Bluffield's Blogs

WE WAS BRUNG UP PROPER !!

2011-12-20T01:26:00.002Z

Some of the emails I get sent are priceless and simply have to be published on my blogs. If you are, shall we say ... of a certain age, then you too will identify with this.

And we never had a whole Mars bar until 1993"!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930s,40s, 50s, 60s and 70s

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank Sherry while they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos...

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, bread and dripping, raw egg products, loads of bacon and processed meat, tuna from a can ... and didn't get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.

Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC, Subway or Nandos.

Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn't open on a Sunday, somehow we didn't starve to death!

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner store and buy Toffees, Gobstoppers and Bubble Gum.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter, milk from the cow, and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of old prams and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.We built tree houses and dens and played in river beds with matchbox cars.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii, X-boxes, no video games at all, nor 999 channels on SKY, no video/DVD films, or colour TV, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

Only girls had pierced ears!

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS BEFORE LEAVING THE CHECK-OUT

2011-12-16T14:15:00.000Z

This was recently sent to me and it is worth reading the contents because this scam can be used against any of us.

I bought a bunch of stuff, over £150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of £40. I told her I didn't request a cash back & to delete it. She said I'd have to take the £40 because she couldn't delete it. I told Her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came & said I'd have to take it.. I said NO! Taking the £40 would be a cash advance against my Credit card & I wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan everything! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed & a cash-back of £20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the Electronic Pad must be defective.

Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she NEVER offered me the £40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money she pocketed?

Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford , Sainsburys last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co worker didn't look at her receipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked for £20 cash back. SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK!

My co-worker called Sainsburys who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in the queue.

Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards!
This is NOT limited to Sainsburys; they are one of the largest retailers so they have the most incidents.
I am adding to this. My husband and I were in Sainsburys and paying with credit card when my husband went to sign the credit card signer he just happen to notice there was a £20 cash back added. He told the cashier that he did not ask nor want cash back and she said this machine has been messing up and she canceled it. We really didn't think anything of it until we read this email.

I wonder how many "seniors" have been, or will be, "stung" by this one????

To make matters worse ..THIS SCAM CAN BE DONE ANYWHERE, AT ANY RETAIL OR WHOLESALE LOCATION!!!

BEFORE LEAVING THE CHECK-OUT........CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!!

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY SOME BUSINESSES CAN CHARGE VERY HIGH PRICES AND STILL MAKE LOADS OF SALES?

2011-11-24T20:13:00.002Z

This morning I saw an excellent advert on TV from Lego. Now my 6 year old boy loves lego. He'll sit there for hours putting the little bricks together, sometimes building meaningful models, other times just building a wall or laying them out in colours. Whenever we're up town he always wants to go to the Lego shop to see the latest Harry Potter or Star Wars model. Up until this morning, I wondered why the little plastic bricks were so expensive and how can they justify the prices they are demanding for their kits. (The Harry Potter nightbus will cost £25 for example and the Star Wars Millenium Falcon is approximately £130) After all, they are just plastic bricks aren't they?

But, this morning, I saw their latest advert - It brought home to me in a very good example of selling benefits rather than features. A message where they have positioned their brand correctly and at the right place. One where price becomes irrelevant and they can demand alot more for the value that they are offering. It's a very strong message, that Lego aren't just selling plastic bricks, but their selling an experience.

Take a look at the advert, it's shown on my blog click here to view it and then think about how you could position yourself, your business and your brand in this manner so that you can charge what you are worth.
As always, If I can help with anything, please give me a call

Trevor Nicholls
trevor@theleafletdeliverycompany.com
01908 760800

THIS IS A SCAM TO OBTAIN YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAIL, SO READ ON!

2011-10-19T17:02:00.003+01:00

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY.

This is a scam that is believed to have been passed on by the Police regarding a call people have reported receiving form someone claiming to be a 'representative' of British Telecom, informing them that because of an unpaid bill they must make an immediate credit card payment of £31.00 to avoud a reconnection charge later of £118,00. The scam caller doesn't flinch when people have told him they are not with BT, and merely claims that other companies have to pay BT a percentage for line rental!

When one person asked the guy's name - he gave the very 'English' John Peacock with a very 'African' and a the a rogue phone number SIMILAR to the genuine BT Business freephone number.

Obviously the fellow realized his story wasn't being believe, so offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. He was asked how? The call recipient was told to hang up & try phoning someone - and he would disconnect their phone to prevent this. AND HE DID !!

The phone was dead - no engaged tone, nothing - until the caller phoned again. Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. The unsuspecting person asked how the payment was to be made and he said credit card, there and then.

The person that was called said that he didn't know how he'd done it, but had absolutely no intention of paying him, because he didn't believe his name or that he worked for BT. Not surprisingly, the caller hung up. The person who had received the call dialled 1471 - number withheld, so then phoned his fictitious 0800 number - this was not recognized; so he next called the police to let them know. I wasn't the first! It's only just started apparently, but it is escalating.

The police advice was to let as many people as possible know of this scam. The fact that the phone does become disconnected may probably convince some people that the caller is genuine but it's not.

This is how it is done: This is good but not that clever. The caller gave the wrong number - the genuine number to get through to BT Busines is 0800 800 152 (but the scammer added another '0' before the second '800'). The process of 'cutting off' the line is very simple. The caller stays on the line but presses the mute button on his phone which prevents you from dialling out - but the scammer can still hear you trying (because the person who initiates a call is the one that needs to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls you back. You could almost be convinced!

The sad thing is that it is so simple that it will certainly fool the elderly and vulnerable and the BT claim is being used - not to get the cash from you - but to obtain your credit card details and security number so that it can be used to make larger purchases.

INSTANT RECALL

2011-10-08T16:11:00.001+01:00

I was talking to somebody a few days ago about Hong Kong and wanted to relate three amazing occurrences that took place during one of my many visits to the former Crown Colony. Each concerns the incredible memory capabilities of some of the local Chinese that I encountered. Considering how we Gweilos (white devils) must all look similar I fail to understand how I managed to remain in their memories.

The first instance occurred in 1989 when I arrived in Hong Kong for the first time as part of our honeymoon. On that first visit we went to an area known as 'The Lanes' in the Central district on Hong Kong Island and bought a lovely Suzie Wong dress for my wife. She has never worn it - but that's another story. About six years later we managed to locate the dress stall with some difficulty; as we wanted to buy a similar dress for one of my wife's friends. To our amazement the stall owner immediately recited day and date when we had bought the first dress as well as the size and the colour. He also recalled that we had been on our honeymoon. To this day we cannot explain this.

Another example of recall happened after I had taken a ferry from North Point to an area adjacent to the old Kai Tak Airport where I had been to photograph aircraft movements for an article I was writing. After a few hours we arrived back at North Point, got in a taxi and before I had the chance to say where we wanted to go, the driver told me the street and the name of the block of flats where we were staying. When I asked him how he knew, he just laughed aloud. I can only guess that at some previous time this same guy had picked us up. But what I still haven't been able to figure out is how he could possibly remember us from the hundreds of passengers he carried in his cab. There is, as far as I know, something like 5,000 taxis in HK which makes the chances of me stepping into the same taxi on two separate occasions more of an unbelievable coincidence, although on a separate occasion while out shopping this happened again but this time I remembered the driver, not the other way around.

On many of my visits we would stay at the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay, sometimes for a period of around ten days at a time. However, a period of about three years had lapsed between staying at the hotel, yet I was surprised when so many of the staff I encountered not only remembered me by name but could recall my when I had last been a guest at the establishment. These were not front-of- house people who may have been aware of my visit, but waiters and bell boys. One instance occurred as I was walking along a corridor to my room one day and a young uniformed member of staff, probably working for room service spoke to me: "Hayo Mister Buffield, (the Chinese can never pronounce the first 'l' in my name) it is wearly good to see yu again". As I had no recollection of ever meeting this member of staff previously I was taken aback and asked him where he knew from? He told me that I had been into Caminos Restaurant that was one of the hotel's restaurants where he had worked five years previously during March. I was truly stunned that he would recognise me let alone know my name. Although I had eaten in the restaurant on a couple of occasions I had no recall of what year that had been let alone the month. My young assistant had joined us on this particular trip and she looked on in stunned silence when so many of the front of house staff came up to greet me by name as we walked into the atrium but this was really the last straw for her. "God, it is like being with a rock star; how do all these people know who you are?" she asked. I guess I must have made a lasting impression.

Truly amazing!

It is no wonder they will never forget the Opium Wars.

10th ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11: TIME TO MOVE ON FROM HATE AND WARS TO BUILDING PEACE

2011-09-11T23:02:00.002+01:00

Ten years ago this week, we witnessed the loss of thousands of lives during the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre.

As Muslims we look back with sadness at what happened on September 11, 2001, it was undoubtedly an evil and criminal act of monstrous proportion. Muslims the world over have nothing to do with such an act of hate and destruction that drove the 9/11 bombers. Our prayers today are for the three thousand innocent lives lost, and thousands of other innocent men, women and children who have since lost their lives elsewhere as a result of the senseless wars unleashed in its wake.

On this anniversary, we recall with regret that this attack has been used to falsely accuse our cherished religion of Islam – a religion of humanity, being a target of irrational anger and hate, setting a global course of retaliatory action with little respect for human life, national sovereignty and rule of law. Terrorism is a crime and the perpetrators are not representatives of any faith, colour or race.

A lot has changed in the last 10 years but one thing remains the same: ordinary Muslims have continued to live by the values that have always made them decent, hard-working and community-oriented citizens. These were the values shown at the recent riots, where Muslims joined with people of all faiths and none to restore normality in our communities.

