I am due to start my Reiki level 3 this coming weekend and whilst originally it was meant to be done over the weekends 22nd and 29th April, it was moved due to the college where I am doing the course managing to quite spectacularly screw up. This course has been booked now for over 10 months, and it was only at the last minute they went “Oh, we are shut for Easter over those weeks, we can’t have the course run”. So now I am due to start this weekend and also have the second part run on the last weekend of May. I am lucky that I am free both those weekends, otherwise I would have been more annoyed about it.
I am looking forward to doing my Reiki, it has been a while since I did, and whilst it is meant to be something that is used regularly, I have been wary of doing so for some months, mainly because when I have been doing it, I have found myself becoming drained, which is the exact opposite of what is meant to happen. I do recall previously when I was doing level 1 and 2, the tutor made clear we shouldn’t be feeling drained, if we do, it is because we are using our own energy, which is clearly not good. So hopefully on level 3, I will find a way to better tap into the Reiki energy and not my own, because that has been putting me off doing it, and I do wish to do it, especially as I have seen the results it can give people, it helped me a lot when I had my operation on my right wrist, to get through the sheer agony I was going through at the time.
With any luck, this will be even more interesting than the previous two courses, and I shall learn more about what it is all about and how best to use it
Monday, May 01, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
V&A Modernism
I went to this yesterday, with Z. We decided that we would go out on Easter Sunday.
It costs £9 per person, and for the cost, we both thought it was well worth it. It certainly gave me new information I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware that the some of the origins of modernism came from the Russians after their revolution in 1917. I had thought it had primarily come through the Germans and other countries in the central/Western European area, though not the UK, which did surprise me.
V&A Modernism Exhibition
The stuff on show was really interesting, they had an engine from WO Bentley, who went on to create Bentley cars. They showed the first all fitted kitchen done in Germany, and it is so like what many aspire to today. I hadn’t realised that a lot of it came from the ideas of constructivists who felt that there was no need to have individual items, that the area the person was in, would be their space. Modernists were very much into standardising everything, dreaming of a new utopia. Most of it came after the first world war, up until the second world war.
For anyone living in London who enjoys history, and seeing items that to a large extent are still with us today, and how this all started, it is well worth a visit. For those who like aerodynamic cars, and like the look of fancy cars, go along as well. They have on display a Tatra T87 saloon car. A Czechoslovakian car, which had a teardrop type styling and is very impressive in the way it looks.
Tatra T87
Worthwhile going, a very enjoyable show, and for those who are disabled, they can get in for free, if you show your disability card.
It costs £9 per person, and for the cost, we both thought it was well worth it. It certainly gave me new information I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware that the some of the origins of modernism came from the Russians after their revolution in 1917. I had thought it had primarily come through the Germans and other countries in the central/Western European area, though not the UK, which did surprise me.
V&A Modernism Exhibition
The stuff on show was really interesting, they had an engine from WO Bentley, who went on to create Bentley cars. They showed the first all fitted kitchen done in Germany, and it is so like what many aspire to today. I hadn’t realised that a lot of it came from the ideas of constructivists who felt that there was no need to have individual items, that the area the person was in, would be their space. Modernists were very much into standardising everything, dreaming of a new utopia. Most of it came after the first world war, up until the second world war.
For anyone living in London who enjoys history, and seeing items that to a large extent are still with us today, and how this all started, it is well worth a visit. For those who like aerodynamic cars, and like the look of fancy cars, go along as well. They have on display a Tatra T87 saloon car. A Czechoslovakian car, which had a teardrop type styling and is very impressive in the way it looks.
Tatra T87
Worthwhile going, a very enjoyable show, and for those who are disabled, they can get in for free, if you show your disability card.
Hostel – The Movie
I watched this the other night, and I have got to say what a complete and utter waste of my time. The movie was devoid of a plot, and with Tarantino lending his name to it, I thought it might be much better than it was.
The basic premise for the movie was that 3 lads are in Amsterdam and they want to get laid, they meet a bloke who suggests going to a place where they will get laid with extreme ease. This place is Slovakia. And from there it just descends from bad to worse and even worse.
It wasn’t even filmed in Slovakia, which is funny, given it was filmed in the Czech Republic, and as Slovakia is next door, and possibly cheaper to do the shots in, you would have thought they would get that right….
I have heard the Slovaks are extremely pissed at this movie, as it shows them in a light of being people who murder foreigners, only want to have sex with foreigners so that they can be killed, and are happy to have people disappear within the country.
Well, I can understand their point, but we English are always seen as the villain of the piece, so there we go, we English are always seen as the fools, never the heroes in movies anymore.
But all of this digresses from the point of the movie, well it doesn’t have a point, not something I would ever recommend someone to watch, and all the reviews saying plenty of blood and gore, well that is true, would have been nice if they pointed out it had no bloody plot. Maybe I am turning into one of those grumpy old men on the BBC2 show, where I expect something of the movie.
Ah well, not a movie to recommend and best to save your money and spend it on something much much better.
The basic premise for the movie was that 3 lads are in Amsterdam and they want to get laid, they meet a bloke who suggests going to a place where they will get laid with extreme ease. This place is Slovakia. And from there it just descends from bad to worse and even worse.
It wasn’t even filmed in Slovakia, which is funny, given it was filmed in the Czech Republic, and as Slovakia is next door, and possibly cheaper to do the shots in, you would have thought they would get that right….
I have heard the Slovaks are extremely pissed at this movie, as it shows them in a light of being people who murder foreigners, only want to have sex with foreigners so that they can be killed, and are happy to have people disappear within the country.
Well, I can understand their point, but we English are always seen as the villain of the piece, so there we go, we English are always seen as the fools, never the heroes in movies anymore.
But all of this digresses from the point of the movie, well it doesn’t have a point, not something I would ever recommend someone to watch, and all the reviews saying plenty of blood and gore, well that is true, would have been nice if they pointed out it had no bloody plot. Maybe I am turning into one of those grumpy old men on the BBC2 show, where I expect something of the movie.
Ah well, not a movie to recommend and best to save your money and spend it on something much much better.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Depeche Mode @ Wembley 2nd April 2006
Well I have to say, this was really good.
At first I was concerned, the support band in my view were useless, didn't think much of The Bravery to be honest, and the sound system sounded awful when they were playing, no idea why, but it did. Thankfully it did get better, but Wembley in their eyes obviously think that those further back than midway aren't interested in hearing so much as those upfront.
Depeche Mode put on a fantastic show, Dave as ever, the showman at the front of the band, and opening with the first two tracks of Playing the Angel album, was great start. The stage looked great, very good idea with the screens behind showing what was going on the stage, as well as playing clips of other things too.
Martin got to do more singing than normal, and sung some great songs, it seems they are agreeing to have more time with them sharing roles much more now. He came on wearing black wings attached to his back, and feathered hat, quite a look.....
Depeche Mode opened the Arena basically, as they are the first band since the refurbishment, and they did such a great job. I actually felt quite young for once, Z felt even younger, the majority of the fans were as old as Depeche Mode themselves. Suprisingly it wasn't sold out, which I didn't expect.
They played a lot of the classics - Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Just Can't get enough, the full setlist is here
SetList from the night
Very glad I went, Z got to see them for the first time, she prefered the older stuff to the newer stuff, I think for her everything after Violater isn't her taste, which is fine, me, I just enjoyed the whole show, and the whole visuals was so well done.
Here are pictures from the tour, but not Wembley but pretty much similar to what I saw last night
Overall, a really good night, so anyone going tonight can expect to really enjoy themselves, and any Mode fans who are going will enjoy the setlist.
At first I was concerned, the support band in my view were useless, didn't think much of The Bravery to be honest, and the sound system sounded awful when they were playing, no idea why, but it did. Thankfully it did get better, but Wembley in their eyes obviously think that those further back than midway aren't interested in hearing so much as those upfront.
Depeche Mode put on a fantastic show, Dave as ever, the showman at the front of the band, and opening with the first two tracks of Playing the Angel album, was great start. The stage looked great, very good idea with the screens behind showing what was going on the stage, as well as playing clips of other things too.
Martin got to do more singing than normal, and sung some great songs, it seems they are agreeing to have more time with them sharing roles much more now. He came on wearing black wings attached to his back, and feathered hat, quite a look.....
Depeche Mode opened the Arena basically, as they are the first band since the refurbishment, and they did such a great job. I actually felt quite young for once, Z felt even younger, the majority of the fans were as old as Depeche Mode themselves. Suprisingly it wasn't sold out, which I didn't expect.
They played a lot of the classics - Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Just Can't get enough, the full setlist is here
SetList from the night
Very glad I went, Z got to see them for the first time, she prefered the older stuff to the newer stuff, I think for her everything after Violater isn't her taste, which is fine, me, I just enjoyed the whole show, and the whole visuals was so well done.
Here are pictures from the tour, but not Wembley but pretty much similar to what I saw last night
Overall, a really good night, so anyone going tonight can expect to really enjoy themselves, and any Mode fans who are going will enjoy the setlist.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Ice Age 2- The Meltdown
In the simplest description, this is a must see movie for all those who enjoy comedy and enjoy animation.
We saw this last night, and were laughing so much, it is much more a comedy than the first one, this one has so much more going for it, and I am so glad we saw it.
You get to see more of the squirrel as well, and you can't not watch it without just laughing at the way the little animal goes for the acorn and tries all manner of things to get it.
I enjoy animation most times, they although generally aimed at children so they say, there is enough in there to keep most adults more than happy.
I would strongly recommend seeing it, and I know it gave me and Z a good night out, with plenty of laughs to be had.
We saw this last night, and were laughing so much, it is much more a comedy than the first one, this one has so much more going for it, and I am so glad we saw it.
You get to see more of the squirrel as well, and you can't not watch it without just laughing at the way the little animal goes for the acorn and tries all manner of things to get it.
I enjoy animation most times, they although generally aimed at children so they say, there is enough in there to keep most adults more than happy.
I would strongly recommend seeing it, and I know it gave me and Z a good night out, with plenty of laughs to be had.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Depeche Mode are in London this weekend
One of my favourite bands is in town
This weekend Depeche Mode are in town playing at Wembley Arena, I was lucky enough to get tickets when they went on sale last year, and they will be opening to a rebuilt and refurbished Wembley Arena, so I am hopeful that they are going to put on a great show which won’t be ruined by the arena, as it has been in the past. The arena had to remove banks of speakers in the past due to complaints by locals, which always amazed me given that the arena has been there for as long as I can remember and I am in my 30s, so what did they expect, and literally next door to the Stadium, well will be when it is finished…..
