A thread of Grace.

There's are reviews of the new MDR here, here and here. Those three aren't selected by me - they're the three I grabbed off google.

There was something in the paper, too, about a small exhibition at the Tate Modern involving some Manzoni. There's also a talk on Friday. I went to see a Manzoni exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery some years ago with Kaija, which was fascinating. There was a whole pile of cans, loads of achromes, several certificates of authenticity (including Umberto Eco's), two Magic Bases, several lines and various miscellanea. Great stuff.

I see that the Budget is being criticised as being a "vote now, pay leter" budget. Leaving aside whether it's true, that doesn't strike me as being very astute politically - the growth in personal credit surely shows us that the general public are quite happy with the idea of paying for things later.

Bong . . . foxes take over chicken-coop . . . Bong . . .

Maybe that's too gloomy an assessment. I hope so. But anyway : as rumoured, Paul Wolfowitz is to head the World Bank. I have a horrible feeling I'm soon going to hate the World Bank as much as I used to.

I met someone who worked for the World Bank once. I was even polite to her.

I wonder if this will lead to Wolfowitz and Irn Broon having a fistfight in the corridors of the WB's headquarters? I'd rather like to watch that.

The BBC's tax calculator reckons I'm 2p a week better off as a result of the Budget. In about three years I'll buy myself a pint to celebrate.