How wonderful to see years of training result in success. That may be a medal, but it is also simply being sufficiently skilled to take part at championship level. I am so impressed with the joyousness of the Olympics even though I'm not a particular fan.
What a pity it always descends into niggling carping - today about the sucess of our cycling team who have done so well. Hopefully it won't spoil each person's memories & individual achievement.
On a much more mundane level - I went to Kew with my daughter & grandsons yesterday. They were keen to do the aerial walkway through the treetops. I didn't anticipate participating because I have had a lifelong problem with heights & used to simply freeze - on cantilevered staircases for example.
Over the years the fear has lessened as I have managed to do more. Psychologists use gradual exposure to the source of the fear to cure such phobias.
My 11 year old grandsons simply couldn't understand the fear & phobia, because it is so irrational. (I suspect they are both quite fearless). Loads of people were doing it & they weren't plunging to the ground. They were both really kind & supportive - encouraging me, holding my hand, telling me where to put my feet for the illusion of more support.
In the end I decided I had to do it because what sort of a role model would I be if I gave in to irrational fear & took the easy way out?
Achievement is the result of mind & body working together symbiotically. "Whatsoever the mind can conceive & believe it can achieve". Our Olympics men & women have shown that to the world. Isn't that a great example?
Wednesday, 17 August 2016
Sunday, 14 August 2016
Price versus Value.
We seem to be living in an age of perpetual retail sector sales in the UK. Even our food stores have offers running constantly. This seems to have been driven by the financial meltdown which began in 2007 / 8. Given the often large discounting it is very difficult to know what the actual value of anything is. There is consumer protection under law - the Sale of Goods Act was replaced by the Consumer Rights Act in 2015, but that is more about fitness for purpose than actual value.
The designated price of something seems to be purely notional to me, derived from the markets best guess of what the punters can be conned into paying. This is particularly true of the fashion trade & high end labels & stores selling to people with far more money than taste or sense. The wealthy will seemingly pay anything if they think something is a one off bespoke article - e.g. the Art trade. It's all about having something no one else has.
It has always baffled me why people can't see the "Emperor's New Clothes" aspect to this. Expensive, glossy magazines are full of what I can only describe as dreadful "fashion" items where form triumphs over function to the point of absurdity. (I've recently spent a lot of time in an orthodontists waiting room, so I know). Just how many watches, handbags, jewellery items, shoes, make up items etc does any one person really need. Do they really need bling to make them feel important & valued. If so their money would be better spent on a good analyst because they need to value themselves for what they are not what they can spend or ostentatiously wear.
Canny shoppers have realised that they don't need to pay the RRP for anything now. But are they really getting bargains, or were the goods overpriced in the first place? Will items hold their value or plummet the moment you use them - cars for example? Todays mantra seems to be "if you've got it flaunt it". What a sad form of "one upmanship".
The dichotomy between the "Have's" & the Have not's" in the world today has become offensive. I'm sure the Have's would read this & come up with all sorts of reasons why they are generating wealth & increasing trade, providing jobs & ensuring their money trickles down to the poor & disadvantaged. It's complete B......s. I might believe it if they gave away as much as they spend on themselves & really showed that they valued people as much as themselves.
Rolex Lady Perlmaster £39.280.00
The designated price of something seems to be purely notional to me, derived from the markets best guess of what the punters can be conned into paying. This is particularly true of the fashion trade & high end labels & stores selling to people with far more money than taste or sense. The wealthy will seemingly pay anything if they think something is a one off bespoke article - e.g. the Art trade. It's all about having something no one else has.
It has always baffled me why people can't see the "Emperor's New Clothes" aspect to this. Expensive, glossy magazines are full of what I can only describe as dreadful "fashion" items where form triumphs over function to the point of absurdity. (I've recently spent a lot of time in an orthodontists waiting room, so I know). Just how many watches, handbags, jewellery items, shoes, make up items etc does any one person really need. Do they really need bling to make them feel important & valued. If so their money would be better spent on a good analyst because they need to value themselves for what they are not what they can spend or ostentatiously wear.
Canny shoppers have realised that they don't need to pay the RRP for anything now. But are they really getting bargains, or were the goods overpriced in the first place? Will items hold their value or plummet the moment you use them - cars for example? Todays mantra seems to be "if you've got it flaunt it". What a sad form of "one upmanship".
