Wonderful technology

I am amazed at the fact that I am in Florida and can communicate with anyone worldwide.

Here in Florida conversation and the news is dominated by the weather. The prevailing temperature is about fifty degrees F and it is like deep winter for the citizens. Thick sweaters, central heating and general melancholy. Adding the gleeful news in the media is all part of living. There are deep snows in other parts of the US and this helps to cheer us up. When I point out that it is not really cold I am told that the temperature is usually eighty degres F and occasionally ninety.

This says to me that your experience of the universe depends on where you happen to be. Your experience is extended by modern technology which allows you to "SEE" and "HEAR" of events beyond your sight and hearing.

Do remind yourself that your view of the universe is moderated by the filter of technology and the voices of the reporters.

One lives in a small world. How big is your world?

Walter Vego

Euro and the Irish Economy

The financial problems of some Euro zone countries are causing enormous pressures on the common currency itself. Germany and France, who instigated the birth of these idealistic notions, did not think that unless all the joining members have similar convergence, and sound industrial and economic footings and bases, the burden of those aspiring countries to join the rich club would be futile. Now the problems have come home to roost.

Greece who started the problem by borrowing 14% of the GDP had to be bailed out by financial injections of billions of Euros, Dollars and Sterling by EEC and IMF. The economic woes of Ireland are worse as the Irish economic growth was fuelled by bankers' greed, constructions of millions of real estate properties and careless lending to NINJAS (No Income, No Jobs and Assets) and who failed to repay their loans. The Irish were borrowing nearly 15% of the GDP to keep the economy going and when the Irish Bond market borrowings dried up they had no option but to come for help. To protect the Euro, Germans, French, Britain and other EEC members have come up with the money with stringent conditions ie to cut in wages, benefits as well as the rise of income tax, VAT, but kept the Corporation tax at 12.50% to attract foreign and domestic investments. The riots and social unrest took place and they have no alternatives, they have to live within their means and with the debt reductions programme. By excessive imports from Germany (who has 200 billion euro surplus)France, Holland ,China, India, Thailand, Indonesia and other s have led to destruction of Irish Industrial base. How would they repay? What they would sell to earn and build capital to future growth and maintain the domestic employment, infrastructure, pay for front line services and social care and pensions? Successive Government with Dogma driven principles, rather than the economic realities and minimum wages, paying youth unemployment benefits, where there are jobs to be filled (Most of the Rumanians, Bulgarians and people from Poland are filling the vacancies) UK is also in a similar situations, but thanks to the size of the UK economy, it will ride out the storm. Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling believed in Macro economics and believed in spending your way out of recession, but it is wrong notion, and it worked after the World War II whose constructions and rations and borrowing led to the post war boom. But you cannot replicate the situation in modern times.

I sincerely hope that Irish economy can again be strong and dynamic. The Irish Government must carry popular support, as did the Canadians who accepted the austerity measures and came out as a strong economy once again. They have learnt a lesson that reckless profligate spending led to the economic ills. Hope the Irish and British and other well meaning but dogma driven politicians stop giving tax credits to middle classes and other benefits to youngsters. When the Irish economy recovers everyone will benefit with a lasting legacy of prosperity, pride and panacea.

The changing times

Have you noticed that Guy Fawkes is no longer with us? He has been replaced by "Bonfire night". Small boys collecting a penny for the guy have also disappeared. Halloween plus tricking and treating seems to have arrived from the US. Have we exported Guy Fawkes?

Are the peoples of these islands forgetting their history? Do we want to forget that someone wanted to burn down the Houses of Parliament? Is history no longer relevant?

Some time ago the Guardian promoted "Flunk-dwiling" or is it "Dwile-flunking". What will replace Morris dancing? Is binge drinking the future of recreation?

Walter Vego

Rabelais on marrow

Did you ever see a dog discover a marrow bone? If ever you did, you will have noticed how devotedly he eyes it, how carefully he guards it, how fervently he holds it, how circumspectly he begins to gnaw it, how lovingly he breaks it, and how digently he licks it, What induces him to do all this? What hope is there in his labour? What benefit does he expect? Nothing more than a little marrow. It is true that this little is more delicious than great quantities of any other meat.