It has been a sad decade but has ended with grounds for optimism. It began with wars, more terror and even more lives lost. But it ended with Muslims in the Arab world demanding peace, democracy and the freedom to live their lives without fear and intimidation. The Arab Uprising was the best repudiation to the terrorists of 11 September 2001.

As we express our sympathy and solidarity to the families of all those who have lost their lives and suffered in 9/11 and since, let us honour their memory by rejecting the divisive agendas and placing our faith on our cherished values of global justice, freedom, and equality. We must redouble our efforts to achieve enduring solidarity amongst our diverse communities.

The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK's largest Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.

For further information please contact the MCB:

The Muslim Council of Britain

PO Box 57330

London,E1 2WJ

Tel: 0845 262 6786

Fax: 0207 247 7079

media@mcb.org.uk

THE 49ers - A MOST GRIPPING & CONCERNING REVELATION

2011-09-02T17:11:00.002+01:00

This is a most concerning book that every airline passenger should consider - but will be afraid to read. The contents should make anyone think twice before taking a seat on a commercial airliner and it certainly will force many passengers to be more discerning over their choice of carrier particularly if the culture exposed in the book is taking place elsewhere.

John Warham's account of the pressures his employer, Cathay Pacific Airways, had imposed on their pilots shows how absolutely deplorably the CX management behaved. The book clearly defines just how the 'number crunchers' dictated that commercial considerations should override flight safety issues and the welfare of Cathay's loyal employees and customers.

I was once proud to be a Cathay Pacific regular flyer's club Gold Card member during the period covered by the book. In fairness the airline looked after me superbly well but most passengers could not have known about what was really going on behind the scenes. I had been aware of the action taken by the cabin crews and later heard about the pilot dispute that ultimately led to the dismissal of the 49ers in 2001, but I never knew any of the details. Perhaps this was because at no time was I ever inconvenienced and the airline did a wonderful job of deliberately keeping their customers in the dark over the causes of the dispute, at least in the UK. I was invited on to the flight deck on several occasions but there was never any talk or indication of any pilot unrest and as far as I was aware, despite accusations from their management to the contrary, the pilots only ever demonstrated that they had the company's interests at heart. I only learnt about the reasons behind the pilots concerns in John Warham's book. As far as passengers were concerned - it was business as usual and Cathay Pacific certainly did a great job to paint a reputable picture of their airline to customers, although it seems from the evidence contained in this book, they were stretching the truth.

The total professionalism of the flight deck crews and the courtesy and high level of service that the cabin crews have, in my opinion, always extended towards their passengers, at least during the nine years that I travelled regularly, put Cathay streaks ahead of other carriers. Indeed, it was the exceptional standard of the staff, its reputation for flying the best aircraft and their unblemished safety record that determined why I chose to fly with the airline whenever I ventured to the Far East from the UK and from HK to the USA. However, Cathay Pacific were in essence exaggerating the truth when in reality some aircraft were flying with serious defects. But, hindsight is a wonderful thing and had I known then, what I know now, I may have considered flying with a different carrier because nobody wants to feel that an airline is dangerous. I was appalled to read how safety was put in jeopardy and I feel that many of Cathay's passengers will, like me, be horrified at this discovery. John Warham's excellent account tells of the issues relating to rostering, cost-cutting, maintenance problems and of the severe threats and pressures that were put on pilots, including the expectation of management for them to fly when unfit, has forced me to view Cathay Pacific in an entirely different light. The true story is far removed from the glowing image of an ultra-safe caring airline with a well-maintained fleet of new aircraft that it lavishly promoted to its passengers. CEO David Turnbull's statement that "We've done the CBA (cost benefit analysis) on accidents and we can afford a hull loss every three years" is beyond contempt and clearly supports the author's narrative that there were "serious flaws in the safety culture" and illustrates that management was prepared to take major risks with the safety of their passengers and crew.

Captain Warham must be congratulated for making the complex union activities and legal aspects of the story easy to follow and I admire him and his 'band of brothers' who were on the CPA 'hit list' for having the courage to take on the might of their ruthless employers and stick with it for the 8+ years it took to expose them in court. Despite being beaten in court, the Cathay Pacific management still refused to admit they had done anything wrong and continued to tell lies to protect their own interests and reputations.

Having read the book it clearly makes sense how Cathay Pacific managed to return excellent profits every year during a period when many other airlines went to the wall. They would have us believe that it was achieved through good management practices; now we all know different!

A great - yet very disturbing read that exposes how greed has become the prime objective that is causing so many major corporations to cast ethics aside in pursuit of profits. I believe this book is about to open a real can of worms and rightfully so especially if, as I believe, fingers might start to be pointed at other major airlines who may be suspected of operating the same way.

PANIC ON THE STREETS OF LONDON

2011-08-13T18:52:00.000+01:00

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

I’m huddled in the front room with some shell-shocked friends, watching my city burn. The BBC is interchanging footage of blazing cars and running street battles in Hackney, of police horses lining up in Lewisham, of roiling infernos that were once shops and houses in Croydon and in Peckham. Last night, Enfield, Walthamstow, Brixton and Wood Green were looted; there have been hundreds of arrests and dozens of serious injuries, and it will be a miracle if nobody dies tonight. This is the third consecutive night of rioting in London, and the disorder has now spread to Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham. Politicians and police officers who only hours ago were making stony-faced statements about criminality are now simply begging the young people of Britain’s inner cities to go home. Britain is a tinderbox, and on Friday, somebody lit a match. How the hell did this happen? And what are we going to do now?

Read the full story on Penny Red's Blog

RIOTING CANNOT BE EXCUSED - BUT POLITICIANS MUST TACKLE SOCIAL DEPRIVATION

2011-08-13T18:42:00.004+01:00

The most poignant scene that came out of the dreadful violence of the last week has been the highly emotive and dignified speech made by Tariq Jahan, the father of Haroon, one of the three men senselessly mowed down in Winson Green, who called for sanity and to urge people not to seek revenge for the tragic events that resulted in his son's death. We must all learn something from this.

The rioting that occurred across our nation has been dreadful and can never be condoned in any way. We must make every effort to ensure that the scenes we witnessed in Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Tottenham and many other parts of the country, including some that never made the headlines, will never be repeated. In view of the scope and extend of the violence it is a miracle that so few have been killed or seriously injured but hundreds have become the innocent victims of indiscriminate vandalism and arson that cannot be tolerated.

The debates will continue long into the future and differences of opinion will prevail over the causes of the shocking devastation and the ways that we should be dealing with mindless acts of violence. But the rioting that took place has long been expected and there have been plenty of warnings that civil unrest of this magnitude had been festering just beneath the surface for some considerable time. Community leaders from areas that are particularly vulnerable have been telling the authorities of this but as usual nobody was prepared to take any notice.

When armed police shot Mark Duggan dead in Tottenham it was initially seen as the spark that lit the fuse for the rioting that followed and the way that the police subsequently handled things has to be questioned. While this detonated the devastation that occurred in that part of north London, this cannot be seen as the root cause for the spread of the rioting that followed elsewhere. There are of course plenty of other underlying causes that are causing major concerns, but none of them are an excuse for the events that took place. A high rate of youth unemployment, poor housing on deprived inner city estates, and a lack of future opportunities are all being blamed. But we have to be careful - not everyone who is out of work and not all of those living in deprived housing took to the streets. Much of the trouble, in Salford for example, was perpetrated by career criminals while elsewhere opportunists joined in with the flow by grabbing the free booty that was on offer from destroyed business premises. It has become evident from the numbers that have been so far charged that many looters were employed; they come from varying backgrounds and some have never been in trouble before. So, can we assume from this that some of those that became embroiled in the rioting merely saw it as a chance for instant gratification, to acquire high value goods for free with, so they thought, little chance of being caught, while others saw it as a way of getting, to use that over-used description - a 'buzz'?

We will be wrong to be flippant and we must not ignore the existence of very real underlying factors and while just punishment has to be dealt to those that offended we should not let this cloud our judgement. It is easy for politicians to cast blame on others when in reality they, and the police, should be looking at their own conduct. Many youngsters, not necessarily those involved in the rioting, have suggested the way MPs abused their expenses was a factor. This has led to a view that 'if the politicians can get away with things - then so too can we'. While a handful of errant MPs have been jailed many feel far too many who were 'playing the system' such as the former Luton MP Margaret Moran should have been severely punished and this has caused a deep resentment that will not evaporate particularly with those are struggling to put food on their tables.

It is no surprise that a large number of rioters, but by no means all, were coloured. For as long as I can remember, the police have been accused of racism and there is plenty of evidence of their heavy-handedness when dealing with the young from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. With the gang culture that prevails there is some justification to this and there is no easy way of tackling the problem but one way might be to identify the reasons why gang culture is flourishing. The police have also been severely criticised, again with plenty of justification, over the way they tackled the rioting as it unfolded in some areas by a public who felt they were not being adequately protected. Victims have blamed the police for standing back as spectators while rioters looted shops in front of them and it has been suggested in some quarters that this may have been a deliberate ploy by some forces as a form of protest against the cuts in manpower the Government proposes. I do not agree with this assumption and the reason the police appeared helpless was because they were vastly outnumbered and poorly protected. This has led to a call for water cannon and baton rounds to be used in cases of civil disorder.