The dichotomy between the "Have's" & the Have not's" in the world today has become offensive. I'm sure the Have's would read this & come up with all sorts of reasons why they are generating wealth & increasing trade, providing jobs & ensuring their money trickles down to the poor & disadvantaged. It's complete B......s. I might believe it if they gave away as much as they spend on themselves & really showed that they valued people as much as themselves.
Rolex Lady Perlmaster £39.280.00
Really?????It's a watch - It's function is to tell the time.
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Prison - What does it achieve? At what cost?
I have just read a post of a clip from QI on my Facebook page about American prisons. It made me interested in stat's for UK prisons. I've got more than a passing interest because I was a member of the Independent Monitoring Board for Gloucester Prison before it was closed. So I went to 2 reputable sources:-
House of Commons Prison Population Statistics.
www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn04334.pdf
Prison Reform Trust - Bromley Briefing 2016
www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/.../summer%202016%20briefing.pdf
It really doesn't make pleasant reading. Please give it a go & plough through. What we as a society do with people who infringe our laws reflects directly on what our values are, what sort of people we are & what sort of a country we are.
This is a flavour form the House of Commons:-
- In August 2016 there were 81,290 men & 3,898 women in prison in England & Wales. Of that 94% were adults, 5% were 18-20, 0.6% were 15-17
- Sentence - 41% were serving over 4 years
- Crime - Violence was the highest at 25%, Sexual crimes & Drugs were the next at 15%
- Age - 32% were between 21 - 29.
- Foreigh Nationals - 10,000, of which 50% were European.
- Non White - 25% which is wholly disproportionate to the population.
- Overcrowding - 60% of prisons
- Assaults in prison - 20,000 in 2015
- Self Harm - 32,000 - 77% men - 60% under 30. A 40% rise in 2 years.
- Deaths - 2015 - 257 - 35% self inflicted. 3% murders. Average age for natural causes 56.
- We have 146 prisoners per 100,000 population, the highest in Western Europe.
- Sexual Assaults - 300 recorded in 2015
- Serious Incidents - requiring Tactical Response Teams - 400 in 2014 / 15
- Fires - 57% increase last year
- Sentences - getting longer. Short sentences less effective than community sentences.
- Indeterminate Sentences -16% - Prisoners don't know if or when they will be released. 36% of prisoners are on these.
According to Focus on Prisoner Education it costs £65,000 to imprison someone. Then it costs £40,000 per year to keep them imprisoned.
There must be a better way. Why don't we look at the Scandinavian models which are much better & stop looking at the USA models which have never worked.
Monday, 8 August 2016
Facebook - Networking & Lifestyle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
I imagine this Blog may well make me very unpopular.
I have been in Facebook for about 7 years. I joined because I hoped to contct some people I had lost touch with & keep in touch with people I don't see often. I think it serves a really useful purpose in linking friends & has become a great tool for social & political action - The "Arab Spring" for example.
Most of my "Friends" are around my age, although I do have some much younger ones. I do actually know all of my "Friends" unlike many sad people for whom it's all about numbers. Several "Friends" post really interesting links. Some don't seem to post at all - although that may well be because I haven't done something I should have in order to see what they are posting. It still seems to me that Facebook runs on magic. I really don't understand how it all works.
Here comes the unpopular bit.
I don't understand why people post some of the things they do. Much seems totally boring & uninteresting - shallow & superficial even. Why would I be interested in the fact that someone is in a coffee shop? Why would I want to waste precious time on pointless quizzes, pictures of cute animals, & unfunny jokes?
I don't understand how people have the time to post these things. Don't they have better things to do? I just delete them immediately.
I am interested in what my "Friends" are doing at home & at work, in their family events, in their opinions & achievements for example. I also get some really interesting links which inform & broaden my understanding.
It's all really a mystery to me. International Companies have realised the potential for making money though. If they can get "placement" on people's posts it's all free advertising. Even better if it's a "Selfie" - "A picture is worth a thousand words".
When, & why, did the world become so self absorbed?
I imagine this Blog may well make me very unpopular.