Rabelais...translation 1955.

Funny to read

The train standing on platform six should be on the rails.

Announcement on the underground:
The next station is oval

Sign on building site
Danger : Men at work

Walter Vego

A sad true story

To lose a child at any age by dying is terrible, but to have one disappear completely from one's life is unbearable I imagine, such as little Maddy in Portugal a few years ago now.

Many years ago now my niece Teresa was working in Athens as a secretary to a large company and thoroughly enjoying herself. She was twenty-three , had just broken off her engagment and liked being "fancy-free".

She had a very nice boss and used to travel with him and other members of the company to various places in different countries.

She was about to take a holiday and decided to fly home to UK and stay with her father who was widowed and her two brothers and little sister. But first she had one important trip to make with her boss

The executive jet took off but contact was lost fairly soon. The plane and all onboard were never seen again.

It hit all the newspapers of course but with all the searching done, nothing was found. The only conclusions the goverment came up with was the plane was shot down, by whom was a mystery and still remains one to this day, many years later.

Notable signs

Sign in beauty shop ... Get nailed here!

More amusing signs

Car wash ... Cleaners a whistle (Say it - don't read it)

Walter Vego

The rules of civility

It is not becoming in a person of quality when in the company of ladies to handle them roughly ; to put his hand in their necks or bosoms ; to kiss them by surprise , to force their letters or books from them , to look into their papers etc.

Quoted from "The rules of civility" Anon 1695

Notable signs

To walk about in London one can enjoy the signage at no cost to oneself. Disregard the ancient signs on crumbling walls and look at the new businesses trying to attract your attention. Please add to the following if any signs strike you as amusing, ambiguous , confusing , salacious or downright obscure:

On a fish and chip shop
.....Rock and Roe

In a hairdresser's window
......Clip & Chop

In a butcher's window
.....Now is the time to get on the game

In a pub .....
Dost thou think because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale.

(Sir Toby Belch) .. Am not claiming accuracy for this quote.

Walter Vego

Do snails have a sense of direction?

Do snails have a sense of direction. According to a recent experiment, they do.

Have a look at the BBC Radio 4 Material World website - "So you want to be a scientist?"

To outstay one's welcome!

A few years ago I bought a marvellous container for cooking rice in the micro-wave and used it a lot until I got lazy. Yesterday, having run out of my "boil in the bag" type I got the old container out to wash it and refresh my memory how to use it. Low and behold!! I was not the only one interested in it, as the instructions inside were torn to bits!

I know who the culprit is. A year ago we had a very frendly mouse visiting us for "B and B". I thought he had gone eventually but obviously he had decided to stay on without telling me and had discovered my nice container and had taken up residence.

I spent ages trying to put all the bits of grubby paper together but was not successful and gave it up as a bad job.

Back to "boil in the bag"!!

Polly.

Things past

I happened to listen to a conversation of two people talking of things past.

The past for me is yesterday and I thought of how others "see" the past.

So... here are some answers to the question of what has past for you?

Organ grinders, organ grinders with monkeys,
street musicians, escapologists, Pearly Kings and Queens,
men with bowler hats and umbrellas, rag and bone men ,
horse drawn carts, tinkers, knife sharpeners, typewriters .

Add as many as you like to your changing world.

Walter Vego

perfect diet

Do you feel over-informed? Or are you suffering from information over-load?
YES, you are.

I read...almost compulsively...the information on nutrition given on anything eaten or drunk.

Now just writing the word "drunk" reminds me of the nutritional information on a bottle of whiskey. Incidentally, such information seems to be absent from the cheaper brands. The information reads as follows: Protein 0%....Carbohydarte....trace.....Fat 0%.

Question
Why is whiskey not promoted as the perfect diet for weight loss plus the added "feel good factor"?

Walter Vego

Waste Disposal

I live in the Bloomsbury area in the London Borough of Camden. I belong to a residents association and one of our persistent complaints relate to "Waste Disposal".

It would be tedious to recount the various combinations of services. A quick survey shows that there are green bags for paper, plastics (must be bottle shaped), glass. Then there are black plastic boxes for paper and cardboard. These green bags and black boxes are cleared (emptied) once a week.

