Lunchtime Brucie bonus

I had a lunchtime stomp with my former colleague Bruce, who still works in the building some days. Bruce was born in Zimbabwe, lived for many years in Zambia, and is also a British citizen. I asked how he responds when someone asks his nationality. 'I'm a citizen of the world'. Good answer.

The temperature was bitter but the resting punts were a picture of calm. A slow time of year for the punting industry.

I had my annual appraisal, which went well, and Jo and I thought hard about formal professional development opportunities as it's easy not to push for these in the NGO sector. I will commit to completing at least one online course in 2018. In the past I've started several and never progressed far. They have a 90% dropout rate. I hope to be one of the 10% on the next attempt.

I munched on spinach leaves, cheese and Haribo as I watched the recent documentary by Miriam Margolyes, in which she visits present-day America. It was an interesting insight into how divided the US is between the haves and the have nots. The odds are hugely stacked against those born poor. I railed recently hearing that the Bank of America is introducing a current account fee for those with the smallest balances. The Bank recorded a profit of $21 billion in 2017. Unchecked corporate behaviour penalises the poor unfairly and is one of the main causes of reinforcing poverty. For many the famous American Dream (which I interpret as building enough wealth to create a comfortable lifestyle) feels more unattainable now than in the past.

Cambridge has been in the news for being one of the most economically unequal cities in the UK (if not the most). Its science and hi-tech industries increase the average wage, leaving those in poorly paid work lacking economic mobility, and especially pricing them well out of the housing market. It must be dire being poor in Cambridge, but it must be worse being poor in the States. At least in the UK the corporate takeover is not yet fully complete and I imagine there would be more opposition here to douchebag acts such as Bank of America's.