BBC a series of repeats?

I know the TV is now classed as an old-fashioned way of absorbing entertainment. We’re now spending potentially more time on YouTube and Netflix compared to watching traditional TV programming.

However here in the UK we pay a TV licence fee directly to the BBC who is, allegedly, adverts free. The cost of this is around £13 per month, give or take a few pennies. This is double of what we’re paying for Netflix, not insubstantial I thought.

The BBC is a national institution in the UK, many regard them as the best TV in the world, which of course includes their news channel and many radio channels, both national and local. They have done a decent job of introducing BBC iPlayer in order to allow us to catch up on programmes we may have missed and also access some box sets of past series. We have been enjoying Cuckoo right from the start, as we had not seen it previously.

However Netflix is also transmitting many series that originally have appeared on BBC TV, so wondering where the value is now?

My complaint however is that the BBC is starting (maybe I had not noticed before) to repeat programmes that had either been aired the previous day, albeit on a different channel and even a topical news comedy series, which had aired last year.

If we wanted to watch programmes again, surely we can just watch it on the BBC iPlayer app?

[embed]https://twitter.com/stayingaliveuk/status/1108260621106196480[/embed]

Furthermore the BBC is also planning their own streaming service in partnership with ITV (UK commercial channel) called ‘Britbox’. I suspect any box sets that currently are available on the BBC iPlayer will probably transition there and then we’re expected to pay for that as well?

[embed]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47383559[/embed]

Anyway just disappointed with the BBC’s (The Beeb) programming to air repeats.

Michael de Groot

True cost

I recently watched a documentary named ‘The True Cost’ of course it was on Netflix.

[embed]https://www.netflix.com/watch/80045667[/embed]

It documented the true cost of our incessant desire for the latest fashion, yes men and women of course.

I used to work in the fashion industry for 28 years, I worked in fabric mills, yarn mills and garment mills, never in retail though. But the garment makers were our clients and the retailers were our enemy! How ridiculous to say they were the enemy. Well because they wanted lower prices and higher quality every single year. I’m talking in the main Marks and Spencer here.

They asked us to fund their discounting and made us hold on to stocks in our warehouse when sales didn’t happen as they expected.

The retailers really are the scum that causes all the pollution, the destruction and the mental and physical health issue sin humans in the developing worlds.

“Black and white shot of urban building windows at night with people standing inside, Oxford Street” by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

But they are not alone, you and I must also take responsibility. We want things cheaper and faster and we are addicted to consumerism. There are young women on YouTube making money from their videos unpacking shopping bags and sharing their excitement and delirious delights on the garments they reveal live on air. Only to get you to buy them.

Little do we know that these young women are being sponsored by the retailers and receive not only a handsome advertising revenue from YouTube they receive money from the retailers to advertise their products too. They’re called influencers. It’s the latest tactic on the web and you are totally oblivious to it.

Watch the documentary and weep. Your shopping habits will change forever.

Happy shopping!

Michael de Groot

Greed

After watching ‘Saving Capitalism’ https://www.netflix.com/title/80127558 with Robert Reich, former US secretary of labor (1993–1997) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich, I realised a number of things.

1. The big US corporates are as corrupt as you can possibly imagine. They buy legislation through their donations to politicians. And it’s all been made legal by the way.
2. We fund this. Yes you and me, we are the ones that are buying the produce made by these big global corporates and from their massive profits they buy favours (favors) from the US political system.
3. Simple then, stop buying from them. I know, I know, we have to buy our fuel, our utilities, our food, (our healthcare in the case of the US) and our homes, but even then we also know we are paying over the odds, we are over-consuming all the time. Just start cutting back, REDUCE!

Michael de Groot

There’s no point protesting as nobody really ever wins via that route, the only voice they will hear is when you hit them where it hurts. Their profits, the bonuses, the big pay-packets and stop them from being able to buy those favours from Washington, London and maybe every major city in the world.

We actually have the biggest voice and we are not using it.

Happy protesting!

Michael de Groot

Crooks

Just been watching the Netflix mini-series ‘Dirty Money’. Wow I was astounded how many so called legal crooks steal money from us.

Of course most of it covers companies in the USA, but Britain didn’t come off scot-free with the HSBC money laundering on behalf of Mexican drug cartels and terrorist organisations. They only got a $2 billion fine and nobody went to jail, despite the fact that thousands of innocent people died, either by being killed or died because of drugs.

Each episode basically told the same story, which is our greed for money.

Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on Unsplash

Millions and Billions of dollars are changing hands on this planet illegally and most of us are the victims. In essence if we are kept poor and needy, sick and in fear, we won’t make any noise. This is exactly where governments want us.

So ensure that companies always need to strive for growth, which means they have to continue to sell to us consumers, who need to keep buying and stay in debt. That way they can continue to exercise control over us.

Conspiracy theory? Oh yes indeed…

Happy buying!

Michael de Groot