Some streets have general waste collection daily and other streets have collections once and sometimes twice a week. Then there are waste bins on the street and street cleaners who collect and dispose of street debris in green bags emptied into handcarts.

With all of these provisions we have cause for frequent complaints.

NOW, in the interest of "Greenness" and environmental concerns, we are being asked to separate waste into kitchen waste, paper, glass and plastic. Camden is putting a great deal of effort into grooming us to adopt this waste separation behaviour.

I wish to point out that the population of these islands did separate their waste during the years 1939-45 ... but then we were fighting for our lives. Maybe we need a similar threat and I propose "environmental disaster". By the way the Romans had similar problems. However ancient waste disposal makes archaeologists rejoice.

Walter Vego.

A ploughman's lunch

We carry our memories with us like a tortoise in a shell. In my case I remember trivia, more trivia and events that make me remember that I can preface a grumpy note with the introduction "I remember the good old days". So, here goes!

When I was a student, (a long time ago), my courses in ecology took me into the countryside where I found pubs that would serve reasonable and cheap quantities of excellent food. No gastro pubs or cloth napkins either. I found that a ploughman's lunch was a fantastic bargain, satisfying both pocket and appetite. It consisted of a large amount of well matured cheddar, thick slices of farm baked bread, pickled onions, thick Branston pickle, apple chutney, butter and if I could afford it ... a pint of bitter...

A few days ago I asked for a Ploughman's in a country pub ... name withheld ... the bread was "a baguette" forming a choking bolus to be swallowed, the cheese, unfit for mice ... grated, the pickle spread on the cheese in the bread and unavoidable. I ate some of it, suffered in silence and made no complaint. How could I? Since no one now remembers what a ploughman's lunch was really like.

Walter Vego

A restful few days?

I am calling my post that with my fingers crossed. I am about to go and stay with my eldest son and his wife in their lovely house in the country. The reason why I even think it might not be a restful stay is because of what happened last time. I will tell you!

I had arrived about tea-time having been picked up at the station. I sorted myself out and went into the drawing room and sat down for a nice refreshing cup of tea, sandwiches and cakes etc. Suddenly all hell broke loose! The dogs went mad with barking and rushing around and the noise outside was terrific. We all rushed out and lo and behold there were three police cars in the drive.

They hadn't come to arrest us but to dig up various places in a couple of my son's fields! Apparently a man in the next village had reported his wife missing. The police were very suspicious after going into the case thoroughly and seemed certain he had murdered her as he was well known to them. They were also certain that he had buried her somewhere outside the village.

They started to dig in the fields in places that looked as if the ground had been disturbed but found nothing. The next day they came back and started all over again, but still no luck.

My son tells me on the phone that they are still coming back from time to time, but I hardly think they will be luckly. Perhaps when I go down I may bring them luck next time! Should I say that? Poor woman, what a terrible man.

Polly

Mystified

I am standing on the platform of a railway station in south London. I can read the sign "Mind the gap". Next to this sign is a similar sign but it is upside down. I thought as to why this should be and realised that the sign facing me is to be read as I board the train. The other is to be read by those passengers (customers) leaving the train. I boarded the train and thought for some time about the word "MIND".

Mind the gap ... is about being aware of the gap. It is "mind" as a warning, similar to "Beware of the dog". "Mind the dog" suggests looking after or caring for the dog. Or "mind" could mean not "beware" but "Be aware of the dog". There is "mind" in the context of "Body and Mind". Does the dog have a mind? Do you mind if .. "I sit, stand, push, yell, scream, put my rubbish in your dustbin" or "Do you mind if I go ahead in the queue".

All this is social exchange and the answer is "I do mind", (grumpy), or "I do mind" (charming) especially if you have a walking stick. So, "Mind the gap" can have your mind racing in many directions. And "Mind how you go" could mean "Be careful" or just a friendly "Goodbye".
Walter Vego

Change or disrupt

I am of an age when I notice CHANGE. It is perhaps that I walk more slowly, wait for the green light to cross the road or even notice the increasing cost of using the gentlemen's toilet. Be that as it may, have you noticed that the 19 and 38 bus routes have changed? I only found out on my third journey, because I thought that the buses had been temporarily re-routed. This experience allows me to ruminate on the nature of "Information". We are knee-deep in information, and in order to remain sane one develops an information selective filter. I am working on this device. However, consulting friends with a similar problem I am told that I need a pre-filter. I am at the design stage of such a device and will report any progress in due course.
Walter Vego.