I have been in Facebook for about 7 years. I joined because I hoped to contct some people I had lost touch with & keep in touch with people I don't see often. I think it serves a really useful purpose in linking friends & has become a great tool for social & political action - The "Arab Spring" for example.
Most of my "Friends" are around my age, although I do have some much younger ones. I do actually know all of my "Friends" unlike many sad people for whom it's all about numbers. Several "Friends" post really interesting links. Some don't seem to post at all - although that may well be because I haven't done something I should have in order to see what they are posting. It still seems to me that Facebook runs on magic. I really don't understand how it all works.
Here comes the unpopular bit.
I don't understand why people post some of the things they do. Much seems totally boring & uninteresting - shallow & superficial even. Why would I be interested in the fact that someone is in a coffee shop? Why would I want to waste precious time on pointless quizzes, pictures of cute animals, & unfunny jokes?
I don't understand how people have the time to post these things. Don't they have better things to do? I just delete them immediately.
I am interested in what my "Friends" are doing at home & at work, in their family events, in their opinions & achievements for example. I also get some really interesting links which inform & broaden my understanding.
It's all really a mystery to me. International Companies have realised the potential for making money though. If they can get "placement" on people's posts it's all free advertising. Even better if it's a "Selfie" - "A picture is worth a thousand words".
When, & why, did the world become so self absorbed?
Sunday, 7 August 2016
News & Media
I know it's summer & traditionally it's a silly season for news, but there are enough real news stories in the world without some of the drivel & we see, read & hear.
Do we really care that the Camerons are on holiday & he is getting middle aged spread? Isn't he entitled - a) to a private holiday - b) to a bit of comfort eating while running the country. It must be difficult to fit exercise in to a Prime Ministers schedule. (I do know he has resigned by the way. That makes the story even more irrelevant).
Then there is the total blanket coverage of the Olympics. All three of the BBC TV stations are swamped with events. There is very little else. Surely the main public broadcaster should provide choice for licence payers who aren't interested in sport. It wouldn't be quite so bad if other providers had something better than the usual summer fayre of repeats.
Don't misunderstand me I don't think the Olympics is drivel. I can appreciate the huge effort by everyone involved, especially the "clean" athletes who have devoted their lives to punishing training regimes. I do question the cost, the infastructure & ballyhoo which is far from the original concept. I also wonder how many people are interested in the more obscure sports. Quite a bit of coverage must only be of interest to a very minority audience - but we all lose programme choice. Not only do we have coverage of the actual events, we have to listen to the numerous commentators & often the word drivel is relevant then.
I think there is a case for having some sort of public discussion about communications in the 21st century. Things are changing so fast. Technology is evolving beyond our capacity to keep pace with the implications of how we use it.
Do we really care that the Camerons are on holiday & he is getting middle aged spread? Isn't he entitled - a) to a private holiday - b) to a bit of comfort eating while running the country. It must be difficult to fit exercise in to a Prime Ministers schedule. (I do know he has resigned by the way. That makes the story even more irrelevant).
Then there is the total blanket coverage of the Olympics. All three of the BBC TV stations are swamped with events. There is very little else. Surely the main public broadcaster should provide choice for licence payers who aren't interested in sport. It wouldn't be quite so bad if other providers had something better than the usual summer fayre of repeats.
Don't misunderstand me I don't think the Olympics is drivel. I can appreciate the huge effort by everyone involved, especially the "clean" athletes who have devoted their lives to punishing training regimes. I do question the cost, the infastructure & ballyhoo which is far from the original concept. I also wonder how many people are interested in the more obscure sports. Quite a bit of coverage must only be of interest to a very minority audience - but we all lose programme choice. Not only do we have coverage of the actual events, we have to listen to the numerous commentators & often the word drivel is relevant then.
I think there is a case for having some sort of public discussion about communications in the 21st century. Things are changing so fast. Technology is evolving beyond our capacity to keep pace with the implications of how we use it.
Saturday, 6 August 2016
Happenstance
"Chance or a chance situation, especially one producing a good result."
I vacuumed downstairs yesterday. Ageing means that I end up knackered & with backache. So I lay down on my bed & listened to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 after I'd finished. One of Jilly Cooper's choices was Mendelssohn's Elijah Oratorio, which I have never heard before. It was beautiful & I will make the effort to listen to the whole thing. Sheer Fluke.
