Walkers with the Dawn

Being walkers with the dawn and morning,
Walkers with the sun and morning,
We are not afraid of night,
Nor days of gloom,
Nor darkness--
Being walkers with the sun and morning.

Langston Hughes

Do the Super Rich Matter?

The TUC have just published a report entitled 'Do the Super Rich Matter?'

The report analyzes the reasons for the growing gap between rich and poor and show that in recent years a very few wealthy people have never had it so good. This is in stark contrast to the many who are modestly off or poor.

It traces the rise of the new super-rich class in Britain. A class that is making money in land, property and finance.

Today’s economic convulsions have exposed the reality behind the City’s claims to have increased world liquidity and reduced investment risk. They reveal how much City decision-making has been geared to the process of personal enrichment, with damaging consequences for the wider economy.

The report concludes with the following statement:

Pumping in funds to prop up the ailing banking sector may help to get part of the financial system moving again but it will do little to stem the upward march of the super-rich. It would take much tougher measures and a more decisive political lead to halt and reverse the increasing concentration of wealth that has occurred in recent times. Without these, the likelihood is that some of the world’s super-rich will take a back seat for a while, while quietly restructuring the system to suit their medium-term interests. If so, one of the best opportunities for decades to tackle the root causes of rising national inequality will probably have been lost.

O is for Orleton Hall Gardens

These gardens are privately owned so they are not open for general public viewing. The owners very kindly allowed the local gardening club to hold a cheese and wine evening there. The lady of the house even treated us to a personal guided tour of the garden.

For more ABC pictures check out Mr Linky.

Brrr...

...It was suddenly very cold today, so cold it snowed! When I left work my car was covered in snow and I had to clear the windows for safe driving. It was so cold in fact that on the way home one of my hands became numb. I can't remember the last time that happened, it was years ago.

& I am still struggling with technology. After having a new computer at work (Friday) my personal contact list in Outlook has been lost. Also the corporate email list has missed off half of the people in my local office workplace and all of the people in the wider network. I don't seem to be able to send emails to my external contacts either, and sending them internally is a bit hit an miss too. It is making my life complicated. Ten minute tasks are talking over an hour to complete!

I shall leave you with a video of snow from my office window today.

Mobile Phone Hazard

After reading this on the BBC website I am not sure how safe it is to use a mobile phone. Or maybe it was just operator failure as one of my colleagues did the same thing with their phone recently. Luckily that one was retrieved without any personal injury! Maybe the instruction manual should have some sort of health warning about having a mobile phone too close to a toilet?

A passenger on a French train had to be rescued by firemen after having his arm sucked down the on-board toilet.

The 26-year-old victim was trapped when he tried to fish out his mobile phone, which had fallen into the toilet bowl, and fell foul of the suction system.

The high-speed TGV train had to stop for two hours while firemen cut through the train's pipework.

The man was carried away by emergency services, with the toilet still attached to his arm.

"He came out on a stretcher, with his hand still jammed in the toilet bowl, which they had to saw clean off," said Benoit Gigou, a witness to the man's plight.

The incident happened on Sunday evening, aboard a train travelling in western France between La Rochelle and Paris.

Busy Busy Busy...

It has been a hectic weekend and I think it is going to carry on like that for the next two or three weeks. A lot of my time will be taken up with PCS work because there is a lot going on at the moment!

Last night I was boardgaming with friends, who enjoyed themselves so much they didn't leave until 2 in the morning and that was after the clocks had been put back! I was a bit tired this morning...

But I do have my new new mobile phone (it was a present) :-) It is taking a bit of fathoming out at the moment though ;-)

PhotoHunt - Scary

Today is my Blog Birthday, but it doesn't feel a year since I started blogging. I find it quite scary how time flies by so quickly. For those of you who are wondering why there are posts before that date you will need to read my 25th October blog post from last year.

For more PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Dancing in the Wind

In my solitude in the early hours
I scale spectacular mountains,
I ascend high noble towers,
I reside in peace-a house of no pains.

In my solitude in the early hours,
For desire I never hunger,
Neither worry nor hate devours,
I feel detached from my torment monger.

In my solitude in the early hours,
Velvet darkness embraces me,
I sense the existence of universal powers,
As I savor divine bliss, empty emotions are set free.