Flattery

Overheard at election lunch......Flattery is like perfume, enjoy, inhale, wallow in it .....swallowing it is a bad idea...I think the reference was to a politician.

One commentator reciting the woes of Britain said it was all due to an "over genitalisation" of modern life. I wonder what he meant......Walter Vego

Hung Parliament

We are facing the General Election to choose a party that will govern Britain for the next 5 years. But as the different polls suggest, we may get a HUNG PARLIAMENT. If we accept the polls may become a reality on the 6th May when the electorate cast their votes in the ballot boxes, we may face certain problems.

Whichever side - Labour or Conservative - that tries to form a Government will not have its own way. It would have to include any alliance party's manifesto proposals to form a government. Any drastic measures proposed by the new Government to improve economic, social or health issues may not get through the legislature as the supporting parties' views might be different on those issues.

Late Lord Callaghan faced the same dilemma when his Labour Government was supported by the Liberal Party between 1974-1979. It caused economic stagnation, labour unrest, strikes and excessive taxation (both direct and indirect). Lord Callaghan sent Dennis Healey to the IMF to borrow money to prop up sterling.

It is quite common in other European countries to have coalition parties in the Government yet here it is very difficult to carry out the respective party’s ethos in coalition.

The Conservatives think the economy should run on free market principles and health and education systems should run in parallel (both private and public). There should be no unemployment money for young people who are not ill, not in education, not in training or not in jobs, they should be made to work for their benefit.

On the other hand, Labour traditionally supports blue collar workers. They view the Conservatives as the party for business, the privileged and for rich people. The labour party dogmas still exist as vast amounts of the party’s revenues come from the Unions.

So whoever forms a Government with the support of Liberal, SNP, Ulster Union party would not be able to be as effective as it should be in carrying out its manifesto promises.

So before long we would face another election to choose a party with a clear majority to form a Government.

Going by what happens in the other European Countries, I personally think it is better for democracy if the ruling party do not have an absolute majority, as it may cause the Government not to listen to the public on various issues i.e taxation, immigration, criminal justice system, health, social security, national insurance, VAT etc as they presume that they had the mandate to put their dogmas into legislation.

Shape of things

There are so many things to groan about - grist for my mill.

I used to be one of the " deeply concerned". Then I joined the "deeply worried". Lately, I realise that I have become both bewildered and confused.

I am suffering from information overload. It is my fault - but I find it hard NOT to listen, NOT to see and NOT to hear.

My post box is flooded with election "literature". I am promised a life of bliss not in the hereafter but NOW. If, ah if, I pay for it, ah yes - how much? When I die! There are in fact many solutions - sorry, there are three solutions but only one per party.

This is enough for the present. I could mention the environment, foreign investment in UK industries, energy prices, health and safety, striking railways, STOP!

No one mentions the flowering cherry trees . The weather report says that winter is loosening its grip which is a trifle dramatic.

Happy Easter everybody..........

Walter Vego

Child protection

Children must be protected, of course ... no argument here. This means to me that children must be protected from the adult world. There is no question of "contributory negligence"when a child is injured in any way. However, over the years it seems to me that the adult world is seeking ways to absolve itself of responsibility to the child. I know that there are laws regarding child protection but I want to draw attention to a small matter of the information given on medicines or materials likely to harm children.

I remember when instructions or information on any harmful material simply stated "Keep away from children". This was then amended to "Keep out of the reach of children". Something must have happened recently to have an addition to this, that is "Keep out of the reach and SIGHT of children". I wonder when someone will see fit to add "SOUND".

Perhaps the best way to protect children from harm is not to have them at all.

Walter Vego

Weather and climate

There is a clear distinction to be made between "weather" and "climate". The weather report that one hears several times a day is often mentioned as "climate change". Whatever the weather, the effect of "weather" on the individual and the population is profound.

In the UK we seem to be unprepared for any change in the weather. Spring rains, summer heat, winter snows are all equally unexpected.