A friend K.... had her 70th recently. Instead of buying her an unwanted present I donated some money to a charity of her choice. When my bank statement came, one transaction looked suspicious & I didn't recognise it. To cut to the chase, it was the charity, but checking it out I made contact with the mother of a very ill little boy O..... We have been in touch via email & I have been able to help her a bit. Again, completely unplanned.
Often the things that happen randomly seem really surprising. I think we all need to let go a bit & accept that we don't control the universe. Coincidence, luck - good & bad, happenstance, it's all part of life.
If we knew what was going to happen as a result of random choices & events life would be very boring. We really should try to treasure every moment & be open to different paths.
I vacuumed downstairs yesterday. Ageing means that I end up knackered & with backache. So I lay down on my bed & listened to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 after I'd finished. One of Jilly Cooper's choices was Mendelssohn's Elijah Oratorio, which I have never heard before. It was beautiful & I will make the effort to listen to the whole thing. Sheer Fluke.
A friend K.... had her 70th recently. Instead of buying her an unwanted present I donated some money to a charity of her choice. When my bank statement came, one transaction looked suspicious & I didn't recognise it. To cut to the chase, it was the charity, but checking it out I made contact with the mother of a very ill little boy O..... We have been in touch via email & I have been able to help her a bit. Again, completely unplanned.
Often the things that happen randomly seem really surprising. I think we all need to let go a bit & accept that we don't control the universe. Coincidence, luck - good & bad, happenstance, it's all part of life.
If we knew what was going to happen as a result of random choices & events life would be very boring. We really should try to treasure every moment & be open to different paths.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
American Gun Addiction - An Epidemic of Death
This is a link to American legislation allowing guns to be carried in educational establishments in the USA, as long as they are concealed - Well, that makes it OK then does it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_carry_in_the_United_States
I simply don't know where to begin. How can any intelligent, rational, thinking, human being be other than appalled at this madness? Inexperienced children & young adults, with a lot to learn about life, with weapons that can kill & maim. What possible rationale can justify this?
Personally I don't want to travel to a country with a sick society that has such a disfunctional realationship with guns & such a disregard for the sanctity of human life.
The following link gives statistics for mass public shootings.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/13/health/mass-shootings-in-america-in-charts-and-graphs-trnd/
The trouble is that there are more & more reasons not to travel to so many places in the world now. These are the countries who have had the most "terrorist" attacks.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/which-countries-have-had-the-most-terrorist-attacks/
This link should be the Global peace index. There are only 11 countries in the world not involved in conflict of one sort or another.
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index
We have just celebrated the fact that we haven't had a "World War" since 1945. It seems rather a hollow celebration to me. But then the Malthusian theory of population said that we need to have war, pestilence & famine to keep the exponential growth of population in check. We seem to be doing quite a good job of that!
http://cgge.aag.org/PopulationandNaturalResources1e/CF_PopNatRes_Jan10/CF_PopNatRes_Jan108.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_carry_in_the_United_States
I simply don't know where to begin. How can any intelligent, rational, thinking, human being be other than appalled at this madness? Inexperienced children & young adults, with a lot to learn about life, with weapons that can kill & maim. What possible rationale can justify this?
Personally I don't want to travel to a country with a sick society that has such a disfunctional realationship with guns & such a disregard for the sanctity of human life.
The following link gives statistics for mass public shootings.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/13/health/mass-shootings-in-america-in-charts-and-graphs-trnd/
The trouble is that there are more & more reasons not to travel to so many places in the world now. These are the countries who have had the most "terrorist" attacks.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/which-countries-have-had-the-most-terrorist-attacks/
This link should be the Global peace index. There are only 11 countries in the world not involved in conflict of one sort or another.
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index
We have just celebrated the fact that we haven't had a "World War" since 1945. It seems rather a hollow celebration to me. But then the Malthusian theory of population said that we need to have war, pestilence & famine to keep the exponential growth of population in check. We seem to be doing quite a good job of that!
http://cgge.aag.org/PopulationandNaturalResources1e/CF_PopNatRes_Jan10/CF_PopNatRes_Jan108.html
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