I am looking forward to the concert, it should be a really good one, 25 years now Depeche Mode have been going and this last album has some good tracks, and each listen is always something different coming to the fore. They are also a fantastic concert band, they really do a great job of playing live and giving a great performance, so one to look forward to. I just wish the tube didn’t have engineering works on at the same time making travel more awkward, well organized that was…
Anyone that is going, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I expect to
This weekend Depeche Mode are in town playing at Wembley Arena, I was lucky enough to get tickets when they went on sale last year, and they will be opening to a rebuilt and refurbished Wembley Arena, so I am hopeful that they are going to put on a great show which won’t be ruined by the arena, as it has been in the past. The arena had to remove banks of speakers in the past due to complaints by locals, which always amazed me given that the arena has been there for as long as I can remember and I am in my 30s, so what did they expect, and literally next door to the Stadium, well will be when it is finished…..
I am looking forward to the concert, it should be a really good one, 25 years now Depeche Mode have been going and this last album has some good tracks, and each listen is always something different coming to the fore. They are also a fantastic concert band, they really do a great job of playing live and giving a great performance, so one to look forward to. I just wish the tube didn’t have engineering works on at the same time making travel more awkward, well organized that was…
Anyone that is going, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I expect to
Budget response by me
I am not political in any sense, well not attached to a party that is for sure
This budget has actually left me worse off, fantastic, those who suffer are single people who earn what might be termed as a reasonable amount, well in London it is far from reasonable, but that is another issue.
Budget impact breakdown
Has The Budget Made You Richer? – Not in my case!!!
From this I would like to know how it is that the “middle class” is yet again burdening the pain of increased tax, whilst those who are just a little better off, whether by their own means or not, are not shouldering an equal amount of pain. This budget had nothing in it to ensure that things can get better, the health service was left to flounder, which under recent headlines is going to continue in ever increasing fashion and which for people like myself is scary reading. The NHS should be there as preventative medicine, ensuring that people don’t fall ill where possible, or if they do, ensure it is caught early on, so that people suffer less and thus by suffering less you actually make the NHS cheaper to run, a novel idea I must admit, but one that has plenty of validity.
This article here shows more about the NHS and the problems - Regaining values of the NHS
But back to the budget, this budget was one of so many missed opportunities, nothing on health, nothing on transport, more on education, just ideals, nothing concrete, and why does it cost so much more to educate in the public sector than it does in the private sector which pays it staff considerably more than the public sector? Conundrum, I believe that will never be solved.
This budget has actually left me worse off, fantastic, those who suffer are single people who earn what might be termed as a reasonable amount, well in London it is far from reasonable, but that is another issue.
Budget impact breakdown
Has The Budget Made You Richer? – Not in my case!!!
From this I would like to know how it is that the “middle class” is yet again burdening the pain of increased tax, whilst those who are just a little better off, whether by their own means or not, are not shouldering an equal amount of pain. This budget had nothing in it to ensure that things can get better, the health service was left to flounder, which under recent headlines is going to continue in ever increasing fashion and which for people like myself is scary reading. The NHS should be there as preventative medicine, ensuring that people don’t fall ill where possible, or if they do, ensure it is caught early on, so that people suffer less and thus by suffering less you actually make the NHS cheaper to run, a novel idea I must admit, but one that has plenty of validity.
This article here shows more about the NHS and the problems - Regaining values of the NHS
But back to the budget, this budget was one of so many missed opportunities, nothing on health, nothing on transport, more on education, just ideals, nothing concrete, and why does it cost so much more to educate in the public sector than it does in the private sector which pays it staff considerably more than the public sector? Conundrum, I believe that will never be solved.
Drivers in London, why so many traffic jams.
I think I finally figured out why there are so many traffic jams for drivers especially on the main days of the working week. It is because there are so many moronic drivers out there. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not anti car, I am just anti-morons!!
To give a simple example – To and from my workplace which I travel each and every working day of the week, I take the tube to west London, and then a bus for the final part of the journey, this bus only has to travel about a distance which in walking takes about 20 minutes or so, so give or take a mile or so.
But the smart drivers of London ensure that a journey that should take at most maybe 5 minutes or there about, takes 2 or 3 times as long simply because they don’t understand the highway code, and thus cause major traffic jams and wonder why they get nowhere, because so many others behave as they do.
In this country a box at a junction means you can’t enter unless you can exit that box, quite simple thing to know and quite simple to remember as well. Well so you would think, uh uh, not so it seems, there are so many drivers who drive through west London, towards the hanger lane, whom drive across the junction and yet seem unable to see the box junction clearly marked beneath them and then wonder why there is no flowing of traffic at all, because all their fellow drivers behave in the same fashion meaning that when the lights go from red to green those with the green light, can’t move because of moronic drivers.
I am stunned at just how few people understand even the basics of highway law, but then I am also one of those people who wouldn’t drive whilst talking on a mobile phone which is illegal and carries the penalty of a fine in this country, but most people seem happy to take the risk of the fine, which clearly means the fine isn’t high enough. So maybe the fine should be more intune with the dangers that come with driving whilst talking on a mobile phone in your hands. It is very easy to not be paying attention to the road and kill someone when you are driving along with a mobile phone in your hand and be having a conversation with someone. So if the fine was more intune with the fact it was dangerous driving and grounds of driving without due care and attention, maybe more people would not use their phones whilst driving.
As I say I am not anti-car, just anti-morons, and the sooner some of them are removed from the gene pool the better this world will get.
To give a simple example – To and from my workplace which I travel each and every working day of the week, I take the tube to west London, and then a bus for the final part of the journey, this bus only has to travel about a distance which in walking takes about 20 minutes or so, so give or take a mile or so.
But the smart drivers of London ensure that a journey that should take at most maybe 5 minutes or there about, takes 2 or 3 times as long simply because they don’t understand the highway code, and thus cause major traffic jams and wonder why they get nowhere, because so many others behave as they do.
In this country a box at a junction means you can’t enter unless you can exit that box, quite simple thing to know and quite simple to remember as well. Well so you would think, uh uh, not so it seems, there are so many drivers who drive through west London, towards the hanger lane, whom drive across the junction and yet seem unable to see the box junction clearly marked beneath them and then wonder why there is no flowing of traffic at all, because all their fellow drivers behave in the same fashion meaning that when the lights go from red to green those with the green light, can’t move because of moronic drivers.
I am stunned at just how few people understand even the basics of highway law, but then I am also one of those people who wouldn’t drive whilst talking on a mobile phone which is illegal and carries the penalty of a fine in this country, but most people seem happy to take the risk of the fine, which clearly means the fine isn’t high enough. So maybe the fine should be more intune with the dangers that come with driving whilst talking on a mobile phone in your hands. It is very easy to not be paying attention to the road and kill someone when you are driving along with a mobile phone in your hand and be having a conversation with someone. So if the fine was more intune with the fact it was dangerous driving and grounds of driving without due care and attention, maybe more people would not use their phones whilst driving.
As I say I am not anti-car, just anti-morons, and the sooner some of them are removed from the gene pool the better this world will get.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Water Shortage
As anyone who will tell you who has been living in London the past week, we have been seeing headlines of water shortage, hosepipe and sprinkler ban to come into effect, as well as compulsory water metering
Homes forced to get water meters
Q&A: Compulsory water meters
Now this really gets my back up a great great deal. I am not too concerned with the idea of hosepipe ban and a sprinkler ban; I think personally most can get by without having to use a hosepipe or sprinkler. What upsets me the most is the idea that a water company is allowed to force people to have water meters. This is absurd, seriously absurd.
When the privatisation of water was done back in the 80s under Thatcher, it was done with the intention that they would bring the water supply up to scratch, ensure that there was reduced number of leaks and proper investment. What a surprise, none of that happened, shucks, I should have seen that one coming. Here we are a public need, i.e. water, and it was sold to private investors, whom were asked, stress the word asked to bring the aging system up to scratch. Well the best part of 20 years later, and no progress has been made, in fact, in many areas, things are actually worse than when the privatisation occurred.
So for a company to ask for compulsory water metering is a laugh, and the fact they were granted it as well, shows just how bad things are. For instance Thames Water loses about 33% of its water each and every day through it leaking water system. 33%, that is absurd amount of water, and they want us to take better care with water. Fine I can understand the consumer taking more care, but to suggest that the consumer is the real source of the problem misses the bigger picture. If lets say on the conservative side that Thames Water pumps 1 billion litres of water through the system each day, which I understand is about right, then you are losing 333 million litres of water each day through leaks. You would think the business model for that would say that is a serious problem, a very serious problem. Nope, that one goes over their heads.
If you want to fix the problem of water shortage, here are some of the solutions.
1) Fix the bloody leaks, the figures are higher now than when privatisation took place, so until they fix the water leaks to below 10% then they aren’t allowed to raise prices, demand compulsory water metering or anything, simple, easy to do and enforce, and in the south east a big big issue, with low levels of rainfall in the past couple of years.
2) Take a leaf out the New York water board books. When they in the past had a problem with needing to build a new reservoir, because of high demand. They were forced to look at other solutions. Guess what they did, they ensured that all the toilets in the houses for that area were low flush loos. And guess what happened, my oh my, shock of horror, they found they didn’t need the reservoir, because there wasn’t enough need for it, as the water they saved from installing low flush loos meant enough water to go around. What has been the water companies response to a similar situation here, oh put in a toilet hippo, as if that will do anything. If they ensure that the toilets are low flush then that firstly helps a lot, and secondly if they were to use recycled water, say from washing machine or washing dishes, then it is well used water. Heck many countries in Europe do the same thing, can’t see that being a problem, so why are we so reluctant in this country.
3) Stop the government from forcing more people into London and South East, and stop the idea of building so many homes in the Thames Gateway when it simply can’t cope already, and the homes that are to be built are on low lying flood plains. Umm, did I miss a geography lesson there, if you build on the flood plains, you are inviting trouble, simple as. The government should not being building so many properties in London, shouldn’t be building high rise blocks, also shouldn’t be squeezing more and more people onto an ever smaller piece of land. Where I am in London, there is a proposal to build a 19 storey high block of apartments/flats, whatever you want to call them, and there is no need for them, homes are constantly being split into ever smaller and smaller dwellings which means that more and more people using fewer and fewer resources. And what a surprise, this government is intent of killing the golden goose called London.
4) Educate people on how to use water properly, stop them running taps whilst brushing their teeth, encourage showers, help people to setup water recycling in the their homes, encourage people to wash their clothes on full loads, to reuse the water they have, boil less water in a kettle, etc. I mean this is simple ideas, which when enacted should do something
When these ideas have been exhausted, then consider doing something like a water meter, but I can bet money, that you won’t need to, because these ideas above will save a lot of water, and suddenly we will find we have excess instead of not enough.