In some towns TV footage showed the police to be pitifully poorly equipped and even unprepared for the levels of violence that occurred. This has probably been caused by the fact that too few officers patrol on foot any longer causing a detachment between the police and the community. For some time there has also been a growing lack of confidence in the police. As many members of the public can relate, there have been numerous cases where the police have failed to respond to 999 calls. Indeed, during the height of the disturbances this week one Asian shopkeeper in Croydon spoke out on television to tell how after being subjected to violence and looting he had called the police three times only to be told that he was 'wasting their time'. If this is true then it can only be described as disgraceful. Another witness to the rioting told reporters how it had taken the police well over an hour to arrive on the scene of some of the worst rioting. If this is the kind of reaction we can expect from the police it can come as no surprise when local residents and business owners group together in order to try and protect their property. We have seen this already with Turkish Kurds who successfully defended their businesses in Dalston; residents who gathered in force in Enfield, Sikhs in Southall and Asians in Winson Green, Birmingham that sadly witnessed the deaths of three young Muslims who were run down by a car. Forming vigilante groups is a dangerous course to follow but when the public feel their homes, businesses and even their lives are in danger, what else can they do? The politicians and the police can criticise all they like but if they are unable to offer no alternative self protection of one's home and business becomes a natural reaction.

While emotions run high it is also easy to jump to the wrong conclusions and for politicians to make hasty decisions. There has been talk of banning social networking and introducing curfews as a means of controlling young people. But we have seen in the past that by banning guns after rogue gunmen ran amok murdering innocent victims in Dunblane and Hungerford has not solved the problem of shootings, nor has the Dangerous Dog Act introduced twenty-years ago prevented people being mauled. Nevertheless, it is inexcusable that it took until Thursday for Parliament to be re-called, yet it took no time at all for leading politicians and their entourages to arrive at the riot torn districts in order to score political points. The public are tired of rhetoric and we certainly have no time for the childish squabbling that has evolved between the Government and the police authorities over who is owed the credit for returning the country to some kind of order.

The public is also tired of hearing the over-used mantra uttered by David Cameron that 'lessons will be learnt'. The sad thing is that our leaders never seem to learn much at all and they continue by ignoring the problems created by an increasing divide that exists between the rich and the extremely poor. This in itself cannot be used as an excuse to smash up and burn communities and the majority of the poor would never dream of becoming involved in rioting, but this does not mean plenty of people are angry because they are simply not be listened to as their lives fall deeper into poverty.

If we are to prevent anarchy first of all politicians have to start listening to the problems individuals are facing and begin to address their concerns. Successive governments have failed to do this and the Alliance does not look like being any different. It must also begin with politicians learning to appreciate how ordinary people, once regarded as the 'working class' (but now so often the unemployed) are expected to live. The class barriers remain strong and have to be broken down and although nobody will profess this will be easy, this is the only way that future rioting of an even greater scale can be prevented. Although Britain is broken in so many ways - we must not give up hope. It is for the majority of good people in this country to unite to lobby Parliament to force change. The good and bad of what people power can achieve has been obvious this week. On the positive side we should be proud of the tireless efforts and unselfishness of the volunteers that pulled together from all age and ethnic groups to repair the damage caused by the bad elements. This showed a remarkable public spirit that proved that how the British people can unite in a way that brought some sanity back to our nation.

THE AMAZING FLOATING AIRPORTS

2011-07-18T21:53:00.006+01:00

The idea of floating airports has been around for a very long time in one form or another and some still believe the idea could provide a solution to a region’s air traffic problems. Here I look at the history of the Seadromes concept and how they continue to be a consideration.

Below: Diagram for the proposed floating airport near Schipol

In July 2007 various publications reported a two-year old proposal by a far-thinking Encinitas, California lawyer who was attempting to revive the idea of offshore floating airports. The company he formed, Ocean Works Development planned to build a 2000 acre platform, costing US$20 billion, 10 miles off the San Diego coast at a point where the Pacific is 350 to 1000 metres deep. The idea was the brainchild of Cambridge educated Adam Englund who intended to install a superstructure in the style of a massive oil rig, with a pair of unobstructed runways. Englund claims to have gathered a team of forty collaborators consisting of ‘pilots, naval architects, maritime engineers and finance types’ to support the project known as O-Plex 2020. The elaborate plans include the main landing platform above four dedicated decks to provide hotels, shops, restaurants, conference centre, research facilities – even a university. The structure has been devised to offer real estate space covering an area of 200 million feet². The idea was fired by the San Diego Airport Authority’s failure to find a suitable site to build a new land based airport. At the time Englund said: “the offshore option is the best and apparently the only viable one for San Diego.” A number of experts agreed that the plan was workable, among them an oceanographer who believed ‘a floating airport is every bit as achievable as putting a man on the moon.’ The project of course also has its critics who consider the idea to be more delusionary than visionary.

Englund visualised his grandiose scheme more as a green city; a project that would harvest wind and wave energy, and in a far reaching plan would include pumping clean water back to the mainland using a massive desalinization plant. He said he had no plans to seek government funding preferring to finance the airport from private investment; nevertheless the Interior Department formally challenged OceanWorks’ claim to use the US Exclusive Economic Zone for Airports without offering a reason. Initially it seemed unclear which Federal agency, if any, would have ultimate responsibility for approving the building of a major airport in a swathe of ocean, the Army Corps of Engineers appeared to claim this.

Logistically the problems of a facility of this kind would appear difficult and extremely costly especially for the safe transference of aviation fuel and passengers. Englund proposed to provide land based terminals dotted along the Southern California coast to connect with the airport using fast ferries. There was also a plan to link the terminal at Lindbergh Field with the offshore airport using a light railway that would run in an immersed tunnel or Archimedes bridge* 100 feet below the ocean surface. Publicity has prompted considerable debate over whether the airport would be feasible to build. But in July 2009 the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority announced its own $1 billion Green Build plan to develop the western side of Lindbergh Field. Ten more gates will be added at Terminal 2 West allowing an average of 60 extra flights a day to use the airport. Passenger facilities and taxiways will also be improved and there will be better overnight parking for aircraft. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in July 2009 and work on the expansion project is expected to continue into 2012 and will be the largest project in the history of San Diego International Airport. Although this will help solve some problems in the short term, critics say much more needs to be done to relieve future congestion. Other options are being studied to consider the air transportation needs over the next 30 years and beyond. In a scheme known as the Ultimate Build Out, an intermodal Transportation Centre is proposed for the north-east side of the airport. While land for development remains scarce The OceanWorks project might still provide an answer to the region’s future air traffic problems and currently Englund is undeterred by his critics and is trying to raise the finance for his project.

Offshore airports, although not a new idea, continue to interest planners and in the 1960s Los Angeles had considered a proposal for a floating airport to replace LAX. But so far, the few offshore airports already in existence including Kansai, Kitakyush, Kobi and Chuba in Japan and Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok have all been constructed using landfill to build artificial islands in preference to floating platforms. Since the 1970s there have also been several proposals, still at times revived, to build an offshore airport in the Thames estuary to cope with the increasing demands on London’s vastly overcrowded airports. But the Dutch Government has been more proactive in their consideration to approve an offshore floating platform. Invented by Van Den Noort Innovations NV in conjunction with Royal Haskoning Technical Engineering, Van Oord and the Technical University of Delft (Holland), the idea is to develop a rotating floating airport to ease the strain on Amsterdam’s Schiphol. With an estimated build cost of €90 billion (US$132 bn), this ambitious concept is considered to be more cost effective and efficient than constructing a new airport on an artificial island, although the idea owes some of its innovation to knowledge the designers gained from their work on offshore developments such as the Palm Islands in Dubai. The airport involves a purely afloat platform with two parallel runways designed to revolve 360 degrees around a fixed control tower. This would have the advantage of permitting aircraft take-off or land into the wind all of the time. The proposal is to locate the airport approximately 20 kilometers from the Dutch coast with passengers being transferred to a departures/arrivals facility, built onto the sea floor, via a tunnel from the Schiphol terminal by rapid transit trains using magnet levitation technology.

The original idea of a floating airport began in 1913 when Canadian born, Edward Robert Armstrong (1876-1955) invented the Seadrome. Armstrong, a circus strong man in his younger days, had worked in the early automotive and aviation industry and took his inspiration for his inventive mind from Jules Verne, his favorite author. His idea started to develop after he joined Du Pont de Nemours Co of Wilmington, Delaware as a research engineer. In the absence of suitable aircraft capable of flying passengers and freight across the Atlantic, Armstrong drew plans for a structure, not dissimilar to an offshore oil rig that would provide runway, maintenance and passenger facilities at a string of up to eight floating platforms. These were to be located at 350-400 mile intervals across the ocean between the US and Europe. Various changes were made to his initial proposals during the 1920s. By then Armstrong had been appointed chief engineer at Dupont and in his role as a senior executive was encouraged to develop his idea further. He reasoned that as sufficient sea traffic was already crossing the Atlantic, this would support his plans for engineered islands allowing aircraft to land and refuel and for passengers to rest and socialize between the continents. By 1921 he had completed a thorough feasibility study that included investigating sea currents, storm frequencies, fog conditions, wind patterns and the depth and geology of the ocean floor. His proposition was not only accepted as feasible, but in some academic quarters recognized as a ‘masterpiece’.

Based on the success of the large naval aircraft carriers Saratoga and Lexington, Armstrong planned to build massive platforms weighing 15,000 tons and measuring 1200 feet in length by 400 feet at the widest point where the main deck accommodation would be located. He structures would include a hangar with maintenance facilities; staff quarters and a 40-room luxury hotel for passengers. The latter would have provided facilities equal to, or more comfortable, than those provided on existing ocean going steamers. Armstrong also believed that, by locating the Seadromes in international waters under the British flag, the US Prohibition Laws in force at the time could not be applied thus allowing passengers to enjoy the bar and gambling facilities he proposed to include that would operate unimpeded by government interference.