In my solitude in the early hours,
Loves devotion consumes my woes,
Joy descends in illuminating showers,
As I begin to learn a little of what my Spirit knows.

Michael Levy

Technology Again!

Firstly when I got home from work my computer hung when I started it up. When I did get it to work I found that Pipex email isn't working again... I hope that I don't have any urgent emails needing attention!

Then I had a couple of bills that needed paying and I also wanted to extend my Flickr Pro account, which is about to run out. I started with the Flickr account and had to amend the expiry date against my card. I tried a couple of times, but it told me I was using the wrong type of cards details? I gave up and tried to pay via PayPal instead. I was told that my card had been rejected by the bank.

I phoned the 24 hour customer help line and the phone line was faulty so I couldn't hear what was being said properly. I was put on hold whilst some details were checked and suddenly the line went dead and I had to call back. It seems that even though Flickr were saying there was something wrong with my card it was actually processing an odd amount of money which is why my card was blocked.

Now I have to wait until the finance department can sort it out...

*sighs*

More from Northumbria

After yesterday's post I found a lovely poem on the North Country Roads website. To accompany it, I had to share some more photos with you. The last photograph is a mosaic shot of the room I love to stay in at The Coach House. The first photograph shows the view from the room ;-)

I just remembered I nearly forgot to tell you about the honesty bar...

Northumberland

Heatherland and bent land
Black land and white
God bring me to Northumberland
The land of my delight

Land of singing waters
And words from off the sea
God bring me to Northumberland
The land where I would be

Heather land and bent land
And valley rich with corn
God bring me to Northumberland
The land where I was born.

Wilfred Gibson. (1878-1962)

N is for Northumbrian...

...gardens.

The first photo was taken at Bamburgh Castle, the second and third were taken at Cragside and the final photograph is taken at one of my fave places to stay - The Coach House at Crookham.

For more ABC pictures check out Mr Linky.

Memories

Ellee commented on my last post, that my Mum and I look alike. We don't do we ;-)

You can probably tell that the picture was from a few years ago!

PhotoHunt - Family

The first picture is my parents on their wedding day with their parents. The second picture is me with my brother, I was 6 at the time it was taken.

For more PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Song of the Flower

I am a kind word uttered and repeated
By the voice of Nature;
I am a star fallen from the
Blue tent upon the green carpet.
I am the daughter of the elements
With whom Winter conceived;
To whom Spring gave birth; I was
Reared in the lap of Summer and I
Slept in the bed of Autumn.

At dawn I unite with the breeze
To announce the coming of light;
At eventide I join the birds
In bidding the light farewell.

The plains are decorated with
My beautiful colors, and the air
Is scented with my fragrance.

As I embrace Slumber the eyes of
Night watch over me, and as I
Awaken I stare at the sun, which is
The only eye of the day.

I drink dew for wine, and hearken to
The voices of the birds, and dance
To the rhythmic swaying of the grass.

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

But I look up high to see only the light,
And never look down to see my shadow.
This is wisdom which man must learn.

Khalil Gibran

The Day of the Cake!

Today the head of our building bought cakes for everyone, what a lovely thought. It makes a change from my ongoing computer problems. Yesterday's email problems didn't stop at work they followed me home. Now I can't send emails to more than one person at a time. Sighs!

Following my troubles at the weekend I have been doing a bit of research on the best ISP. Earlier in the year PC Pro ran "The PC Pro Awards". One of the categories was "The Best Broadband ISPs". Looking at the table of results it seems I have to balance the cost, reliability and customer service aspects and decide on the best compromise. And don't forget to check out how Pipex score ;-)

Click to enlarge.

M is for Metropolitan Gardens

On my recent trip to Saint-Omer I ended up in these lovely gardens quite by chance. I invite you to take a walk with me. An oasis of calm in another day of computing problems, this time at work. And let's not mention the re-organisation that is going on!!!

For more ABC pictures check out Mr Linky.

Defence in the UK

Last week there was a defence debate in the House of Commons entitled Defence in the UK. Inevitably during the debate the Defence Training Review was mentioned. Staff at RAF Cosford were under the impression that there would be a significant announcement during the debate regarding their future. But all they heard was that the investment decision should be made in the spring, so their future for now is still uncertain.