It is like the brains of the government were stolen, nope that is being too kind, they never had any in the first place, and people like the environment minister simply can’t see the bigger picture.
Please bang together the heads of the government, the water companies with a wall called common sense, when that is done, come back to me, I will be more than happy to oblige.
Homes forced to get water meters
Q&A: Compulsory water meters
Now this really gets my back up a great great deal. I am not too concerned with the idea of hosepipe ban and a sprinkler ban; I think personally most can get by without having to use a hosepipe or sprinkler. What upsets me the most is the idea that a water company is allowed to force people to have water meters. This is absurd, seriously absurd.
When the privatisation of water was done back in the 80s under Thatcher, it was done with the intention that they would bring the water supply up to scratch, ensure that there was reduced number of leaks and proper investment. What a surprise, none of that happened, shucks, I should have seen that one coming. Here we are a public need, i.e. water, and it was sold to private investors, whom were asked, stress the word asked to bring the aging system up to scratch. Well the best part of 20 years later, and no progress has been made, in fact, in many areas, things are actually worse than when the privatisation occurred.
So for a company to ask for compulsory water metering is a laugh, and the fact they were granted it as well, shows just how bad things are. For instance Thames Water loses about 33% of its water each and every day through it leaking water system. 33%, that is absurd amount of water, and they want us to take better care with water. Fine I can understand the consumer taking more care, but to suggest that the consumer is the real source of the problem misses the bigger picture. If lets say on the conservative side that Thames Water pumps 1 billion litres of water through the system each day, which I understand is about right, then you are losing 333 million litres of water each day through leaks. You would think the business model for that would say that is a serious problem, a very serious problem. Nope, that one goes over their heads.
If you want to fix the problem of water shortage, here are some of the solutions.
1) Fix the bloody leaks, the figures are higher now than when privatisation took place, so until they fix the water leaks to below 10% then they aren’t allowed to raise prices, demand compulsory water metering or anything, simple, easy to do and enforce, and in the south east a big big issue, with low levels of rainfall in the past couple of years.
2) Take a leaf out the New York water board books. When they in the past had a problem with needing to build a new reservoir, because of high demand. They were forced to look at other solutions. Guess what they did, they ensured that all the toilets in the houses for that area were low flush loos. And guess what happened, my oh my, shock of horror, they found they didn’t need the reservoir, because there wasn’t enough need for it, as the water they saved from installing low flush loos meant enough water to go around. What has been the water companies response to a similar situation here, oh put in a toilet hippo, as if that will do anything. If they ensure that the toilets are low flush then that firstly helps a lot, and secondly if they were to use recycled water, say from washing machine or washing dishes, then it is well used water. Heck many countries in Europe do the same thing, can’t see that being a problem, so why are we so reluctant in this country.
3) Stop the government from forcing more people into London and South East, and stop the idea of building so many homes in the Thames Gateway when it simply can’t cope already, and the homes that are to be built are on low lying flood plains. Umm, did I miss a geography lesson there, if you build on the flood plains, you are inviting trouble, simple as. The government should not being building so many properties in London, shouldn’t be building high rise blocks, also shouldn’t be squeezing more and more people onto an ever smaller piece of land. Where I am in London, there is a proposal to build a 19 storey high block of apartments/flats, whatever you want to call them, and there is no need for them, homes are constantly being split into ever smaller and smaller dwellings which means that more and more people using fewer and fewer resources. And what a surprise, this government is intent of killing the golden goose called London.
4) Educate people on how to use water properly, stop them running taps whilst brushing their teeth, encourage showers, help people to setup water recycling in the their homes, encourage people to wash their clothes on full loads, to reuse the water they have, boil less water in a kettle, etc. I mean this is simple ideas, which when enacted should do something
When these ideas have been exhausted, then consider doing something like a water meter, but I can bet money, that you won’t need to, because these ideas above will save a lot of water, and suddenly we will find we have excess instead of not enough.
It is like the brains of the government were stolen, nope that is being too kind, they never had any in the first place, and people like the environment minister simply can’t see the bigger picture.
Please bang together the heads of the government, the water companies with a wall called common sense, when that is done, come back to me, I will be more than happy to oblige.
Travelling bug
No I haven’t caught a bug whilst travelling, rather that I seem to have a bug for travelling. Like many people these days, I do like the idea of going to experience an area in small doses and take in what is special about that area.
This year I have already been to Slovakia, I am also intending a lot of travel in the coming months, much more than I have done in a while, and it struck me as to wonder why I seem to have a wunderlust, and why it has been stoked up so much in recent times.
My family is certainly a family that has historically been spread wide and far, and always tended to marry people from other nations, my own parents are English and American, and their own parents, at least one was a foreigner to these shores, even close members of my immediate family are currently abroad as well. So I do think that has had some bearing on the situation. I also with thought realised that being with Z has meant it has come back to the fore as well. With Z being Slovakian, and also having a lust for travelling, heck she wanted to be a stewardess too, travel has become high on our list for the coming future.
This year, we already did Slovakia, we will also be off to Paris come May, going to be going to Slovakia again in June, plus Krakow in Poland, Budapest in Hungary, Bratislava in Slovakia, Vienna in Austria, Prague in Czech Republic, Belfast in Northern Ireland, and we did also consider other places depending on finances of course.
If by chance anyone reading this has been the above places and can recommend places to see or eat, etc in the above, please leave a message, other people’s recommendations are appreciated and help a lot.
Next year – 2007 will be a big one, we already have it in the planning stages, and intend to visit Malaysia for 3 weeks, and might well visit other neighbouring places as well whilst there. Thankfully with family out there, it helps all the while, and it should be good to see members of the family for the first time in a while.
It is funny mind, that living in London, you would think I would do so much of what is on my own doorstep, but despite living here all my life, and being someone who on the one hand sells London as a place to visit and see, I also find it lacking in many ways too, but there is so much of this city I have yet to experience and I really need to do so, especially as it is on my doorstep. Maybe I need to take a tourist view of London and then I will find more of the place to discover. London is bursting with so much in it, it seems daft to let it all just go to waste, though with the current problems of the tube and that the next 3-5 years will be ruined by constant engineering works which always seem to overrun, one has to temper the desire to go around the city with the practicalities of living in the ‘burbs
This year I have already been to Slovakia, I am also intending a lot of travel in the coming months, much more than I have done in a while, and it struck me as to wonder why I seem to have a wunderlust, and why it has been stoked up so much in recent times.
My family is certainly a family that has historically been spread wide and far, and always tended to marry people from other nations, my own parents are English and American, and their own parents, at least one was a foreigner to these shores, even close members of my immediate family are currently abroad as well. So I do think that has had some bearing on the situation. I also with thought realised that being with Z has meant it has come back to the fore as well. With Z being Slovakian, and also having a lust for travelling, heck she wanted to be a stewardess too, travel has become high on our list for the coming future.
This year, we already did Slovakia, we will also be off to Paris come May, going to be going to Slovakia again in June, plus Krakow in Poland, Budapest in Hungary, Bratislava in Slovakia, Vienna in Austria, Prague in Czech Republic, Belfast in Northern Ireland, and we did also consider other places depending on finances of course.
If by chance anyone reading this has been the above places and can recommend places to see or eat, etc in the above, please leave a message, other people’s recommendations are appreciated and help a lot.
Next year – 2007 will be a big one, we already have it in the planning stages, and intend to visit Malaysia for 3 weeks, and might well visit other neighbouring places as well whilst there. Thankfully with family out there, it helps all the while, and it should be good to see members of the family for the first time in a while.
It is funny mind, that living in London, you would think I would do so much of what is on my own doorstep, but despite living here all my life, and being someone who on the one hand sells London as a place to visit and see, I also find it lacking in many ways too, but there is so much of this city I have yet to experience and I really need to do so, especially as it is on my doorstep. Maybe I need to take a tourist view of London and then I will find more of the place to discover. London is bursting with so much in it, it seems daft to let it all just go to waste, though with the current problems of the tube and that the next 3-5 years will be ruined by constant engineering works which always seem to overrun, one has to temper the desire to go around the city with the practicalities of living in the ‘burbs
Good behaviour for teens
Paying Teenagers for good behaviour
I read this headline on the BBC website the other day and I sat there in disbelief. The MP called Gordon Brown, the so called leader in waiting of the Labour party is actually suggesting to reward teenagers for good behaviour.
What the f**k!!!, rewarding teenagers for behaviour that you would expect out of them. Well thank you Gordon for wanting to give these kids my hard earned cash into their hands to spend as they wish, when they should be behaving anyway.
If you were to say that you were going to ensure that there were more activities for them to do, places to go, places to hang out instead of the street corner, then maybe I would be more willing to accept it.
These kids these days are bribed so much. This announcement goes along with the fact they pay children above the age of 16 to stay in education. They are paid £50 a week to encourage them to study more, whereas the incentive should be to show them what they can achieve with a better education instead of bribing them, what makes this bribing all for nought is when you decide to charge them for university, and will make many of those you just spent £50 a week bribing to keep them off the unemployment figures will then either work, or sit doing nothing.
This scheme doesn’t do anything to encourage teenagers to be well behaved, especially if nothing is there to back it up. I can see this be another hair brained scheme thought of by someone who really doesn’t understand a single thing about teenagers, and actually ensuring that they are listened and respected, which is what most teenagers want.
What also might be a good idea is to ensure the parents teach their children how to behave. If you look through all the hot air around this, it is focusing mainly on the chavs of this world, whom many would say are nothing but a waste of space. I won’t get into my personal view, although the idea of chav hunting instead of fox hunting doesn’t seem such a bad idea……..
I read this headline on the BBC website the other day and I sat there in disbelief. The MP called Gordon Brown, the so called leader in waiting of the Labour party is actually suggesting to reward teenagers for good behaviour.
What the f**k!!!, rewarding teenagers for behaviour that you would expect out of them. Well thank you Gordon for wanting to give these kids my hard earned cash into their hands to spend as they wish, when they should be behaving anyway.
If you were to say that you were going to ensure that there were more activities for them to do, places to go, places to hang out instead of the street corner, then maybe I would be more willing to accept it.
These kids these days are bribed so much. This announcement goes along with the fact they pay children above the age of 16 to stay in education. They are paid £50 a week to encourage them to study more, whereas the incentive should be to show them what they can achieve with a better education instead of bribing them, what makes this bribing all for nought is when you decide to charge them for university, and will make many of those you just spent £50 a week bribing to keep them off the unemployment figures will then either work, or sit doing nothing.