The platforms were designed to stand on sturdy columns, 270 feet tall that would contain buoyancy chambers and ballast tanks with the main landing platform 70 feet above the ocean, high enough to be safely beyond the reach of the largest Atlantic waves. Armstrong had reasoned that by placing 95% of the structure’s weight below sea level would provide complete stability even in the heaviest seas. As the ocean was up to three miles deep, anchoring the platforms presented a formidable drawback. He found a solution by devising 125-ton buoys with galvanized steel cables 2.5 inches in diameter that would be attached to anchors weighing six tons. The cables were initially designed to be five miles long, but later reduced to 3½ miles by increasing the anchor weight pro-rata to 15 tons.

Armstrong was given leave by DuPont to work full time on the project. He formed the Armstrong Seadrome Development Company that originally proposed to construct a test rig in early 1928, destined to be built by H H Ward of Chester, Pennsylvania that had been intended to anchor 350 miles from New York. He announced, rather prematurely as it turned out, that trans-Atlantic flights would commence using the Seadromes in 1930. But the planned test rig was never completed; instead a 1/32 scale model was built in October 1928 on the Choptank River estuary at Chesapeake Bay, a part of the Dupont estate, that weighed just over a ton and had a length of 35 feet.

The Sun Shipbuilding Company of Chester and the Belmont Iron Works of Eddystone, Pennsylvania were ready to commence building the first full size Seadrome that by December 1929 had increased in weight to 29,000 tons. Several other contractors became involved with to construct cables; to carry out route studies and other aspects of the development, but the estimated $2 million estimated build cost of the project seemed rather optimistic considering the amount of work involved. The first platform was to be constructed off Cape May on the Delaware River from where it would be towed to a location between New York and Bermuda. However, the opening date had to be put back to May 1932 after construction had failed to go to plan and the escalating build problems needed to be solved. These included adding a rudder into the design to control yawing and by introducing heavy winches to control cable tension particularly during calm seas after the model had demonstrated a tendency to drift towards the surface buoys. It appears the company was also undergoing some financial and operational problems that led to a parent company being formed called the Seadrome Corporation which had a subsidiary known as North Atlantic Airways that intended to raise money from shareholders. By then the proposed number of Seadromes was cut to reduce costs with the Azores added as the final ink to Europe with likely landfall destinations named as Brest, Lisbon and Vigo. But the project continued to be overstretched, both in time and money. When the proposed airway was due to become operational aircraft development had already progressed. Pan American Airways was already working with Sikorsky to build the S-42, a flying boat with a range of 750 miles that would seriously limit the viability of the Seadromes. When the Wall Street crash occurred in October 1929 this threw a further spanner in the works and Armstrong’s project was rapidly running out of cash.

The model tests had indicated that the horizontal and diagonal cross bracing designed to provide extra strength to the 32 support pylons would not be necessary. Although this translated into considerable weight and cost savings, the anchoring system presented further difficulties that had not previously been predicted. By January 1931 new plans were revealed for a massive spherical shaped anchor made from reinforced concrete that would be 100 feet in diameter and weigh 1,500 tons. Chains were also incorporated within the design to provide the extra strength the cables needed to secure a Seadrome in place. The overall weight of each platform had also snowballed from the original 15,000 to 47,000 tons with the estimated cost of the project spiralling out of control to more than $93 million. Armstrong’s projected operating costs had also escalated from $26 million a year to $54 million. He had optimistically based the annual returns for the Seadromes on 170,000 passengers arriving on the platforms on ten daily Sikorsky S-40 flights carrying 30 passengers each. This was wildly unrealistic, particularly considering that the world was in Depression and that only the rich could afford the high cost of air tickets. But Armstrong refused to let go of his belief in the viability of his project. He applied for US Government backing but after early rejections his idea reached President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934. Armstrong was invited to make a presentation to the Federal Aviation Commission (FAC). Charles Lindbergh, who had earlier supported the Seadrome concept, by then was working for Pan American Airways, testified against Armstrong’s project in the realization that if it were allowed to progress it would pose a direct threat to the aircraft Pan Am was having built. This effectively scuppered the Seadrome project before it was built.

But Armstrong’s dream was not quite dead and buried. The flamboyant Chairman of Pennsylvania-Central Airlines, C Bedell Monro, still believed in the credibility of the idea and attempted to revive it during 1943. By then the operating range of aircraft had increased with the introduction of the Douglas DC-3 and DC-4E prototype (first flown 1938) reducing the potential number of Seadromes for an Atlantic crossing to three, each weighing less (estimated at 64,000 tons) and costing $10 million. Juan Trippe had no interest in Seadromes; Pan Am was already successfully flying the Atlantic with their Boeing 314 flying boats and the Boeing 307 had also crossed without the aid of ocean based platforms. Trippe’s Pan American empire was expanding at a gallop, and his vision of the future was not in the use of sea based airports but in bigger and better aircraft capable of conquering vast distances non-stop. He was right; but although Edward Robert Armstrong, still clutching at his vision, slipped into oblivion the idea of floating seadromes has remained to stir the imagination. Some of the technology Armstrong had been developing was later used in semi-submersible oil drilling platforms.

In a rather intriguing twist to this tale, Bruce Figarsky, a man who described himself as someone with a passion for aviation, claims to own the Armstrong’s personal portfolio of papers connected to the Seadrome. This, according to the American television series ‘The History Detectives’ includes a blue print drawing dated 1937 and a portfolio of articles from magazines from the US and other parts of the world. Figarsky told the programme that he bought at a flea market in Lincoln, Nebraska while on a drive from California. How they got there nobody knows but the ‘find’ is featured in a video from the television series that can be seen online at: (http://video.pbs.org/video/1229733006). During my research of this article I attempted to contact Mr Figarsky on several occasions but I received no response to my emails.

*An Archimedes bridge is a submerged floating tunnel that is supported by buoyancy and held in place by anchors and steel cables to the seabed or pontoons. It is so called because it uses Archimedes theory ‘that an object immersed in fluid loses weight equal to the weight of the amount of fluid it displaces.’ The Italian company, Ponte di Archimedes International is planning to build the first prototype bridge at Qiandao Lake in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.

I BELIEVE EMPLOYERS GUILTY OF BY-PASSING EXPERIENCED OLDER WORKERS

2011-07-14T12:03:00.001+01:00

It was announced yesterday that the number of unemployed has dropped yet those claiming Job Seekers' Allowance has increased. This sounds like a bit of a conundrum to me and suggests this is another attempt by the Government to cover up the truth. Do they really know how many people are now unemployed? I don't think so, and this is because thousands will either not be claiming Job Seekers' Allowance or, more to the point, they no longer qualify. This includes plenty of well qualified middle-aged men and women who are being ignored by employers yet are unable to claim Job Seekers' Allowance once they have been out-of-work for more than a year.

I believe employers are largely to blame for the high number of professional people who cannot find work. Ageism, in spite of legislation devised to prevent it, is still rife and it easy to use any of many excuses to mask the real reason for dismissing a job application. The majority of unemployed senior people will concur with this view and will be familiar with 'too experienced', 'the standard of applicants was extremely high' or 'you do not quite match our requirements' as being tantamount to being 'too old'. But there is another issue. Experience usually comes with age and this means that thousands of extremely capable people are being by-passed by companies because of a fear factor. The chances are that when an experienced older person applies for a job his or her application will be scrutinised by somebody much younger. A more experienced applicant can present a challenge to less experienced employers that could create a situation that undermine their authority. This may be intentional or psychological - but often those that short list job applicants feel it may be better to cast aside anyone that could pose such a threat. There is evidence of this all around. We only need look at just one aspect of business - that of customer service - to see how poor it has become in many organisations. It is my belief that this is because the leadership in many companies is appalling and that many of the people they employ lack the experience or training to do their jobs properly.

ALEX HAY SUCCUMBS TO CANCER

2011-07-12T16:54:00.010+01:00

I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Alex Hay, the former golf professional, BBC golf commentator for 26-years, author, artist, raconteur and former managing director of Woburn Golf & Country Club.

Alex’s banter with Peter Alliss and his special brand of humour and extremely entertaining after-dinner speaking was legendary and his knowledge and skilful broadcast deliveries led to him being known as the ‘voice of golf’.Born in Edinburgh in 1933 Alex was educated at Musselburgh Grammar School and took a job as an apprentice golf club maker before becoming assistant professional at Potters Bar Golf Club. He went on to become the club professional at East Herts, Dunham Forest and Ashridge before moving to Woburn where he shone, eventually becoming managing director, a post he held until his retirement.

I was privileged to know Alex, his wife Ann and son David very well and had huge respect for him in a personal as well as a professional capacity. He generously helped my business to progress enormously and his personal recommendation was instrumental in my long-term appointment as official photographer to the Dunhill British Masters Tournament. I admired his wit and even though I had heard most of his stories many times over they were nevertheless always delivered with great candour, laughter and timing. Many of his golfing tales are recalled in his excellent autobiographical book Ripening Hay (Partridge Press 1989).

Alex was 78 and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer. My sincere thoughts are with Ann, David and his other son, Graham at this difficult time.

ENGLAND STARS SELFISH

2011-07-10T16:51:00.003+01:00

Well done Paul Scholes for making public what the majority of football fans have believed for a very long while. In a Sunday Telegraph interview today the retired Manchester United star who last played for England in 2004 said "I got fed up" and went on to criticise some of the prima donnas of the squad by adding "When you are going to a team, and you want to be a part of a team and playing well, and there are individuals who are after personal glory ... when there is a simple pass of 10 yards, they will do things to try and get themselves noticed". He used Jamie Carragher as an example after he admitted it mattered more to him to lose for Liverpool than it did for England.

