Juillet (14th July) is the start of the summer holidays in France. Celebrations are traditionally community events, parties with feasting and fireworks plus military parades.

Bastille Day in the UK

Every year, there are celebrations across the UK, often held by Anglo-French societies and town-twinning groups; there will be festivals in Reading (Berkshire) and London's Borough Market, Bankside area.

Dress up in Breton-style blue and white striped tops and a beret, add a moustache, onions and a bicycle for fun! Or go mad and hire a full Napoleon or Marie Antoinette costume or be silly and wear a French maid outfit. Alternatively, wear dark formal colours and add a scarf to represent a modern Parisian.

And this video will help you learn the words of La Marseillaise (with lyrics)... Bon chance et Vive La France!



Amazing France app for i-devices

AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Birth of a Nation
(not to be confused with the 1915 film starring Lillian Gish)

American (USA) culture is so integral to films, TV and music absorbed by British audiences that there is almost no conscious division. There was a time that Britain ruled over this colony until they rebelled and, on 4th July each year, American Independence Day is the celebration of their independence from us!

We got over it… British children grow up with a barrage of Disney films and visits to Florida, understanding the terms ‘sidewalk’ and ‘elevator’ and using many Americanisms in their everyday life. Although a form of English is the unofficial/official language of the USA, it could easily have been French. Spanish is widely spoken throughout the Americas.

The Fourth of July is a United States federal holiday that embraces the implementation of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Americans across the globe traditionally celebrate with parties and firework displays.

It was almost a year after independence that the ‘Stars and Stripes’ was adopted as the national flag. It originally had 13 stars and 13 stripes, with a new star added for each new State that joined the Union. Today, there are 50 stars representing the 50 united States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Celebrating American Independence Day in the UK.
(party information from Novelties Direct)

There are plenty of events and parties already planned and, no doubt, more will be arranged as July approaches. London has the monopoly including events at Portman Square, Camden, Chelsea, Soho, Covent Garden and several other venues.

Anyone considering hosting a 4th of July party can purchase a pack of decorations, flags, tableware and other goodies online. Party ideas surely have to start with a free standing ‘Uncle Sam’ cardboard cut-out, over 6ft tall, to greet guests on arrival.

Add some ‘Stars and Stripes’ party bunting and flags, a large drinks cooler plus a few party hats: cowboy hat, sailor/ doughboy hat, Chicago gangster hat or Wonder Woman style headband... Just add guests to your American Independence Day party supplies and enjoy!