This scheme doesn’t do anything to encourage teenagers to be well behaved, especially if nothing is there to back it up. I can see this be another hair brained scheme thought of by someone who really doesn’t understand a single thing about teenagers, and actually ensuring that they are listened and respected, which is what most teenagers want.
What also might be a good idea is to ensure the parents teach their children how to behave. If you look through all the hot air around this, it is focusing mainly on the chavs of this world, whom many would say are nothing but a waste of space. I won’t get into my personal view, although the idea of chav hunting instead of fox hunting doesn’t seem such a bad idea……..
Friday, February 24, 2006
London suffers again
The other day there was a report that the RMT want a deal so that they don't strike over the period that the Olympic games are on.
They want more money for the period the games are on, they want an increase in the amount of money their drivers will earn per hour just for when the games are on.
Are these people serious, what the fuck are they smoking at the RMT
Their members are paid to turn up to work no matter what the situation, I along with so many other people in London won't get a special Olympic bonus, so what gives, it is basically trying to blackmail London Underground to screw them out of more money.
Surely this has to be illegal, this is the union stating quite clearly that if they don't get a special bonus their staff won't work
As you can see from the link, I am not the only one who thinks this is a farce...
RMT Union wants Olympic strike deal
They want more money for the period the games are on, they want an increase in the amount of money their drivers will earn per hour just for when the games are on.
Are these people serious, what the fuck are they smoking at the RMT
Their members are paid to turn up to work no matter what the situation, I along with so many other people in London won't get a special Olympic bonus, so what gives, it is basically trying to blackmail London Underground to screw them out of more money.
Surely this has to be illegal, this is the union stating quite clearly that if they don't get a special bonus their staff won't work
As you can see from the link, I am not the only one who thinks this is a farce...
RMT Union wants Olympic strike deal
33
What is it?
It is a number for sure, but today it signifies more, it is the age I am now, another year has gone by another notch on the body has been added and I am now 33, never to be 32 again.
A lot has happened this past year that has gone by since I became 33. This time last year I was unemployed, I was without a partner, I was just beginning my second year of my OU and struggling. I didn’t even feel inclined to go out and celebrate my birthday because I felt there was little or nothing to celebrate.
Now, a year later, I have been working for nearly 9 months now in a job that holds a lot of promise for the future especially in extending my career. I am living with my partner now for the past 6 months and looking ever forward to more time together as we will go away this year to Paris (my anniversary/valentines present to her), trip around Eastern Europe for two weeks, visit a friend in Belfast as well. Also I am now in my third of four years on my OU course, finding it hard work, but when was level 3 of a degree ever going to be easy!!!
I have a lot more to look forward to, out tonight with Z and a dear friend of mine and his partner as well, a nice evening to look forward to, something which I certainly didn’t expect and certainly couldn’t have foreseen to happen previously.
There are those who aren’t around to celebrate which is a shame, it would be nice to have them around and join in the evening of what will be laughter, fun, etc.
Things are much more settled, more planned than for a long time, a lot of that comes down to Z, and the hope she gives me. I still have my moments where things get too difficult, but Z has really become a great rock in my life, and I try everyday to make sure she knows it.
It is a number for sure, but today it signifies more, it is the age I am now, another year has gone by another notch on the body has been added and I am now 33, never to be 32 again.
A lot has happened this past year that has gone by since I became 33. This time last year I was unemployed, I was without a partner, I was just beginning my second year of my OU and struggling. I didn’t even feel inclined to go out and celebrate my birthday because I felt there was little or nothing to celebrate.
Now, a year later, I have been working for nearly 9 months now in a job that holds a lot of promise for the future especially in extending my career. I am living with my partner now for the past 6 months and looking ever forward to more time together as we will go away this year to Paris (my anniversary/valentines present to her), trip around Eastern Europe for two weeks, visit a friend in Belfast as well. Also I am now in my third of four years on my OU course, finding it hard work, but when was level 3 of a degree ever going to be easy!!!
I have a lot more to look forward to, out tonight with Z and a dear friend of mine and his partner as well, a nice evening to look forward to, something which I certainly didn’t expect and certainly couldn’t have foreseen to happen previously.
There are those who aren’t around to celebrate which is a shame, it would be nice to have them around and join in the evening of what will be laughter, fun, etc.
Things are much more settled, more planned than for a long time, a lot of that comes down to Z, and the hope she gives me. I still have my moments where things get too difficult, but Z has really become a great rock in my life, and I try everyday to make sure she knows it.
Smoking ban at last!!!
Late to report it, I know….
At last the government has seen common sense and is to ban smoking in public places. It was great to know that MPs that don’t reside in England ensured that we English aren’t the poor cousins of the rest of the UK.
I do have a few concerns mind, firstly when are we going to stop MPs who are not from England have a say in matters that are specific to the English, the likes of John Reid, Gordon Brown, etc dictating that we couldn’t have a smoking ban in England, but their own constituents were to have a smoking ban in public. This is a serious anomaly with the UK government which has come about because of the screw up with devolution; the sooner it is fixed the better.
I do wonder why we have to wait until summer 2007 for the smoking ban to come into effect, why so long, how hard is it to ensure it starts this summer, I mean it isn’t like new equipment has to be bought, new training to undertake, and it is just enforcing a law which doesn’t take a lot to do. A golden missed opportunity here.
Lastly, I am very concerned as to how they will enforce this rule, I say this because for almost the last 20 years on the tube, there has been a no smoking policy, but I daily see it broken, I see people who think it is perfectly fine to smoke and get away with it, because no one can do anything about, these people even stand next to a no smoking sign as well, as almost an extra defiance to the rules. A lot of these people probably don’t recall Kings Cross fire, and what was deemed to have started it. What I think causes confusion for a lot of people is that smoking on the old British rail stations isn’t banned, or if it is, it is broken even more than on the tube.
I just hope this means that next summer I can go to a bar and not come home smelling of smoke, mean I can be out for longer without suffering the stinging in my eyes of the smoke and the feeling of needing to retch at the sheer haze of smoke that occupies some bars and pubs, and allow me to eat my food without having someone light up whilst I am eating like last weekend when I took Z out for her birthday celebration.
At last the government has seen common sense and is to ban smoking in public places. It was great to know that MPs that don’t reside in England ensured that we English aren’t the poor cousins of the rest of the UK.
I do have a few concerns mind, firstly when are we going to stop MPs who are not from England have a say in matters that are specific to the English, the likes of John Reid, Gordon Brown, etc dictating that we couldn’t have a smoking ban in England, but their own constituents were to have a smoking ban in public. This is a serious anomaly with the UK government which has come about because of the screw up with devolution; the sooner it is fixed the better.
I do wonder why we have to wait until summer 2007 for the smoking ban to come into effect, why so long, how hard is it to ensure it starts this summer, I mean it isn’t like new equipment has to be bought, new training to undertake, and it is just enforcing a law which doesn’t take a lot to do. A golden missed opportunity here.
Lastly, I am very concerned as to how they will enforce this rule, I say this because for almost the last 20 years on the tube, there has been a no smoking policy, but I daily see it broken, I see people who think it is perfectly fine to smoke and get away with it, because no one can do anything about, these people even stand next to a no smoking sign as well, as almost an extra defiance to the rules. A lot of these people probably don’t recall Kings Cross fire, and what was deemed to have started it. What I think causes confusion for a lot of people is that smoking on the old British rail stations isn’t banned, or if it is, it is broken even more than on the tube.
I just hope this means that next summer I can go to a bar and not come home smelling of smoke, mean I can be out for longer without suffering the stinging in my eyes of the smoke and the feeling of needing to retch at the sheer haze of smoke that occupies some bars and pubs, and allow me to eat my food without having someone light up whilst I am eating like last weekend when I took Z out for her birthday celebration.
Devolution for England
In all of the devolution debates that have gone on, the Scottish, the Welsh, the Northern Irish have all been given their own local government which is perfectly fine, but in doing so what has happened is that those MPs who represent those areas are having a say in English matters, but English MPs can’t have a say in the other areas matters, a point in example is that all MPs have a say in the reforms of the English education system, but can the English MPs have a say in the Scottish education reform, can they hell. This devolution has been a one way process, where by the non-English MPs haven’t lost any of their power and can actually screw us English over and thus make our lives worse than their own constituents.
A further point with this, when London got its own local government in the Mayor we were told that we were to have much more power than we currently have. Why did that change, the simple answer would be, because Ken Livingstone won, the Labour Party didn’t want him to have power that they felt he would be able to use against them, so basically Londoners lost out because of this government wanting to remain in power and reward those north of the borders, west of the borders with more power and leave us English floundering against rules which others countries in the union don’t have to tell with, well thank you so very much Mr.Blair.
This is Mr.Blair’s take
Why English MPs are a lesser class of MP
Someone who is basically looking after his party’s fortunes rather than looking after this country.
A further point with this, when London got its own local government in the Mayor we were told that we were to have much more power than we currently have. Why did that change, the simple answer would be, because Ken Livingstone won, the Labour Party didn’t want him to have power that they felt he would be able to use against them, so basically Londoners lost out because of this government wanting to remain in power and reward those north of the borders, west of the borders with more power and leave us English floundering against rules which others countries in the union don’t have to tell with, well thank you so very much Mr.Blair.
This is Mr.Blair’s take
Why English MPs are a lesser class of MP
Someone who is basically looking after his party’s fortunes rather than looking after this country.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Adventure in Slovakia
For the past week, I have been having an adventure in Slovakia with my partner. I had made a decision some months back to agree to go and see her home town in Slovakia and also meet her family. It turned out to be quite a trip.
You know how you have thoughts that something might go wrong, well me and Z both talked about it before I left that something might go wrong and that instead of me arriving 3 hours before she does, I would arrive either at the same time or after her, well lo and behold I arrived 2 hours after she did, and not for the reasons we thought either. We both thought I would be delayed in Stansted for some reason like snow at the airport her or in Poprad. In the end it was down to a problem with the plane, which meant instead of landing at Poprad-Tatry, I was in Kosice which is a good 2 hours coach ride away, not exactly the star to the trip I had in mind.
I had to wake up at 4am on the Saturday, to ensure I was able to check in on time, especially as the tube decided it would be a good idea to have engineering works, thus extending the travel time, thankfully I got to Stansted in time, and we actually took off on time as well, which surprised me.
With the flight leaving at 9am, I thought yep, I will be there at 12.30 as expected, oh no, not this time. At 12pm, they told us on the flight that there was a problem at Poprad-Tatry airport, which I later found out was false, it was a problem with a compressor on the plane, which meant we weren’t able to land at Poprad-Tatry, but would be flying on to Kosice. I am guessing they don’t have the maintenance crews at Poprad, so that is why we flew on.