But most fans will agree that the selfishness of top players extends further. I have been watching football for more than 50 years and for the first time I am feeling really disillusioned by what is taking place. Money most certainly has ruined the game. It comes before everything else and denies vast numbers of ordinary working fans the opportunity of going to watch their teams play. What started as a working man's game can no longer claim to be so because genuine fans can no longer afford to attend matches. Add this to the marked lack of respect many top players express towards their fans leaves one with a feeling of disdain. Despite earning more in a year than most people will see in a lifetime, pampered greedy players are never satisfied and this often leads to poor performances for their clubs. Ardent supporters of a club naturally grow impatient with players who constantly whinge and seek a transfer. As a lifelong Arsenal supporter my enjoyment of the game is marred when players such as Fabregas have been threatening to leave the club for two seasons. He is a truly great player but in my view he should be stripped of his captaincy and be sent packing. What real good is he to the club if he no longer has it in his heart to play for them? Similarly Nasri has made it clear that he wants to leave the club and it is rumoured that Van Persie is also wanting to go. This will provide no inspiration for the supporters who are long overdue a trophy, but it also speaks volumes about the disloyalty some top players express towards their fans.

The modern game is also being undermined by the amount of controversial refereeing decisions that influence results week on week.Wouldn't it be a great tribute to football if a level of sanity could return to bring back some of the value the game has lost? In some respects it was a breath of fresh air to watch the England -v- France Women's World Cup quarter finals yesterday. Although it was sad that England lost, despite some naivety in the female game it was nevertheless pleasant to watch without the constant disagreements between players and officials and players with their opponents that so often ruins the men's game.

AN EASY WAY TO RID YOUR GARDEN OF SLUGS

2011-07-10T14:59:00.002+01:00

While wandering around the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (the worlds largest) last week I met Mr and Mrs Messina a charming couple who had invented a simple, yet highly effective, device known as the Slug Bell. This is a cheap, low cost and attractively colourful little gadget that is used to 'feed' slugs with deadly pellets to rid them from your garden.

The Slug Bell was designed as a safe, environmentally friendly and efficient way of keeping toxic slug pellets out of reach of animals and children and was devised after Mike Messina had become ill after eating part of a slug pellet that had remained on a lettuce that had been thoroughly washed several times.

With prices ranging from £8.49 to £9.99 the all-metal Slug Bell represents excellent value for money. The product consists of a simple spike that is placed into the ground that contains a small mesh feeder partway up the spike that is used to bait the slugs. Pellets are placed in the bowl and the hungry slugs, attracted by the odour given off from the pellets, have no trouble climbing the spike to devour the bait. A small bell-shaped hood, available in an array of patterns and colours to blend in with your garden, is then placed on top of the spike to hide the slug pellets from prying pets and children and to provide protection from the rain.

Slug Bells are already in use in the gardens at Highgrove and Mike Messina proudly showed me a letter sent to him by a member of HRH Prince Charles's staff praising the value of the products. Mike has also been interviewed by researchers from the 'Dragon's Den' programme.

Slug Bells can be purchased on line from the manufacturers.

THE PROMISE OF FAR EASTERN WINES

2011-05-21T19:07:00.010+01:00

A few years ago I was privileged to be invited by Red Bull to a wine tasting at my favourite Thai restaurant, the impressive Blue Elephant in Fulham Broadway. It was organised to promote Monsoon Valley Wines that are produced in Thailand by the Siam Winery owned by Red Bull. Until then the thought of drinking wine made in Thailand went somewhat against the grain. But then, why should it? The winemaker had a fine French pedigree, and coincidentally had worked for a friend of mine, the wonderful chef Peter Chandler, owner of Paris House restaurant in Woburn who sadly died two years ago.

The extreme temperatures of the Thai climate means vines can be grown with a high concentration of fruit. These are produced in two areas; in the hills around the coastal town of Hua Hin and on floating vineyards near to Samut Sokorn, 30 miles from Bangkok, in the Chao Phraya Delta on the Gulf of Thailand. The local grape varieties are Malaga Blanc and Pokdum - the latter, when blended with Shiraz and Black Muscat produces an excellent red. The wines, produced by the Siam Winery, are not at all bad and are an admirable compliment to spicy Thai food. The wines are available in many Thai restaurants and I suggest that you give them a try if you want to be suitably impressed.

This brings me conveniently to another story that I became aware of this week with the announcement that Moët and Chandon has invested in 163 acres of farmland at Ningxia, a region of China located south of the Mongolian steppe and Gobi Desert. This is one of the poorest areas of China but the renowned Champagne producers will be bring added benefits to the economy by planting Pino Noir and Chardonnay vines that will produce China's first traditional method sparkling wine. Wine experts have said that the terroir of Ningxia closely match that of Rheims, although the Yellow River flood plane is very different to the soft water of the Marne. The company has a purpose-built winery that is jointly owned with Ningxia Nongken a local state owned agriculture company. Planting is due to begin in April or May next year and the first wines will be ready in three years although they cannot be called Champagne as to lay claim to the name wines must be produced in this region of France.

The Chinese drink about one million bottles of Champagne a year despite it being heavily taxed and the overall consumption of wine in the country more than doubled between 2005 and 2009 to over one billion bottles a year. Once available, the local brand will allow more Chinese to enjoy a quality sparkling wine and Moët believes that it will encourage new drinkers to progress through the range of sparkling wines to eventually invest in Champagne.

WHO HAS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?

2011-05-18T18:51:00.003+01:00

It is interesting; I had an exchange on Twitter with Jack Schofield who describes himself as a 'tech journo who covered IT for The Guardian'. I told him that he had been largely responsible for my development as a writer. After writing this Tweet I paused for thought and began considering people who have had the most influence over the way my life has panned out.

Jack had been the editor of a magazine called Photo Technique during the early 1970s at a time when I took the plunge to start my photography business. I had been exceptionally well trained as a wedding photographer by Ron Hayward, who managed Wilkin Studios in Enfield. Ron had become my mentor and friend and it was entirely due to him that I became a professional photographer.

I wanted to learn all I could about wedding photography but there were no books on the subject. It occurred to me that I could pass on much of what Ron had taught and approached Photo Technique and was encouraged by Jack to write a series of instructional articles that created the impetus to write my first book.

Since then I have never really looked back despite a gap of more than twenty years between writing my second commissioned book and my most recently published title in 2009. In the latter case I may have lost confidence had it not been for my editor, Robert Forsyth of Chevron Publications who gave me the encouragement needed to bring my project to life.

We rarely stop to consider why we do what we do it, why we act as we do or enjoy certain things. Mostly other people have had a long-term influence on our lives that will have shaped just about everything that we do. The pattern we follow usually begins with the relationships that we form with our parents and our siblings before we enter the wider world and make friends, and sometimes enemies.

My parents were separated and while my mother, grandmother and less so, my older sister, will have influenced my home life, Saturdays spend with my father provided me with an intimate knowledge and love of London. He had no car so each week he would take me on the bus and tube to parks and museums until I was old enough to become independent. He also gave me my first camera which formed my early interest in photography. As a weekend parent he was not around enough to influence other aspects of my life but I am eternally grateful for the knowledge he gave me.

At grammar school there were a few teachers that inspired me; Mrs Webster shaped my English; Alec Cooper (maths and science) and Len Hadleigh (geography). After leaving school I cannot recall anyone I regarded as a mentor until my second job as a trainee cinema manager with Granada. I had enormous respect for my manager, Harry Kimber. Two relief managers Paul Kenna and the other, a former repertory theatre actor, a wonderful man called Charlie Rowe, inspired responsibility and taught me how to manage and deal with staff. At a later job, Bill Dewan the charismatic owner of Dominion Press showed me leadership skills, while later at Garland-Compton Advertising Philip Broadbridge expressed enough confidence in my fledgling photographic ability to hire me as a freelance to boost the wages I was earning at the same agency as a progress chaser. Each of these people added special qualities that have helped make my life what it is, perhaps by passing on particular particles of knowledge or simply by encouraging me to pursue what I was good at.

But it goes beyond this. Others offer us their wisdom by sharing their experiences of some of the finer things in life. While working at Sharps Advertising Chris Tew made me realise that there was something better to drink than Blue Nun and the cheap Spanish plonk from Stowells of Chelsea that we would consume while dining on steak at a Berni Inn. I probably knew little about good food until Steve Cowdrill at the Bedford Arms Hotel (now Inn at Woburn) commissioned me to photograph - and taste - the food on their menu. As a wedding photographer I met Richard Musa who was food and beverage manager at the same hotel. He became a best friend, taught me more about good food and together we went on a book buying spree to Foyles in Charing cross Road and returned loaded with cookery books. This ultimately led to me specialise in food photography and to writing restaurant reviews for magazines.

In sport, brother-in-law Brian took me to Arsenal when I was just eight years old and, for better or worse, I have supported the club ever since despite spending two or three seasons from the age of eleven as an honorary spectator at Spurs. At my first match at Highbury I was thrilled watching the great goalkeeper Jack Kelsey for the first and only time before injury forced his retirement. But the experience was enough to convince me that once I started playing football, in spite of my short stature, I had to play in goal. That was until Joe Baker came to Arsenal and started banging in the goals during the 1960s and became my hero. From then on I switched to centre forward and though never emulating his skills when I began playing in a team I did bang in twelve goals in four matches because the opposition was rubbish.

