Strange days.

[zotz]

Well, unfortunately it seems that Jonny Ramone is and always has been a staunch republican, and really wants Dubya to be re-elected. On the upside, Patti's new LP's out shortly, and according to yesterday's review it's a corker. Apparently many eons ago she was described as "Three chords merged with the power of the word", and going by last year's London gig she still is.

And for once, a piece of news which is both critically important and exceptionally positive: the world's population growth is shallowing rapidly. The prophets of doom aren't always right. And that Malthus bloke can fuck right off.

Comments

[fluffymormegil.livejournal.com]

Though there's a new set of doomprophecy to do with pensions and such...

[zotz]

Well, yes. And they may even be right. But it's small beer compared to the really major issues.

The pension thing is odd. We expect to retire in our sixties, and are upset that it may not be possible. When pensions became common - or in Briatain, universal - the large majority didn't live that long. We may all have to work longer, but that would still leave us much better off than our ancestors. It may be a problem for us, but it's a problem we'll be astonishingly fortunate to have. Even if we retire later, we can expect to have (on average) more years of retirement, and (even better) more years of healthy retirement.

[ant-girl.livejournal.com]

It's funny though, isn't it, because it seems like more people than ever are taking early retirement...

I think I will be quite happy to carry on working rather than retire if I'm in good health and it means I can keep up a reasonable standard of living for longer. But at the moment, I don't think it's easy to do that. People are seen as "odd" if they work after retirement age, and more significantly, it can be very difficult to get a job if you're getting on that way, as my dad has been discovering, at nearly 60.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

When I was really into my work I just couldn't imagine retiring, but then my work was everything and without it I was always bored. But now that I'm a reformed workaholic I think I'd be happy to retire. I'd probably look at taking up some craft or other that would keep me occupied and pay something at least.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

For one reason or another I didn't expect to live to retirement, but now that I'm tangibly closer to it I'm suddenly rather concerned. Mind you, that's tied in with the loss of my career (for the moment at least) so I'm not sure that I'm separating the two issues.

I think I'm more worried about what sort of state the NHS is going to be in than about my pension.