This left me obviously with concerns, cause I don’t speak any Slovak, except for the bare basics, to say hello and please, thank you, not much use when trying to find out what has to be done and where to go. So in my own style I asked the stewardess to explain the situation, just about got the gist that there was a problem at Poprad, but we would fly on to Kosice and then there would be a transfer, yikes, a transfer and they don’t generally speak English, so feeling a tad stuffed. I hadn’t a need to worry, my partners family had phoned the airline to say that I was on it and that they would need to make it very clear as to what needs to be done, because I am profoundly deaf, and don’t understand Slovak.
What was funny, was when the plane was to begin the descent, one of the stewardesses asked me to take out my hearing aids. She said I need to take them off, pointing to my ears, and I have gold ear moulds, I said I need them, she was you need to take them off, I was like, I have to wear them I can’t hear otherwise, it was only then it dawned on me, she thought they were headphones for a stereo, and explaining that they were hearing aids, she was so apologetic. Poor girl, she was so embarrassed, had no idea that they could be hearing aids. I never thought that would happen.
Well we land at Kosice and when they open the door, bearing in mind this is a single building airport, very small airport, looks like an ex-military base with the military planes there, they ask for me, which was really nice, that was when I found out they knew the situation.
Once I got through passport control which took all of what 2 seconds, as it is so small, and the baggage carousel was right next to it as well as the exit for the airport, basically an enlarged shed. I had to figure out what to do, where to go, how long to wait, etc. Trying to converse with some of the staff was a waste of time, they enjoyed laughing at me trying to work out the situation, they didn’t really speak English and I didn’t Slovak, not a good thing, thankfully I found the right person, and they ensured I got the coach which took nearly 3 hours to turn up.
The coach journey gave me a view of Slovakia I never expected to experience whilst there. All the way through the countryside, through villages, towns, etc and then eventually 5 hours later or so than expected I arrived at Poprad-Tatry, hoping that Z would be there, no such luck, I was feeling so tired and dejected, I had been up for 12 hours plus travelling, not feeling too great. Thankfully Z and her parents turned up about 5/10 minutes later so it wasn’t too bad, but I was just dead on my feet from that, and I was thinking mmm, please tell me the rest of the week will be a little more relaxing.
That first night I had proper Slovak food – sauerkraut, with soup, not bad, it was quite nice, a little salty, but Slovak food tends to be saltier than I am certainly used to. I also met her sister and family as well that night. Trying to understand what they were saying was difficult, because I don’t understand the language and Z had to do a lot of translation between me and her family, though we did try hard all of us to find a way to get some of it across.
Poprad is a nice place, a slower pace of life than London, and more snow than I can ever remember seeing in all of my life in London. The last time I think I saw that much snow was when I was 6 or 7 years old, that is over 25 years ago, so you can imagine how I saw it. It was cold as well, and typically I didn’t prepare well enough for the cold and the snow, just my luck.
The first day we were there, we did a lot of walking around, with Z showing me parts of the town, I managed to land on my behind at least 2/3 times, of course wearing the wrong shoes for the environment, thankfully though I had a good coat to keep me warm, even with it losing the feathers at a rate of knots, by the end of the week, I look like a chicken…. Being Slovakia they had a local ice rink and it was very good luck that the Sunday was the day it was partly open to the locals for a couple of hours. I explained to Z that I couldn’t really ice skate, not that she believed me, because I said I wasn’t really any good at badminton and she feels I am. It was only after landing on my butt for umpteenth time that she believed me. I certainly stood out, that is for sure, the locals know how to ice skate, Z could, and I was the foreigner who was all over the shop, getting knocked, pushed about by the locals, and I was like a mobile chicane, holding everyone up. By the end of 2 hours I was shattered, tired and a little sore from falling all over the place, as well as trying to figure out how to keep balance. I most definitely need more practice, not that there is that much chance in London with our weather.
As Z said at least I tried and by the end I didn’t fall quite as often as at the beginning and I was getting somewhere, but nowhere near as good as Z.
The second day we decided to go to a place called Aquacity - Aquacity
We did the Vital package, 3 hours of relaxing, with steam rooms, saunas, snow cave - Aquacity Vital World
It was really nice to go, it cost 500sk each, which is about £10, might not sound a lot, but for the locals that is when the average wage is about 7000sk a month. Most of the people who were there, were from abroad – Poles, Russians, Czechs, Ukraine, etc. Sadly they lack decent manners, that is for sure. I am not one for saying bad about other nations, but they had no manners at all, lording it up and thinking they ran the place.
If you ever do find yourself in Poprad, you must go to Aquacity, I came out after the 3 hours feeling so light, and fresh, it was so fantastic, a much recommended place to visit. I couldn’t handle the snow cave, way too cold, but some could.
We also later in the week went to the High Tatras, with the intention of sledging; it was something that Z had done before when younger. We went to a place called Strbske Pleso. There were a lot of tourists there, many for snowboarding and many for skiing as well. It seems the runs that used to be useable for the sledging are no longer available as they are now ski runs instead, which was a big shame, as we had both hoped to have a good time up there sledging. It seems the area has given itself over to the ski and snowboard people and thus making money out of them for it. Fantastic views and you have to be careful of those who go very fast on their skis and boards.
There is also a lovely lake up there, and we thought we would go and have a look at it, a really breathtaking view, but the lake was covered in snow, and deep snow too as we found as we crossed it. Neither of us expected it to be so deep and no matter how we tried to find the right part to cross, it was more a trek than a simple crossing. We were only up there a couple of hours, as we did all we could do. The train to take us up there was so modern and clean, not like the horrible things that we find on London underground.
We also went out another night to a proper Slovak restaurant, and the food was fantastic, I really enjoyed it. The restaurant we went to had pictures of ice hockey stars, and there was an Ottawa senators game shirts, which I hadn’t expected to see. Ice hockey is big in Slovakia, very big, with plenty of snow and ice that shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was.
Another thing I found to be a surprise was the fact that there a quite a few tescos in Slovakia, hypermarket tescos, generally more expensive than the local supermarkets, but I go away from London and there is Tesco, and they have roller blading staff in there as well, such a neat idea, who knows why we don’t have in London, so much easier to get things. Probably fail here as people don’t know how to use roller blades that well here compared to them it seems.
What was a really nice thing was there was none of the big fast food chains in Poprad, I know they exist in other cities in Slovakia, but not in Poprad, they said no to them being there, and it is so nice not to see McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc in Poprad, so I got the chance to experience more of the real Slovakia, without the intrusion of the big fast food chains.
The locals are also quite friendly, none of the usual stuff you suffer in London, although though if you are crossing the road, you best find a way to not get killed, they don’t seem to understand pedestrian crossings and the traffic lights go green whilst you are part of the way across, they give you maybe 5 seconds at most to cross the road, and that isn’t even feasible for the likes of me and I am reasonably fit.
I got to enjoy the local food quite a few times, with Z’s parents and sister giving me food and plenty of it, they serve big portions, boy I felt bloated a number of times as well. I managed to lose weight though, which I always end up doing when travelling, no idea why, other than my stomach feels funny for days before it settles and then it isn’t too bad, but the food is really nice. I am hoping that Z is able to bring home some of recipes, some we can have some of the food here, as it was really nice.
My time there felt not long enough, it was cold enough, and I did a lot of walking, remembering to walk on ice patches carefully, and not something common here. I found her family to be very nice and despite the language barrier, we all tried to find some commonality that allowed us to try and communicate.
I am looking forward to the chance to see Poprad in the summer, as it is even nicer apparently and the views I saw were amazing, the mountains dwarfing the town, whilst it doesn’t seem anything special to them, for me it is an amazing landscape, one which sadly suffered a catastrophe the other year where they lost the majority of the pinewood forest that covered a large part of the mountain. It looks quite naked now, with so much of it gone - High Tatras catastrophe
It isn’t expensive to go to at the moment, though with Poprad growing very fast and more tourists turning up, I imagine sooner rather than later it will be a place that gets more and more expensive to visit. So go now rather than later, although it did help me a lot by having a local guide me around, helping with translations as well.
Poprad-Tatry
You know how you have thoughts that something might go wrong, well me and Z both talked about it before I left that something might go wrong and that instead of me arriving 3 hours before she does, I would arrive either at the same time or after her, well lo and behold I arrived 2 hours after she did, and not for the reasons we thought either. We both thought I would be delayed in Stansted for some reason like snow at the airport her or in Poprad. In the end it was down to a problem with the plane, which meant instead of landing at Poprad-Tatry, I was in Kosice which is a good 2 hours coach ride away, not exactly the star to the trip I had in mind.
I had to wake up at 4am on the Saturday, to ensure I was able to check in on time, especially as the tube decided it would be a good idea to have engineering works, thus extending the travel time, thankfully I got to Stansted in time, and we actually took off on time as well, which surprised me.
With the flight leaving at 9am, I thought yep, I will be there at 12.30 as expected, oh no, not this time. At 12pm, they told us on the flight that there was a problem at Poprad-Tatry airport, which I later found out was false, it was a problem with a compressor on the plane, which meant we weren’t able to land at Poprad-Tatry, but would be flying on to Kosice. I am guessing they don’t have the maintenance crews at Poprad, so that is why we flew on.
This left me obviously with concerns, cause I don’t speak any Slovak, except for the bare basics, to say hello and please, thank you, not much use when trying to find out what has to be done and where to go. So in my own style I asked the stewardess to explain the situation, just about got the gist that there was a problem at Poprad, but we would fly on to Kosice and then there would be a transfer, yikes, a transfer and they don’t generally speak English, so feeling a tad stuffed. I hadn’t a need to worry, my partners family had phoned the airline to say that I was on it and that they would need to make it very clear as to what needs to be done, because I am profoundly deaf, and don’t understand Slovak.
What was funny, was when the plane was to begin the descent, one of the stewardesses asked me to take out my hearing aids. She said I need to take them off, pointing to my ears, and I have gold ear moulds, I said I need them, she was you need to take them off, I was like, I have to wear them I can’t hear otherwise, it was only then it dawned on me, she thought they were headphones for a stereo, and explaining that they were hearing aids, she was so apologetic. Poor girl, she was so embarrassed, had no idea that they could be hearing aids. I never thought that would happen.
Well we land at Kosice and when they open the door, bearing in mind this is a single building airport, very small airport, looks like an ex-military base with the military planes there, they ask for me, which was really nice, that was when I found out they knew the situation.