When I became a photographer, Ron Hayward had given me so much encouragement and was the reason I switched from being part-time wedding photographer to become a highly competent professional. Thereafter the late Eric Lawe, perhaps one of the finest classical portrait photographers this country has produced, became my mentor and friend.

I could go on ... there are so many others who have contributed so much towards making me what I am. We tend to take the influence of others for granted - especially when an individual's influence has contributed something positive and permanent to our lives. Perhaps we should all spend a few moments to consider why we are what are and to remember with gratitude those that have most influenced our lives.

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY ... IT'S THE WAY THAT YOU SAY IT

2011-05-10T19:53:00.002+01:00

Most people are capable of stringing words together to produce a reasonable piece of text but this does not necessarily mean that the copy they write is capable of reaching their targeted audience in the appropriate 'voice'. As we know, being able to communicate in the most effective way is often dependent on choosing the right words to persuade readers to react. When writing web content, key words embedded in the text are especially vital to optimise a site if it is to have any chance of being recognised by the search engines.

A fundamental mistake is that many writers fail to consider the needs of their audience. They tend to overload their text with references to I, me or we instead of addressing the reader by the second person pronoun - you. This is symptomatic of DIY efforts by SMEs to create their own marketing communications - but they often unwittingly adopt a tunnel visioned approach caused by being too close to their business. Often they fail to distinguish the wood from the trees by not identifying the key features of their business that will be of most interest to their target audience. But writing about oneself is never easy. Trying to divorce yourself from your business ideals makes it almost impossible to write about it in an unbiased way. For this reason it makes perfect sense to employ a professional writer who, although speaking with your voice, will be able to put your messages across in a far more balanced way.

Small and medium sized businesses frequently miss out on opportunities to gain good publicity by ignoring the potential that well-written press releases, newsletters and blogs have to offer. Businesses frequently have plenty of positive things happening within their organisations that, for one reason or another, they are not always conveying to their potential customers. Usually they are too busy or do not feel able to blow their own trumpet by conveying their good news in sharp, interesting and appropriately targeted marketing communications.

Instead of missing the boat - most businesses can benefit by hiring a professional wordsmith to produce their written marketing communications.

AS ARSENAL LOSE AGAIN - I AM BEGINNING TO DOUBT MY SANITY

2011-05-08T16:47:00.009+01:00

The football season is thankfully nearly over but what concerns me most is that there will be another one along very soon. It is a time for reflection and for the first time I am starting to doubt my sanity by bothering to get enthused as I anxiously await the next game.

I gave up watching England ages ago ... although I did try to become enthused during the World Cup but now it looks like Arsenal are going to be devoid of my support because I simply find them too frustrating to watch. I have been an ardent supporter of the Gunners for as long as I can remember. I went to my first game in 1958 when they beat West Bromwich Albion at Highbury 4-3. That day, Jackie Henderson scored twice for Arsenal, David Herd once and WBA put the other through their own net. After that I didn't get to Highbury again until 1963-64 when my mate John Cochrane and I became old enough to go on our own. Previously my cousin Harry had taken me to Spurs but I was angry when, at the age of 11 my mother would not let me go to see them play Moscow Torpedo because it was a school night. Then, during the amazing 'double' season of 1960-61 I went with another cousin, Pete, and his mates during the days when we would need to queue at the schoolboys' entrance. However, my support for Arsenal never left me as I watched them suffer in the mid positions of the old First Division league table. On the night that Arsenal won the League Championship, ironically at Tottenham as the first stage of their 1970-71 'double' - I was unable to get in the ground and spent the evening with a girlfriend moping in a coffee bar in Tottenham High Road.

My greatest memory was when Arsenal beat Anderlecht of Belgium 3-0 at Highbury on 28 April 1970 to win the Inter City Fairs Cup Final after losing away from home 1-3. It was my late flat mate Roi's birthday and we had the best seats in the main stand high up above the half way line. George Graham was 'strolling' and played brilliantly that night. And then ... he became manager, making a tremendous success by playing boring football and Arsenal went from strength to strength.

The Wenger years have been more memorable ... so many successes, so many truly great players ... we were on a high but could never quite reach the heights of Ferguson's Manchester United. But from the glorious years the last six seasons have been torment as things never quite worked out. The European Cup ... European Championship ... call it what you like, has eluded Wenger and I doubt he will ever win it. But worse ... Wenger has started to whinge and whine ... to blame everyone but himself for a lack of results. I have loved what Arsene has done for Arsenal ... he has given so much including an amazing stadium ... but even I am having self-doubts over whether his day has come to bid a fond farewell.

Today, after starting with promise, Arsenal failed to deliver, losing 1-3 at Stoke in a miserable game that fell away and Arsenal showed so little real commitment. This has been the story for much of this season - a failure to deliver - especially when it most matters. It was another of the hat full of games Arsenal should have been capable of walking but instead threw away. It was a disappointment for the loyal fans and with the financial clout that Arsenal Football Club has, we deserve better.

As supporters we have been spoilt. We have had the best of most things ... but not quite everything. Unfortunately there are too many players wearing the Arsenal short that do not deserve this privilege, and it is time their numbers were counted.

Maybe next year will be better!

PERSONAL MEMORIES OF SEVE

2011-05-07T19:39:00.004+01:00

Along with other sports lovers everywhere I was saddened to learn of the death of Severiano Ballesteros at the age of just 54. He died from a brain tumour first diagnosed three-years ago. He was a terrific golfer, a professional's professional, and a truly great character. His passing will be a huge loss to golf and sport in general.

I have my own fond memories of Seve. From 1986-1994 I was the official photographer for Dunhill at the British Masters Golf tournament held at Woburn Golf & Country Club. I met him for the first time in 1986 in the tent assigned to my team on the 1st tee at the ProAm event that preceded the main tournament. Seve had been teamed with Tim Brooke-Taylor, the former Goodie, who was naturally apprehensive about how his golf might stand up to scrutiny playing in the same foursome as the great master. Tim had cut his hand while searching for a ball during his warm up on the practice ground and as my wife applied first-aid to his injury they were filmed by TV cameras causing Tim further trepidation. Seve won the Masters that year and returned several times more, winning again in 1991.

Report in Daily Telegraph

Tim Brooke-Taylor need not have worried. He told me later that Seve had been an amazing playing partner and had given advice and been extremely encouraging to his playing partners throughout the 18 holes giving them all a lot of confidence.

I had taken a photograph of Tim with Seve (seen here) before they teed-off and I was privileged when Tim asked if he could use this to illustrate the back cover of his book Tim Brooke-Taylor's Golf Bag. When the book was published in 1989, to mark the occasion I invited him to my studio after the ProAm event where I presented him with a framed canvas bonded print of the photograph. I was thrilled when he wrote to say that my photograph took pride of place above the fireplace at his Berkshire home.

Over the years Seve's command of English that seemed at first limited appeared to improve - sufficiently in fact to chastise me on one occasion for unthinkingly placing myself in his eye-line as he was about to make a vital putt. I got the rough end of his tongue but he was sufficiently gracious to exchange some pleasant banter about this after he had finished playing for the day. Despite a tiring round that had not completely gone his way, he generously gave his time before returning to his hotel to be photographed by me with a group of competition winners that had won tickets for the Masters. He didn't have to do this; and while others on the golf circuit may have refused, Seve was prepared to give his time to his fans.

As a photographer I worked with Seve on four or five occasions. I always found him easy going, polite and willing to share a joke off the course - but during the tournament, when concentrating, he could sometimes be feisty. But Seve Ballesteros was always thoroughly professional and he gained everybody's respect and was extremely well liked. He has long been missed from the playing circuit but now, with his passing, marks the end of a legend.

THIS IS QUITE INCREDIBLE

2011-05-07T15:54:00.003+01:00

While tuned in to Radio 5 Live this morning as I slowly cruised through the M1 roadworks in south Bedfordshire, this weird little calculation was phoned in by another listener that I thought was worth sharing.

The roadworks has no connection to the story but is merely to set the scene and to emphasize that you can pick up the most useless pieces of trivia no matter where you happen to be! Apparently if you add the LAST TWO DIGITS of your date of birth to the age you will be NEXT birthday it will come to '101'. Now I tried this with several people I know and it was always correct. For example, if you were born on say 1 June 1961 you will be 50 next birthday. Add 61 to 50 - what do you get - 111. Peculiar isn't it?

I confess that I have not tested this out on more than a few people - so I will now sit back and wait to hear from anyone who can tell me that it doesn't work for them. I think it is interesting so please give it a try.

LIFE CAN NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

2011-05-05T01:40:00.001+01:00

I am quite certain this sort of thing happens to many hapless people and it is the sort of thing that you read about in the newspapers. What I cannot understand are the reasons why a few people feel they have the right to totally upset the equilibrium of other peace loving citizens by their selfish and hostile behaviour. It is the kind of thing we are used to seeing on The Jeremy Kyle Show when one family imposes will unfairly on another. But these aren't uneducated yobbos but adults who simply want to get their own way at everybody else's expense.

In this case I am of course referring to The Neighbour From Hell!

To explain: I have lived with my wife in a peaceful community for more than 25-years. We get along well with our long-term neighbours; we all speak to each other, there is no aggression and we are all of a type who are prepared to help each other in a time of need. Only ... this idyllic situation was destined to change when one of my neighbours split up with his wife and sold his house. It's probably not relevant, although it may be, that the house was sold for considerably less than it was really worth in order for the previous owners to settle their financial affairs. The purchaser was a forty-something divorcee that arrived with two boisterous young sons and a male 'friend' in tow that from day one began to alter the entire status quo of the immediate area where we live.