Costs are rising all the time and due to the credit crunch the affordability of the project was under scrutiny recently. During the debate Bob Ainsworth Armed Forces Minister had this to say:

“I am saying that we still have an affordable package that is far cheaper than the alternatives, and has been worked on over the summer. We will be able to go ahead with defence package 1 and get value for money out of the proposals”…

It seems to me that the Government are forging ahead with the proposals regardless of the cost. I wonder why...

The MPs Mark Pritchard and David Wright both expressed their concerns during the debate and David went on to make a lengthy speech about the opportunities available to enable Shropshire to emerge as a key Defence hub in the UK. He also talked about re-establishing the links between people and the forces.

“I want to move on to develop the main theme of my speech, which relates to the opportunity to create a strong and long-term defence hub in the town of Telford. We have a long tradition in the town of supporting our forces, largely focused on civilian staff working for the Ministry of Defence. In recent years, I have worked with the trade unions to protect jobs and we have had some notable successes. We campaigned to keep the Army Base Repair Organisation located at Donnington, in the Wrekin constituency, and the MOD recognised that the specialist staff there provide a flexible, responsive and cost-effective service in repairing and modifying armoured vehicles, and in developing new solutions for the protection of our front-line troops.

Alongside that, I campaigned with the unions to keep defence equipment support staff based at Sapphire house in my constituency. The Government—wisely, in my view—changed their mind and decided not to move those posts down to the Bath and Bristol area. They ultimately moved to merge the operation with ABRO to create the new Defence Support Group.

David's full speech can be viewed here.

The Joys of Computing!

Now you all know that I have been having computer problems recently. Well now I am having email problems. Pipex who used to be one the best ISPs before it got taken over by Tiscali seem to have broken their mail server! It has not been working properly all weekend. Firstly no email at all then all my emails started arriving intermittently and all out of order...

I am now totally confused as I have replied to emails and then realised there had been previous related previous emails. So have probably confused a few other people too - sorry. Blame Tiscali who haven't even managed to post a service update to let it's users know what is going on. The latest update on the Pipex site is dated July 2008!

Some of you might also recall that earlier in the year I noticed a drop in my internet speed which co-incided with the Tiscali take over. I am not impressed with the service (or rather lack of it) at all. Time for a change I think.

Hopefully normal service from them and me will resume shortly ;-)

PhotoHunt - Lazy

For a change I have been having a nice relaxing day and catching up with a book for my book group. I guess the fact that my email server is down helps. I don't know if there are any more urgent tasks waiting for me ;-)

I hope you all have a great weekend :-)

For more PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Brain Teasers

Just what we all need. A bit of Friday night fun to set us up for the weekend. Or maybe you will just get a headache ;-)

Click on the picture for a better view and highlight below for the answers.

1. Sandbox 2. Man overboard 3. I understand 4.Reading between the lines 5. Long underwear 6. Cross roads 7. Down town 8. Tricycle 9. Split level 10. Three degrees under 11. Neon light 12 Circles under the eyes 13. High chair 14. Paradise 15. Touch down 16. Six feet under ground 17. Mind over matter 18. He's beside himself 19. Backward glance 20. Life after death

L is for Lacock

In the grounds of Lacock Abbey there are some restored botanic gardens. The Abbey is medieval and has been converted into a country house. It is the former home of William Henry Fox Talbot a pioneer of photography and there is an interesting museum here that is dedicated to him.

I have visited twice and both times are memorable. The first time there was a torrential downpour and thunderstorm. It gave the Abbey a spooky atmosphere especially when the lights kept flickering. The second time I managed to fall down a hole in the side of the road just outside the Abbey.

For more ABC pictures check out Mr Linky.

Trade Council Meets Local MP

Last Thursday evening David Wright MP attended the local Trades Council Meeting and responded to a number of questions and concerns posed by the members. Many topics were covered including recruitment and retention of teachers, closure and retention of staff in HMRC offices, concerns over centralisation of the local fire station’s emergency call services and the effects of inflation on low paid public sector workers. The latter led to a discussion about the minimum wage especially as the new rate came into force on the 1st October. The rate is £5.73 for people aged 22 and over which means a yearly rate of £12.562 for civil servants.

The credit crunch and possible solution was also discussed at great length as was the current cost of housing and the high price of mortgages. Many avenues and solutions were explored and new ways of getting people into the housing market were also discussed at length.

Everyone was very candid in his or her discussions and David agreed to take some points away to look at in further detail. Everyone involved thought it would be a good idea to hold these meetings on a regular basis.