Once I got through passport control which took all of what 2 seconds, as it is so small, and the baggage carousel was right next to it as well as the exit for the airport, basically an enlarged shed. I had to figure out what to do, where to go, how long to wait, etc. Trying to converse with some of the staff was a waste of time, they enjoyed laughing at me trying to work out the situation, they didn’t really speak English and I didn’t Slovak, not a good thing, thankfully I found the right person, and they ensured I got the coach which took nearly 3 hours to turn up.
The coach journey gave me a view of Slovakia I never expected to experience whilst there. All the way through the countryside, through villages, towns, etc and then eventually 5 hours later or so than expected I arrived at Poprad-Tatry, hoping that Z would be there, no such luck, I was feeling so tired and dejected, I had been up for 12 hours plus travelling, not feeling too great. Thankfully Z and her parents turned up about 5/10 minutes later so it wasn’t too bad, but I was just dead on my feet from that, and I was thinking mmm, please tell me the rest of the week will be a little more relaxing.
That first night I had proper Slovak food – sauerkraut, with soup, not bad, it was quite nice, a little salty, but Slovak food tends to be saltier than I am certainly used to. I also met her sister and family as well that night. Trying to understand what they were saying was difficult, because I don’t understand the language and Z had to do a lot of translation between me and her family, though we did try hard all of us to find a way to get some of it across.
Poprad is a nice place, a slower pace of life than London, and more snow than I can ever remember seeing in all of my life in London. The last time I think I saw that much snow was when I was 6 or 7 years old, that is over 25 years ago, so you can imagine how I saw it. It was cold as well, and typically I didn’t prepare well enough for the cold and the snow, just my luck.
The first day we were there, we did a lot of walking around, with Z showing me parts of the town, I managed to land on my behind at least 2/3 times, of course wearing the wrong shoes for the environment, thankfully though I had a good coat to keep me warm, even with it losing the feathers at a rate of knots, by the end of the week, I look like a chicken…. Being Slovakia they had a local ice rink and it was very good luck that the Sunday was the day it was partly open to the locals for a couple of hours. I explained to Z that I couldn’t really ice skate, not that she believed me, because I said I wasn’t really any good at badminton and she feels I am. It was only after landing on my butt for umpteenth time that she believed me. I certainly stood out, that is for sure, the locals know how to ice skate, Z could, and I was the foreigner who was all over the shop, getting knocked, pushed about by the locals, and I was like a mobile chicane, holding everyone up. By the end of 2 hours I was shattered, tired and a little sore from falling all over the place, as well as trying to figure out how to keep balance. I most definitely need more practice, not that there is that much chance in London with our weather.
As Z said at least I tried and by the end I didn’t fall quite as often as at the beginning and I was getting somewhere, but nowhere near as good as Z.
The second day we decided to go to a place called Aquacity - Aquacity
We did the Vital package, 3 hours of relaxing, with steam rooms, saunas, snow cave - Aquacity Vital World
It was really nice to go, it cost 500sk each, which is about £10, might not sound a lot, but for the locals that is when the average wage is about 7000sk a month. Most of the people who were there, were from abroad – Poles, Russians, Czechs, Ukraine, etc. Sadly they lack decent manners, that is for sure. I am not one for saying bad about other nations, but they had no manners at all, lording it up and thinking they ran the place.
If you ever do find yourself in Poprad, you must go to Aquacity, I came out after the 3 hours feeling so light, and fresh, it was so fantastic, a much recommended place to visit. I couldn’t handle the snow cave, way too cold, but some could.
We also later in the week went to the High Tatras, with the intention of sledging; it was something that Z had done before when younger. We went to a place called Strbske Pleso. There were a lot of tourists there, many for snowboarding and many for skiing as well. It seems the runs that used to be useable for the sledging are no longer available as they are now ski runs instead, which was a big shame, as we had both hoped to have a good time up there sledging. It seems the area has given itself over to the ski and snowboard people and thus making money out of them for it. Fantastic views and you have to be careful of those who go very fast on their skis and boards.
There is also a lovely lake up there, and we thought we would go and have a look at it, a really breathtaking view, but the lake was covered in snow, and deep snow too as we found as we crossed it. Neither of us expected it to be so deep and no matter how we tried to find the right part to cross, it was more a trek than a simple crossing. We were only up there a couple of hours, as we did all we could do. The train to take us up there was so modern and clean, not like the horrible things that we find on London underground.
We also went out another night to a proper Slovak restaurant, and the food was fantastic, I really enjoyed it. The restaurant we went to had pictures of ice hockey stars, and there was an Ottawa senators game shirts, which I hadn’t expected to see. Ice hockey is big in Slovakia, very big, with plenty of snow and ice that shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was.
Another thing I found to be a surprise was the fact that there a quite a few tescos in Slovakia, hypermarket tescos, generally more expensive than the local supermarkets, but I go away from London and there is Tesco, and they have roller blading staff in there as well, such a neat idea, who knows why we don’t have in London, so much easier to get things. Probably fail here as people don’t know how to use roller blades that well here compared to them it seems.
What was a really nice thing was there was none of the big fast food chains in Poprad, I know they exist in other cities in Slovakia, but not in Poprad, they said no to them being there, and it is so nice not to see McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc in Poprad, so I got the chance to experience more of the real Slovakia, without the intrusion of the big fast food chains.
The locals are also quite friendly, none of the usual stuff you suffer in London, although though if you are crossing the road, you best find a way to not get killed, they don’t seem to understand pedestrian crossings and the traffic lights go green whilst you are part of the way across, they give you maybe 5 seconds at most to cross the road, and that isn’t even feasible for the likes of me and I am reasonably fit.
I got to enjoy the local food quite a few times, with Z’s parents and sister giving me food and plenty of it, they serve big portions, boy I felt bloated a number of times as well. I managed to lose weight though, which I always end up doing when travelling, no idea why, other than my stomach feels funny for days before it settles and then it isn’t too bad, but the food is really nice. I am hoping that Z is able to bring home some of recipes, some we can have some of the food here, as it was really nice.
My time there felt not long enough, it was cold enough, and I did a lot of walking, remembering to walk on ice patches carefully, and not something common here. I found her family to be very nice and despite the language barrier, we all tried to find some commonality that allowed us to try and communicate.
I am looking forward to the chance to see Poprad in the summer, as it is even nicer apparently and the views I saw were amazing, the mountains dwarfing the town, whilst it doesn’t seem anything special to them, for me it is an amazing landscape, one which sadly suffered a catastrophe the other year where they lost the majority of the pinewood forest that covered a large part of the mountain. It looks quite naked now, with so much of it gone - High Tatras catastrophe
It isn’t expensive to go to at the moment, though with Poprad growing very fast and more tourists turning up, I imagine sooner rather than later it will be a place that gets more and more expensive to visit. So go now rather than later, although it did help me a lot by having a local guide me around, helping with translations as well.
Poprad-Tatry
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Downfall
I was brought this for Christmas. I had expressed an interest in the movie, and had heard such rave reviews for it. Now I have to totally agree with all the reviews, it is an amazing movie, very moving, very dramatic.
Downfall
I am fortunate enough to have the 2 DVD copy, and I haven’t had the chance to watch the extra disc yet, though I am really looking forward to it.
This movie really tackles the last days of Hitler so well, the increasing rages he suffered, the way it looks into his soul, how he thinks of the German people, how he considers them. Bruno Ganz who plays Hitler, does an outstanding job, he is very convincing, really captures the mood, the essence of Hitler.
Z got this for me as a Christmas present and I am so happy she did, it is a movie I will treasure. I have an interest in WW2, I like the history, how it all came together, and the way the Germans were treated, how they feared the Russians, and the plots Hitler saw that didn’t exist, how by the end he was just a shell. A real worthwhile movie, I can see me being asked to lend it to people I know, because it is such a great movie. If you haven’t seen it, then ensure you see it, if you enjoy war movies.
Downfall
I am fortunate enough to have the 2 DVD copy, and I haven’t had the chance to watch the extra disc yet, though I am really looking forward to it.
This movie really tackles the last days of Hitler so well, the increasing rages he suffered, the way it looks into his soul, how he thinks of the German people, how he considers them. Bruno Ganz who plays Hitler, does an outstanding job, he is very convincing, really captures the mood, the essence of Hitler.
Z got this for me as a Christmas present and I am so happy she did, it is a movie I will treasure. I have an interest in WW2, I like the history, how it all came together, and the way the Germans were treated, how they feared the Russians, and the plots Hitler saw that didn’t exist, how by the end he was just a shell. A real worthwhile movie, I can see me being asked to lend it to people I know, because it is such a great movie. If you haven’t seen it, then ensure you see it, if you enjoy war movies.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
A Plug for a site worth visiting
You may see in the sidebar a number of buttons and I want to bring your attention to one of them which I think is worth viewing.
Deaf Blogs
Deaf Blog Background
This is a list of sites that are done by deaf people who are a wide ranged of individuals, as any group of people are. These sites are their outlook on the world, their take on what happens in their lives, their input. Being deaf myself, leaves me with sometimes feeling others don't hear what I say, ignore my words, for various reasons. If you go through my blog, you will see references to situations I have myself had because of being deaf.
The majority of information on the internet about deaf people, and deaf situations is by large organizations. This gives those in the world of being deaf a say, a way to be grouped together to allow us to have a louder voice, get our opinions across and maybe spread more information to others and ourselves.
I say congrats to those who worked so hard to set it up, I know they have put a huge amount of effort into it, and should be applauded rightly for that effort. So well done to you all.
Deaf Blogs
Deaf Blog Background
This is a list of sites that are done by deaf people who are a wide ranged of individuals, as any group of people are. These sites are their outlook on the world, their take on what happens in their lives, their input. Being deaf myself, leaves me with sometimes feeling others don't hear what I say, ignore my words, for various reasons. If you go through my blog, you will see references to situations I have myself had because of being deaf.
The majority of information on the internet about deaf people, and deaf situations is by large organizations. This gives those in the world of being deaf a say, a way to be grouped together to allow us to have a louder voice, get our opinions across and maybe spread more information to others and ourselves.
I say congrats to those who worked so hard to set it up, I know they have put a huge amount of effort into it, and should be applauded rightly for that effort. So well done to you all.
Learning a foreign language
As my girlfriend is Slovak and I am off to visit the country for the first time in my life in just under 3 weeks, I agreed to try and learn the language.
A friend of mine, very good friend, ensured I have help, by getting a Eurotalk learn Slovak cd. Thank you to him, much appreciated.