Now, if I were to move home (which may now be on the cards) one of the first things I would do would be to introduce myself to my neighbours and, without being overbearing, attempt to make friends with them. I don't necessary mean forging the type of friendship whereby you are in and out of one another's homes - but the kind that allows everyone to continue enjoying a pleasant way of life without interfering with anyone else.

But immediately they, let's call them the She Devil family. moved in Mrs She Devil and her 'friend' took it upon themselves to take over the communal visitor's parking space despite having a garage and two private parking bays of their own and on-street parking outside their front door. On day one She Devil collared me and suggested I move my car to allow her easier access into the visitor's parking space. She then subjected me to a tirade of lies about the state my neighbour had left his house in. There was no need to move my car because She Devil had ample space of her own. But she felt the need make a point - like a dog marking its territory - as she continued to do every day since by parking in the visitor's bay leaving her private bays clear for her 'friend's' workman's van ... a white van!

Over the Bank Holiday they went away in the white van leaving She Devil to push her point deeper, this time by parking her car at an angle that blocked both my private bay and that intended to be used by visitors to the houses in the courtyard where we live. Prior to going away, she also lobbed off a few branches of my flowering bush that were hanging over her garden. While most people would have disposed of these in their garden refuse bin, She Devil was unable to resist tossing them over the fence into my garden. I know she was legally correct in doing this, but morally it was debatable and any decent person would have simply disposed of the branches.

I was angered by her actions because I was convinced by blocking two parking spaces for five days while she was away was done in order to make a point; possession being nine-tenths of law or squatters rights or some other such nonsense. I posted a polite through her letterbox suggesting that the parking issues needed to be addressed. I know I am in the right and she knows that she is not entitled to block parking spaces that are there for the use of others. Only this time she had parked her car on the space that I own. She Devil returned from wherever she had been and banged heavily on my front door. She wanted confrontation - suggesting that she would park wherever she liked. I won't go into the details of a heated verbal debate - well, not much of a debate really because I was unable to get a word in edgeways. The entire street would have heard it which will hardly endear her to others. I asked her to leave my property; she refused, so I closed the front door that obviously caused her blood pressure to rise further and she attempted to knock down my door again. I asked her again to leave my property and this time she did but almost took my gate off its hinges as she left.

She Devil's angry abuse is not restricted to me. The Parcel Force driver has been subjected to it but my former neighbour who sold her the house was the first to be subjected to her wrath. After leaving his house in good order, She Devil's solicitor sent him a letter claiming compensation for a garage door that won't open or lock; the electrics and water system that has suddenly become dangerously faulty; and a window that was mysteriously broken between my former neighbour leaving and She Devil moving in. I think it is very strange how none of these defects were spotted by her surveyor? But then, I do have a suspicious nature.

Within weeks of moving in Underdog has already made her mark. She is a control freak who has to have her own way and I fear things can only get worse. Why do some people behave like this?

FALLOWFIELDS SETS THE PACE FOR FINE DINING

2011-05-01T16:23:00.003+01:00

Fallowfields Hotel and Restaurant has always had an excellent reputation for food and hospitality.

They have just announced the arrival of Shaun Dickens as Head Chef. Shaun's sparkling career has taken him to a Who's Who of Michelin starred restaurants; with three years at Oxfordshire’s own Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (two Michelin stars), two years at Per Se in New York (3 Michelin stars) and L’Ortolan (1 Michelin star) where he worked with Alan Murchison for the last two years. Additionally, he spent short periods with Gordon Ramsay in London and New York, Michelle Roux Junior at the Gavroche and Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniels. In 2009 Shaun was a finalist of the Young Chef of the Year Competition, and in 2010 won the title for the South West Region and came 3rd overall nationally.

The world of Michelin seems open for Shaun, almost wherever he has chosen to go. So, why did he choose Fallowfields? "I am at a point in my career where I needed a project", says Shaun – "and Fallowfields, with its farm, orchards and kitchen garden, is a chef’s dream turned true. So when I saw Fallowfields was looking, I just knew this was the job for me". There was a sense of passion about Fallowfields that struck me when I first came, that matched my own – you could feel it - and with the passion that I as chef will bring, the future of Fallowfields is unlimited. The journey starts here, today the 26th April.

Anthony Lloyd, owner of Fallowfields commented: "This is an unparalleled opportunity for a good business to become a great business. We are food led and Shaun’s arrival has been anticipated with much excitement in the last few weeks. Right from the days when my wife Peta cooked in the kitchen on an Aga and we planted our vegetable garden and orchards and then starting the farm three years ago, Fallowfields has almost been sitting waiting for a talent like Shaun to come along to make it come alive".

IF YOU ARE GOING TO INDIA - YOU'D BETTER TAKE THE TRAIN

2011-03-10T17:24:00.002Z

If you are considering going to India be very careful who you fly with especially if you intend to fly internally within the country. The rapid airline growth in India has apparently led to a pilot shortage but some have found their own way of solving the problem.

According to The Times of India this week Captain(sic) Parminder Kaur Gulati was arrested in Delhi after causing damage to an Airbus A320 at Goa while flying an IndiGo Airlines. IndiGo is one of the sub continent's burgeoning companies but passengers onboard one of their company's aircraft would have been shocked to know that the woman pilot at the controls of their aircraft was in fact flying on a fake licence. The rapid 'explosion' in air travel in India could have been for real and it is probably m ore luck than judgement that a major disaster had not occurred. Captain Gulati, aged 38, had flown for the airline as a co-pilot since 2007 but she had failed her examination on air navigation and not turned up to take her paper on radio aids and instruments - vital if you are in charge of any aircraft especially one as sophisticated as an Airbus. Gulati was reported to have landed aircraft badly 10-15 times although this was denied by her employer. But she should have known better than to forge her licence because she is the wife of Indian police officer. She was found to have forged a mark-sheet to show that she had passed her exams when in fact she hadn't. The Director General of Civil Aviation in India who is meant to regulate the industry discovered that Gulati's commercial pilot's licence issued in January 2009 had been based on fake examination results. Her case might just be the tip of the chapatti because the DGCA is believed to be investigating two other similar cases. One of these is said to be another IndiGo pilot who was suspended from flying on Sunday, the second is said to work for MDLR Airlines.

Indigo Airlines carried more than 19 per cent of air travellers on Indian domestic flights and according to reports has just ordered 180 new Airbus A320s to be delivered between 2016 and 2025. In view of the discovery of faked paperwork, the DGCA has announced that it is to carry out a review of all pilot's licences and supporting documents in an attempt to restore confidence and integrity back into their industry.

A spokesperson for IndiGo said "Safety is a key concern at IndiGo" but one now doubts if anyone will believe them.

CAMERON MUST STOP SABRE-RATTLING AND COME TO HIS SENSES

2011-03-10T16:19:00.000Z

To think that I voted for Cameron. But I am now left doubting my sanity and it is starting to dawn on me that very few politicians have a clue about what they are doing. His threats of imposing a 'no fly zone' over Libya is starting to mirror what that former war-monger, Tony Blair did in Iraq.

By making all of these devastating cuts to our military capabilities, how can Cameron continue with the belief that Britain is a major military power capable of enforcing our will over other nations? It is time that we kept our dirty noses out of other people's battles more especially as we no longer have the muscle to back up our threats. Perhaps Cameron is starting to believe that he has been rather hasty in cutting our military's strength and prowess?

I doubt if any of us are enjoying the events that are unwinding in Libya and Cameron was sabre rattling when he appeared on the BBC One Show to tell the audience that "We have got to prepare for what we might have to do if he (Gaddafi) goes on brutalising his own people. I don't think we can stand aside and let that happen". Big words from a prime minister who has already committed to sacrificing our Armed Forces by sending out redundancy notices. It appears Cameron is attempting to rally other countries to his idea of preventing the bloodshed in Libya from continuing in much the same way as Blair had done over Iraq. We only need to look at that major blunder to see where this could all be heading. It is time that we started to mind our own business and stop committing what is left of our resources by poking our noses into the affairs of others. The main issue to consider here is that if Cameron enforces a no fly zone he will effectively be declaring war on Libya. Maybe he should concentrate his mind on the growing problems of our own country instead of thinking about committing our depleted troops to yet another potential theatre of war that we simply cannot afford.

And, if we do commit, what is he going to send? We haven't got much of an Air Force left and we could have even less if Gaddafi was to shoot down some of our remaining aircraft. We have already seen one major cock-up after Hague sent in the SAS on a mission that nobody appears to have quite understood and he can count himself lucky that we got our men back after they had been captured. The last thing Britain needs is to become embroiled in another war.

HAVING FUN WITH THE LEMURS OF WOBURN

2011-02-19T18:20:00.004Z

Watching the BBC’s excellent Madagascar programme the other day reminded me of a visit a couple of years ago to Woburn Safari Park with a friend of mine who was making a film for the Bedford Estates. Part of this involved visiting the Lemurs. We were assured by the keeper that these sociable animals posed us no threats. Nevertheless we entered their enclosure with trepidation but we soon were made welcome by these interesting animals and within moments one had decided to jump onto my shoulder and proceeded to sit on my head. They really are the most amazing creatures, full of character and extremely inquisitive.

We spent a good hour with these wonderful primates and they seemed to enjoy our company as they continued to climb on us and sit on our arms, legs and shoulders. But, as soon as the sun made a break through the winter haze they started to line up, outstretch their arms in unison as if performing some kind of ritual, and lap up the rays. Getting to know Woburn’s various kinds of lemur was a fascinating and rewarding experience.