We may not believe in a changing climate or global warming, as a matter of fact, we do not believe the weather reports. Why should we? Chop down the trees, burn the oil, live fast, die young, postpone the bills, we can pay the price....tomorrow .... Ahgggha ..... too late, money won't work anymore.

Walter Vego

My Holborn

I have lived in Holborn for this last sixteen years. I applied to come back to London on a scheme called ‘Mobility’. This scheme allows pensioners to move nearer to their families. This in theory takes the pressure off the social services as a family member would be near enough to look out for their ailing old parents. My son lives at a very easy distance from me in Willesden.

In the middle-ages Holborn was all grass fields. Holborn got its name from the river Holbourne which was a tributary of the River Fleet which itself was a tributary of the Thames.

Holborn is well situated not far from the central shopping centre of Oxford Street - famous for its bargains and frequent sales. It is always on the itinerary for tourists.

Covent Gardens - famous for its street entertainment - is another exciting place not far from my doorstep. The performers include musicians, clowns, stilt-walkers and jugglers. It also boasts of a Transport and Theatre Museum where you can wander down the ages with old fashioned buses and dated vehicles. At the movie museum you see the early technology of the twenties dating back to the time of films like ‘Sing Fool’ the first talky as well as stills of actors and actress past and present.

Not far from my dwellings is theatre land, all with glittering and sparkling productions, musicals to set your feet tapping with wonderful lyrics and unforgettable music, plays that thrill you and frighten you and give you culture. You laugh and cry with the emotions that come across the footlights at you, plays that open you up to all walks of life and situations.

I am not far from the city with its wall to wall history and many fine buildings. You stand in awe of St Paul Cathedral. I have spent many hours in the public galley in the Old Bailey. These ancient buildings are all part of the view from my window and I am amazed that these building have stood so long the test of time. I wonder how long the modern building of today will last.

Hatton Garden is a street that runs parallel to Leather Lane which incidentally is a famous street market. Hatton Garden dates back to the 16th Century and was then and is today the street of jewellers.

Holborn has many colourful characters and can boast of Sir Francis Bacon who was a lawyer and said by many to have written Shakespeare plays, Hiram Maxim who invented the machine gun.

This area is convenient as it is so accessible for travelling around London and the out-lying districts. It was very useful when I belonged to a First Aid Organisation which called for me to travel to different places - convenient transport was at hand.

The time I love most about Holborn is the weekends when I set out to go to church on a Sunday morning and there are very few people about. More people tend to work in Holborn than actually live here. The streets are calm with very little traffic - a great peace prevails in the area, in stark contrast to the hurly burly of the weekdays.

I love this place particularly in the summer when the sun is shining and casts a shimmer over its ancient buildings as I pass. I feel a sense of awe as I ponder the scenes of long ago and wonder about the lives that have lived in this magical place before me. I imagine the ladies in their long skirts. The men in tight trousers, colourful caviars and flock coats. This was Dickens' London and it is conceivable that the Holborn portrayed in his many novels was indeed about the squalor, degradation and sufferings of the poor in this part of London.

Compare this to the up-market and affluent homes and businesses that exist to day of Holborn -noted for being the centre of the legal profession and the home of justice. Today Holborn is a place of excellence - a hive of big business.

I feel happy living here in this part of London as I was born here and the playground in Coram Fields was the same playground that I used to play in as a child and is the same playground that my grandson played in when he was small.

My life has gone a full circle as I am now back in Holborn where my life began.
I have come back to my roots.

A little mystery

I seem to be having a slight contretemps with the post office at the moment.

Just after Christmas a card from a post office in London was put through my door stating that an item had been sent but with insufficient postage. If I sent the same card back with £1.30p in stamps attached, they would deliver the item. Of course I did that, but all that happened was that it was sent back but with no more messages on it!

All very annoying as I am intrigued to know what the item is and who the person is who has sent it!

I took the card to Mount Pleasant post office where a nice man said there was nothing wrong with the stamps I'd put on and he was as mystified as I was. He made some squiggles on it and posted it himself. Big stuff !!

That was well over a week ago, and I'm still waiting !
Any ideas? Comments gratefully received.

Polly.

The image is from

www.clipartheaven.com/ &

www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/