Now I am trying to get through the disc, oh my god. Firstly being deaf doesn’t help matters when trying to learn a language, it seriously adds to the complications, it really really does.
Secondly, I wish I knew Slovak is an aggressive language, a bit like German, though not quite so aggressive as that.
I am truth to be told, struggling to learn it. I have managed to learn 6 words – Yes, No, Good Morning, Ball, Bowl, Mouse. 3 of which as you can aren’t really going to help me when I am there. Feels like an Eddie Izzard sketch coming on, only I am not in France.
If I can master – Yes, No, Good Morning, Thank You, Please, and some other good manners properly, then I will be bloody grateful. Of course, one is worrying that one might just say something that comes out wrong, because of the way they pronounce words, and offend my girlfriend’s parents. Which would be a seriously bad thing to do especially in Jan/Feb, Slovakia is known for being a tad bloody cold. One doesn’t want to spend the nights on the streets for bad mouthing someone.
It has made me think, why don’t we as a nation, and we are very bad at this in this country, teach language earlier. On the continent, they know many languages, you hear the Dutch know 4 languages, and they smoke marijuana so what is our excuse in this country. I didn’t learn French until I was 9, then I suffered it for 6 years, and I can’t recall a word of it. Yet when I had the chance to learn German, I took it, and did well until a French teacher tried to teach me it, and that was it gone then. I am not sure what agreement we have with the French, but when do we get to be force fed this, against languages that are used much more in business like Spanish, German, etc
Make it second nature to be bilingual and then people learn the skills to speak other languages. My girlfriend can talk 4 languages at least, which impresses me no end, especially given I know English only, not much use when you enjoy travelling. You can’t shout at people hoping they understand you……
A friend of mine, very good friend, ensured I have help, by getting a Eurotalk learn Slovak cd. Thank you to him, much appreciated.
Now I am trying to get through the disc, oh my god. Firstly being deaf doesn’t help matters when trying to learn a language, it seriously adds to the complications, it really really does.
Secondly, I wish I knew Slovak is an aggressive language, a bit like German, though not quite so aggressive as that.
I am truth to be told, struggling to learn it. I have managed to learn 6 words – Yes, No, Good Morning, Ball, Bowl, Mouse. 3 of which as you can aren’t really going to help me when I am there. Feels like an Eddie Izzard sketch coming on, only I am not in France.
If I can master – Yes, No, Good Morning, Thank You, Please, and some other good manners properly, then I will be bloody grateful. Of course, one is worrying that one might just say something that comes out wrong, because of the way they pronounce words, and offend my girlfriend’s parents. Which would be a seriously bad thing to do especially in Jan/Feb, Slovakia is known for being a tad bloody cold. One doesn’t want to spend the nights on the streets for bad mouthing someone.
It has made me think, why don’t we as a nation, and we are very bad at this in this country, teach language earlier. On the continent, they know many languages, you hear the Dutch know 4 languages, and they smoke marijuana so what is our excuse in this country. I didn’t learn French until I was 9, then I suffered it for 6 years, and I can’t recall a word of it. Yet when I had the chance to learn German, I took it, and did well until a French teacher tried to teach me it, and that was it gone then. I am not sure what agreement we have with the French, but when do we get to be force fed this, against languages that are used much more in business like Spanish, German, etc
Make it second nature to be bilingual and then people learn the skills to speak other languages. My girlfriend can talk 4 languages at least, which impresses me no end, especially given I know English only, not much use when you enjoy travelling. You can’t shout at people hoping they understand you……
Pixmania complaint update
The latest in this saga is that after a long long time, we finally have a camera that works. Now admittedly it isn’t the same camera we started out with, but it works and it is brand spanking new as well.
The gist of the situation is that after many emails back and to, we finally got offered a voucher to purchase a new camera with Pixmania. My initial reaction was, mmm, not sure about this, can I trust them, can we be sure the camera will be as good as the one we have, will it arrive as they said.
Well, it arrived as they said it would, which was the first surprise. The camera doesn’t quite have as good a zoom as the previous one, but the camera more than does the job, plus it being new, we will have at least something that seems to be working, and so far the use of the camera suggests that it does. Trying to get the old one repaired I think would have been an eternal nightmare.
Now the only issue is to get the difference in the cost between the voucher and what we had to pay, which was less than £15, but this is a point of principle here and so we will keep going and get it refunded. £15 is £15 and it is only right they pay for the whole replacement, not just part of it, as they agreed to cover the whole cost, and the p&p would also be paid, an email stating that we have, so we will hold them to it.
What this shows is, that with constant pressure and persistence, you can get it resolved, can, it might take a lot of damn energy to do so, and annoyance, but you have to keep at it. So those who have suffered, don’t stop, keep going, bring them to task for it, make them aware, do all you can to get it done.
After all of this, if and when we get the difference in cost refunded, we will be happy, annoyed we had to go through this, but glad to put it behind us and get on with other things than chasing up a company that still hasn’t succeeded in getting their processes sorted out, making sure customers are happy, and giving customers an easy to get hold of someone who will do the job and make it their job to get matters resolved, instead of having to bring in other parties to ensure something is done.
The gist of the situation is that after many emails back and to, we finally got offered a voucher to purchase a new camera with Pixmania. My initial reaction was, mmm, not sure about this, can I trust them, can we be sure the camera will be as good as the one we have, will it arrive as they said.
Well, it arrived as they said it would, which was the first surprise. The camera doesn’t quite have as good a zoom as the previous one, but the camera more than does the job, plus it being new, we will have at least something that seems to be working, and so far the use of the camera suggests that it does. Trying to get the old one repaired I think would have been an eternal nightmare.
Now the only issue is to get the difference in the cost between the voucher and what we had to pay, which was less than £15, but this is a point of principle here and so we will keep going and get it refunded. £15 is £15 and it is only right they pay for the whole replacement, not just part of it, as they agreed to cover the whole cost, and the p&p would also be paid, an email stating that we have, so we will hold them to it.
What this shows is, that with constant pressure and persistence, you can get it resolved, can, it might take a lot of damn energy to do so, and annoyance, but you have to keep at it. So those who have suffered, don’t stop, keep going, bring them to task for it, make them aware, do all you can to get it done.
After all of this, if and when we get the difference in cost refunded, we will be happy, annoyed we had to go through this, but glad to put it behind us and get on with other things than chasing up a company that still hasn’t succeeded in getting their processes sorted out, making sure customers are happy, and giving customers an easy to get hold of someone who will do the job and make it their job to get matters resolved, instead of having to bring in other parties to ensure something is done.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all those who read this blog. I hope you all had a lovely time out celebrating the start of 2006, and the year has started well for you all.
I know of one family who are celebrating a new arrival for the New Year, so congrats to them on their little one.
I also know of another family who will start the New Year with the loss of one of their members, and my heart goes out to them as well.
My plans for the new year changed at the last minute, in part because of the strike on the underground, though it never materialised, with only 31 stations not open, so big strike that was, and to top it off, Bob Crow thought it best to be in Egypt on holiday instead of trying to resolve this strike situation. A situation which I might add they have caused themselves. Plus there is another one on the 8th January, oh joy…
In the end, we went to a friend of Z’s for the night, until about 2.30am, having a laugh and a good time. I seriously need to learn Slovak and Czech, because there was so much not in a language I understood. I can at least learn Slovak now, as one of the presents I got for Xmas was a learn basic Slovak, so I need to get cracking, especially with a trip to Slovakia at the end of the month looming fast.
2006 has started well for me, I have a good job, a lovely partner, at least two trips for holidays already in plan or being taken, with more to come. Slovakia I will see twice – Jan and June, will also head around part of Eastern Europe when the world cup is on, so hopefully it will be less packed. I knew there was a good reason not to enjoy football ;o)
So enjoy 2006, celebrate it with style and fun, and may it bring you all a great time, with plenty of love, happiness and great memories.
I know of one family who are celebrating a new arrival for the New Year, so congrats to them on their little one.
I also know of another family who will start the New Year with the loss of one of their members, and my heart goes out to them as well.
My plans for the new year changed at the last minute, in part because of the strike on the underground, though it never materialised, with only 31 stations not open, so big strike that was, and to top it off, Bob Crow thought it best to be in Egypt on holiday instead of trying to resolve this strike situation. A situation which I might add they have caused themselves. Plus there is another one on the 8th January, oh joy…
In the end, we went to a friend of Z’s for the night, until about 2.30am, having a laugh and a good time. I seriously need to learn Slovak and Czech, because there was so much not in a language I understood. I can at least learn Slovak now, as one of the presents I got for Xmas was a learn basic Slovak, so I need to get cracking, especially with a trip to Slovakia at the end of the month looming fast.
2006 has started well for me, I have a good job, a lovely partner, at least two trips for holidays already in plan or being taken, with more to come. Slovakia I will see twice – Jan and June, will also head around part of Eastern Europe when the world cup is on, so hopefully it will be less packed. I knew there was a good reason not to enjoy football ;o)
So enjoy 2006, celebrate it with style and fun, and may it bring you all a great time, with plenty of love, happiness and great memories.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas Everyone
Today is Christmas day, and so Merry Christmas to all those that read this.
Hope you all got what you wanted, those that didn't or got the wrong presents, hope the person who bought the present kept the receipt so you can take it back and exchange it.
I wonder how many people will be changing their gifts in the coming week, I know I will have to be doing so as I managed to get some gifts for Z which weren't right, so back to the store to change them, just hoping the store will let me do so, given some stores are more particular than others.
But wherever you are, hope you are enjoying this festive day
Hope you all got what you wanted, those that didn't or got the wrong presents, hope the person who bought the present kept the receipt so you can take it back and exchange it.
I wonder how many people will be changing their gifts in the coming week, I know I will have to be doing so as I managed to get some gifts for Z which weren't right, so back to the store to change them, just hoping the store will let me do so, given some stores are more particular than others.
But wherever you are, hope you are enjoying this festive day
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Please please bring in a smoking ban
I am probably one of many many people in England who are disgusted with our government for not bringing in a smoking ban.
I personally find it a chore when going out, to try and find a bar where there isn't smoking going on, and the reason I look for a non smoking bar is simple, I hate smelling of fags when I get home, the smell makes me feel sick personally, and why should my health be screwed up just because someone else wants to destroy their lungs. I don't allow anyone to smoke in my home, so why am I not entitled to have a smoke free night out.
A case in example, the weekend gone, was the company xmas party, very nice place, good food, the thing that let it down, was the stench of smoke from cigs, it was foul, really foul, and I feel so sorry for those who worked in this restaurant, cause it was awful.