Even if you are not a member of a trade council you can still contact your MP via They Work for You.

Sticky Note Experiment

I found this over at Kate's, it is rather cool as she says. And I do agree some people have way to much time on their hands! Enjoy :-)

For those of you who have been following my computer problems. The fault was narrowed down to two components, the mother board or the power supply unit. I spoke to my brother who built it for me and he told me there should be a little green light on the motherboard. If that wasn't lit there was no power getting to it so either the motherboard was faulty or the PSU was to blame. It turned out to be the PSU which was at fault so I bought a new one and a friend fitted it for me ( Thank You :-) ). Thank goodness it wasn't the motherboard, most of the bits need to come out of the case to fit a new one of those...

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

The Japanese Credit Crunch

Following the demise of Northern Rock, Lehman Brothers, HBOS and the Bradford and Bingley, the banking crisis has hit Japan.

In the past three days, the Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and the Bonsai Bank has decided to cut some of its branches.

Yesterday, it was announced that the Karaoke Bank is to be sold and is likely to go for a song while, today, Kamikaze Bank shares were suspended after they nose-dived.

Samurai Bank has announced that it will soldier on but deep cuts are expected and Ninja Bank says it has taken a big hit but remains in the black.

500 staff at the Karate Bank will get the chop and analysts report something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where investors are expecting a raw deal.

This was sent to me via email, I thought you might enjoy it too ;-)

PhotoHunt - Sad

I know the pictures don't look sad, but there was a lot of sadness and horror portrayed within the building. La Coupole is just outside Saint-Omer where I recently went on a day trip. The website has the following to say about it:

Exceptional site, our museum La Coupole is 5 km far from Saint-Omer. Gigantic underground bunker designed by the Nazis, in 1943-1944, to launch the V2 rockets, our museum is today rehabilitated to be a History and Remembrance Center.

Unique by its location and its architecture, La Coupole is gathering historical events that took place in Saint-Omer calling to mind all what happened in this “dark years”.

Hundred of audiovisual documentaries will enable you to discover major themes that belong to all European people in La coupole near Saint-Omer. Do not hesitate to come and relive through the period of 1939 to 1945:

* The Occupation of 1940-1944 in the North of France
* The total war (1939-1945): the German secret weapons
* The "Cold War" and the conquest of space.

One of the temporary exhibitions housed within in La Coupole was entitled "Deportation and genocide, a European tragedy":

1. Introduction. The concentration camp system in Germany (1933-1939). Punish, terrorize and "re-educate".
2. The war and the onset of violence (1939-1941). Punish exploit and eliminate.
3. The genocide of Jews and Gypsies. Exterminate.
4. The changes in the Nazi concentration camp system (1942-1944). Exterminate through work.
5. The collapse and discovery of the Nazi concentration camp system (January-May 1945).
6. Death Toll. Memorial to those executed in and deported from Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
   

To say the pictures were harrowing is a bit of an understatement and one of the people I visited with said they were the most horrific pictures he had seen outside the French National Army Museum.

For more PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.

Some Updates

Yesterday's meeting went very well, several topics were discussed which led to some meaningful debates. I will do a fuller post on this when I have a little more time. I am also hoping to get some photographs to go with the post, so watch this space...

The good news is that a friend is going to help check out what is wrong with my computer a bit later this evening! There are several options to try and I am really hoping one of them works.

The not so good news is that at lunch time I noticed that a tyre on my car was a little low. When I went back half an hour later to figure out what to do with it, it was almost flat! Too flat to even drive 100 yards to the tyre fitters at the bottom of the road. After a quick think I decided it was best to try and inflate the tyre rather than change the wheel, I just needed to find a foot pump. I went to tell my work colleagues what was going on and as luck would have it, one of them had an air compressor in the boot of her car.

A few minutes later, the tyre was properly inflated and at the fitters being checked over. Apparently a small nail had gone into the tyre. Luckily it was possible to repair it rather than replace it.

I am beginning to wonder if someone is following me around creating all this havoc! That is just me being paranoid, isn't it? ISN'T IT???

All in a Rush

This week seem to be a week of Trade Union meetings. I had one yesterday at lunch time, so no rest for me then. Tonight I am off to the Trades Council where we will be asking a local MP his views on various topical issues. More on that later...