Right now, I am suffering a serious throat problem because of the sheer amount of smoke, it was that thick. I was fine prior to the evening, but now, not and I have the misfortune of suffering each and every time, and why should my health be at risk for someone to light up. If you want to light up, go outside. Okay in this weather that might be unpleasant, and you might not realise when to stop breathing out because it is so cold.
Why is it that in the wisdom of government, they are discussing partial ban in England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are to bring in complete bans, but England not. When did England become the poor man of the UK, it happened when the current government came to power, with so many of them from outside England, the likes of John Reid for example, his constitutes are fine, as they have a smoking ban coming in, as well as the military which he is in charge of, but not the general public.
Passive smoking 'blindness risk'
And here is more evidence - Smoke plans 'unworkable' say MPs
Why is it the government doesn't listen to those who elected it, as well as those elected, a commons health committee says not workable, but this government wants to be stupid.
Please TB, go away and do something else less important instead, you aren't deserved of being our leader
I personally find it a chore when going out, to try and find a bar where there isn't smoking going on, and the reason I look for a non smoking bar is simple, I hate smelling of fags when I get home, the smell makes me feel sick personally, and why should my health be screwed up just because someone else wants to destroy their lungs. I don't allow anyone to smoke in my home, so why am I not entitled to have a smoke free night out.
A case in example, the weekend gone, was the company xmas party, very nice place, good food, the thing that let it down, was the stench of smoke from cigs, it was foul, really foul, and I feel so sorry for those who worked in this restaurant, cause it was awful.
Right now, I am suffering a serious throat problem because of the sheer amount of smoke, it was that thick. I was fine prior to the evening, but now, not and I have the misfortune of suffering each and every time, and why should my health be at risk for someone to light up. If you want to light up, go outside. Okay in this weather that might be unpleasant, and you might not realise when to stop breathing out because it is so cold.
Why is it that in the wisdom of government, they are discussing partial ban in England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are to bring in complete bans, but England not. When did England become the poor man of the UK, it happened when the current government came to power, with so many of them from outside England, the likes of John Reid for example, his constitutes are fine, as they have a smoking ban coming in, as well as the military which he is in charge of, but not the general public.
Passive smoking 'blindness risk'
And here is more evidence - Smoke plans 'unworkable' say MPs
Why is it the government doesn't listen to those who elected it, as well as those elected, a commons health committee says not workable, but this government wants to be stupid.
Please TB, go away and do something else less important instead, you aren't deserved of being our leader
A new underclass in the UK?
Sadly the answer to the above question is yes, what is debated is whether it is new or not, but a new report out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. This report suggests that there are fewer people poor in the uk than ever before.
UK poor fall to lowest since 1987
I sincerely hope that is true, but what the report shows is that the disabled in all forms of disability are the new underclass. The foundation was surprised by this, and it affected all disabled people regardless of how well educated they are. When I first read this, I was surprised as well, but then looking back on my recent experience I have had dealing with governmental bodies, looking for a job, just trying to live life as such, and I can recall numerous examples of such a situation.
For example the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions), the attitude of the staff in many of the jobcentre plus places is awful, quite simply awful. They have no understanding of deafness, they constantly have the disabled toilets out of action, so any poor wheelchair bound person isn’t able to go to the toilet, if they need to. They have also in their amazing wisdom decided now that if you suffer the misfortune of becoming unemployed, you have to call up a line to get assigned a reference and then they will decide to then consider your case. Mmm, did someone forget to tell them that deaf people find using a phone very difficult, especially when someone has a strong accent, and guess where a lot of the call centres are, that is right in locations where peoples accent are very thick and heavy, meaning that likes of myself struggle to understand a damn word being said.
I also have suffered the situation with the NHS lack of funding, getting a hearing aid is very difficult to do with cutbacks, and it is made all the worse, by the fact that a lot of staff aren’t able to give hearing aids that are of use, which brings me to a sideline point, just what the hell are the RNID doing with this -
Millions urged to check hearing
Have they not been reading about all the cutbacks in the NHS, especially in audiology departments? While I applaud their efforts to raise awareness of people not hearing properly, I think maybe they should be sure that the NHS actually has sufficient funding to cope. What are they going to do with the adverts – Add a disclaimer at the end that says, “We aren’t responsible for the fact that your local NHS audiologist isn’t going to be available every day, you can only go 2 half days a week – Good luck”
To top it all off, there are a lot of employers out there that don’t want disabled people working for them. I know this to my own, when I was looking for work previously. In my case, wearing gold ear moulds possibly didn’t help matters, but it shouldn’t and doesn’t make a difference to my abilities, but try telling that to employers. I have had the misfortune in the past where the interview has been brought to an abrupt end, just for what seems to be no reason, and when you get feedback, you know full well there is no good reason, other than they clocked my hearing aids and all of the sudden I am not good enough, despite minutes earlier I was good enough. You can tell it in the manner of questioning, as well as their body language.
I am not optimistic that things are going to change anytime soon. All of the discrimination boards are being merged into a single one, which I am sure is going to be for cutbacks, and it isn’t as if the discrimination acts are tough enough as it is, especially as this government is exempt from its own laws, mmm, to me that doesn’t inspire confidence if they aren’t tied to it as well.
Plus as it is rising not falling, it can only get worse, not better. The inequalities in the UK for the disabled are getting worse and with the government push on the IB (Incapacity Benefit), you can see it get even worse. One has to think that things are going along the lines of putting disabled people into institutions which happened even after WW2, so one has to think the likes of this government are doing their level best to ensure that disabled people are without a voice.
UK poor fall to lowest since 1987
I sincerely hope that is true, but what the report shows is that the disabled in all forms of disability are the new underclass. The foundation was surprised by this, and it affected all disabled people regardless of how well educated they are. When I first read this, I was surprised as well, but then looking back on my recent experience I have had dealing with governmental bodies, looking for a job, just trying to live life as such, and I can recall numerous examples of such a situation.
For example the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions), the attitude of the staff in many of the jobcentre plus places is awful, quite simply awful. They have no understanding of deafness, they constantly have the disabled toilets out of action, so any poor wheelchair bound person isn’t able to go to the toilet, if they need to. They have also in their amazing wisdom decided now that if you suffer the misfortune of becoming unemployed, you have to call up a line to get assigned a reference and then they will decide to then consider your case. Mmm, did someone forget to tell them that deaf people find using a phone very difficult, especially when someone has a strong accent, and guess where a lot of the call centres are, that is right in locations where peoples accent are very thick and heavy, meaning that likes of myself struggle to understand a damn word being said.
I also have suffered the situation with the NHS lack of funding, getting a hearing aid is very difficult to do with cutbacks, and it is made all the worse, by the fact that a lot of staff aren’t able to give hearing aids that are of use, which brings me to a sideline point, just what the hell are the RNID doing with this -
Millions urged to check hearing
Have they not been reading about all the cutbacks in the NHS, especially in audiology departments? While I applaud their efforts to raise awareness of people not hearing properly, I think maybe they should be sure that the NHS actually has sufficient funding to cope. What are they going to do with the adverts – Add a disclaimer at the end that says, “We aren’t responsible for the fact that your local NHS audiologist isn’t going to be available every day, you can only go 2 half days a week – Good luck”
To top it all off, there are a lot of employers out there that don’t want disabled people working for them. I know this to my own, when I was looking for work previously. In my case, wearing gold ear moulds possibly didn’t help matters, but it shouldn’t and doesn’t make a difference to my abilities, but try telling that to employers. I have had the misfortune in the past where the interview has been brought to an abrupt end, just for what seems to be no reason, and when you get feedback, you know full well there is no good reason, other than they clocked my hearing aids and all of the sudden I am not good enough, despite minutes earlier I was good enough. You can tell it in the manner of questioning, as well as their body language.
I am not optimistic that things are going to change anytime soon. All of the discrimination boards are being merged into a single one, which I am sure is going to be for cutbacks, and it isn’t as if the discrimination acts are tough enough as it is, especially as this government is exempt from its own laws, mmm, to me that doesn’t inspire confidence if they aren’t tied to it as well.
Plus as it is rising not falling, it can only get worse, not better. The inequalities in the UK for the disabled are getting worse and with the government push on the IB (Incapacity Benefit), you can see it get even worse. One has to think that things are going along the lines of putting disabled people into institutions which happened even after WW2, so one has to think the likes of this government are doing their level best to ensure that disabled people are without a voice.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Here comes Christmas
How do I know it is coming, well here is a little clue, the date for one, but more real pointers include the mass of Christmas songs in the shops, on the radio, etc.
So now we are hearing the likes of Slade, Wizzard, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Jona Lewie, Pogues, just to mention a few. If anyone knows UK music and can name the tracks attributed to the above, be interesting to know.
I know poor Z has to suffer these and much more at Selfridges at the moment and I am sure by the end of it she will cringe more and more when Slade and others come up again. Just thankful I haven’t seen anyone do a Noddy yet and scream it’s Christmas, but it is early days.
I had a brain bypass at the weekend and decided to go shopping, and on Oxford street as well, I know I must have been nuts, but I was looking for a present for Z, which I failed spectacularly to find, such a bummer too. But I swear, the place was more packed than normal and just seeing places like Selfridges jammed packed, and seeing people hand over credit cards so easily, makes me think that there is going to be a serious financial hangover come New Year.
This year is going to be a low key Christmas for me, certainly different plans than I had originally expected, Z is going to be here for one, which is going to be great for me, as it was so unexpected, but the main reason she is, is because she is working Boxing day, which is a shame for her. Plus family situation also means it just won’t be a big deal made of it, I think we will be grateful to be around and have some time together.
So now we are hearing the likes of Slade, Wizzard, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Jona Lewie, Pogues, just to mention a few. If anyone knows UK music and can name the tracks attributed to the above, be interesting to know.
I know poor Z has to suffer these and much more at Selfridges at the moment and I am sure by the end of it she will cringe more and more when Slade and others come up again. Just thankful I haven’t seen anyone do a Noddy yet and scream it’s Christmas, but it is early days.
I had a brain bypass at the weekend and decided to go shopping, and on Oxford street as well, I know I must have been nuts, but I was looking for a present for Z, which I failed spectacularly to find, such a bummer too. But I swear, the place was more packed than normal and just seeing places like Selfridges jammed packed, and seeing people hand over credit cards so easily, makes me think that there is going to be a serious financial hangover come New Year.
This year is going to be a low key Christmas for me, certainly different plans than I had originally expected, Z is going to be here for one, which is going to be great for me, as it was so unexpected, but the main reason she is, is because she is working Boxing day, which is a shame for her. Plus family situation also means it just won’t be a big deal made of it, I think we will be grateful to be around and have some time together.
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