ORANGE MUST TAKE THE BISCUIT FOR DIABOLICAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

2011-02-11T15:51:00.000Z

I am at the end of my tether with Orange. Over the last few days I have been unable to receive any emails on my Broadband setup and I understand others are experiencing the same problem. This is the latest in a whole catalogue of complaints I have made to Orange over faults with their system over the last six months but it is difficult to move my service provider because I have to change so many resources including my Blackberry that are used to promote my email address. Last year the system kept emptying my inbox of all mail and then in their wisdom Orange has told me that I am on a 'pay as I go' account and, despite a week long exchange of emails, this still has not been resolved.

Calling the help line is a thorough waste of time and effort and I can feel my blood pressure rising. If you call from a landline or mobile it can be expensive to boot just to get Orange to provide the service I am paying for. The call centre ... guess what ... is in India and without being accused of causing a racial issue, I have found that many of the operatives are extremely difficult to understand. Although I have been aware of other subscribers that are experiencing the same email problems, nobody at Orange is prepared to admit that anything is wrong. I have been told they will take 3-5 days to investigate the problem that they are not admitting exists, and when I explain that having no emails is like losing a limb they merely repeat over and over 'that they will investigate in the next 3-5 days' as if it had become their mantra. Yesterday I was prompted to ask whether I was actually talking to a person or robot, but the call centre operative missed the point and now, as we roll into the third day I am receiving spasmodic batches of emails during parts of the morning, things come to a grinding halt during the afternoon. Now that the weekend is here I guess I will not even get this barrage of day-old correspondence.

I have resorted to writing several emails a day to customer support (now that is a joke!) using my msn connection but it takes the a day or more for Orange to respond and then all they will tell me is that they either have no record of my account (I had inherited Orange after Freeserve was taken over) or the engineers will be looking into the problem. As the same person never deals with an issue, for much of the time you have to go over what you have said previously. I have written several letters to their CEO who hides behind his customer relations team, who delight in saying that the CEO does not read customer letters. Well he bloody well should as he might discover just how diabolical his company's customer service is.

It is all extremely unsatisfactory and frustrating and in the end I guess I will have no alternative but to change service provider with all the inherent problems that will entail.

If anyone out there can recommend a reliable email provider please let me know.

THE JOYS OF BARTER

2011-02-05T13:11:00.003Z

Bartering has been around ever since man began trading and despite an in-bred scepticism in the UK it can be a much more satisfying way of doing business especially when money is tight. I enjoy bartering and use it extensively to obtain goods and services that I need. It is a particularly useful way of doing business during periods when cash trade is scarce or you have excess capacity or stock that you want to shift. With the advent of the internet, most countries now have an organised barter trading system and mega businesses, even governments are not averse to trading in this way. I once worked for a client in the construction industry who regularly took payment for their projects in Nigeria with tankers of crude oil in place of hard cash, and this was later sold on to one of the major oil companies.

Communities have grown using the bartering system with various levels of success on a local level, but by far the most successful bartering organisation is Bartercard, an international trading portal that operates in six countries and has 75,000 trading members. Bartercard simplifies the trading process by matching the requirements of members to appropriate suppliers of products and services from within the membership. Payment is conducted using Trade pounds; thus when I make a sale payment for my services will be credited to my account and this can be used to pay for anything I buy from other member businesses. This means when I want to eat out, stay at a hotel, buy items that I need - even pay for my private dental treatment, I pay using Trade Pounds instead of spending cash. Bartercard makes its money by charging fees on every transaction but these are tiny compared to the equivalent cash spend you would otherwise make. It is a great way of doing business and it is all 'above board' - with members paying tax and collecting VAT on transactions in the normal way. Being a Bartercard member also acts as a great form of social networking that forges firm friendships and working relationships with other businesses.

The only downsides are that you cannot buy fuel, or use Bartercard to buy food in the supermarkets but it is something the major companies should consider. The reserved nature of the Brits still casts a suspicion over anything innovative that can really help their businesses. But it really is time that all businesses woke up to the benefits Bartercard has to offer as an alternative to paying for everything in cash.

Recession tips for businesses
Why you should join Bartercard
Latest investment using Trade

WHY THE BENEFITS SYSTEM IS LEAVING THE MOST NEEDY TO ROT?

2011-01-22T13:57:00.006Z

Thousands of people over the age of forty feel their lives have already come to an end as they collapse into deep poverty and build up massive debts caused by dramatic changes that are threatening their existence. Most face losing their homes and everything they have spent their lives working for. The rigid laws of the Welfare State completely fail to take into account the individual needs of those who may have lost a business they have slaved to build over many years or lost well-paid jobs; suffered from long term illness or become disabled. These life changing circumstances in the majority of cases have arisen through no fault of their own, yet a system they have contributed towards throughout their entire working lives are denied them when they unexpectedly need help and are at their most vulnerable. None of these people are spongers; indeed most are extremely embarrassed by their situation and will have delayed going cap-in-hand to the faceless Jobcentre Plus until their own money has run because they view seeking help to pay their household bills to be a totally alien and hostile experience.

While we are all familiar with the cases of fraudsters, benefits cheats and foreign nationals who have got away with millions of pounds in taxpayers' money, those that are genuinely poor and would give their right hand to find a job, are being left to sink deeper into the mire. Those who find themselves out of work for the first time in 30-45 years are forced to sell their cherished possessions and cash in their pensions in order to pay what still remains on their mortgages. But any money they may have managed to save rapidly disappears once their period of unemployment extends from weeks; to months; to years. The terrifying risk of losing the family home then kicks in as stress levels increase and couples start to get at each other's throats, often causing them to split up. For some the burden is simply too overwhelming and they contemplate the ultimate sacrifice; by committing suicide. Many see an early death as their only escape from their all-engulfing problems. Many honest, upright citizens who have worked and contributed towards the welfare system throughout their careers have considered suicide when they reach rock bottom and feel they have nothing left to live for, having been rejected for countless jobs and fearing what will arrive in the next post. The feeling of total hopelessness is very real more especially as the State has left them to rot.

Despite Iain Duncan Smith claiming that he will overhaul the entire benefits system by making it fairer, we are now nine months into this Government's tenancy and there is no evidence that the most needy are getting a fairer deal. Quite the contrary. The poor need money today, not in six months time and there is no time left to wait while bureaucracy considers their needs only to shatter their confidence by refusing any help. The Government has calculated that a couple should be able to live on a total income of just £202.40 a week yet, this figure takes no consideration of the outgoings they have to meet just to pay for housing, buy food, keep warm, have fresh water and to maintain even the most basic form of life. Once a 26-week period of unemployment is reached, Job Seeker's Allowance will end if a claimant's spouse works more than 24-hours a week. This is considered to be full time and any benefits will only be paid to make up the difference between the partner's earnings and the £202.40 set by the Government. This is simply insufficient to live on by anyone's standards more especially as no consideration is given to inflation and the prices of basic essentials that continue to rocket. How anyone with a mortgage is expected to continue paying for their home beggars belief and yet the Government will claim they are committed to defeating poverty and homelessness. Is it any wonder there is a widespread belief that some people are better off by not working?

But in reality nobody cares - certainly not politicians although they will say they do. Meanwhile Britain's so called under class is being over-populated by those that were once part of the working class.

Well worth reading: Hard Work - Life in Low-Pay Britain by Polly Toynbee (published 2003).

Things have not changed; they have merely got worse as Britain declines into a 21st century version of something portrayed by Hogarth.

Romanian fraudulently claims more than £133,000 in benefits
Jailed cleric's home paid for by taxpayer

IMAGINE - IT'S 30 SINCE LENNON WAS MURDERED

2010-12-04T23:49:00.001Z

I remember watching aghast when the news came in that John Lennon had been murdered in cold blood outside his home at the Dakota Building on New York's fashionable West 72nd Street. This senseless taking of a life still remains vivid in my mind as if the event had occurred more recently and it is a sign of getting old that I can recall what happened on the night of 7 December 1980 - 30 years ago. Had he lived, John Lennon would now have been 70-years of age.

Mark David Chapman, apparently for no reason at all except to gain some kind of warped notoriety pumped five bullets from a ,38 revolver into Lennon's back at around 10.50pm local time and the singer was pronounced dead on arrival at the Roosevelt Hospital at 11.07pm. Earlier in the eveing Lennon had autographed a copy of the Double Fantasy album for his killer. The world lost a talented, sensitive song writer - one of the 1960s great icons - perhaps the most popular of the Beatles and Yoko Ono became a widow. Chapman remains in an American jail having been denied parole several times. Finding the killer had been easy because Chapman had remained on the scene waiting for the arrival of the police.

Lennon was cremated at the Ferncliff Cemetery, in Hartsdale, New York and Yoko scattered his ashes in Central Park.

Read The Guardian article on John Lennon
Read Ray Connolly's article on John Lennon

BROKEN BRITAIN IS PROGRESSING

2010-11-29T15:29:00.004Z

Although the nation may not be showing too many signs of progressing, the same cannot be said for my new book.

Following the success of ‘Imperial Airways: The Birth of the British Airline Industry 1914-1940′ published in October 2010 by Ian Allan, this time I have altered track to write about another of my interests; politics in a social history context. The new book currently has a working title ‘BROKEN BRITAIN IN THE 21st CENTURY – The First Decade’ although this may subsequently change. The manuscript is well on the way to completion and I will soon be looking for an agent to assist me with finding a suitable publisher.

I have also launched a brand new Broken Britain blog to solicit comments on subjects readers may feel should be discussed in the book. I do hope you will join me in discussing the major issues such as the NHS, the running of the railways, criminal justice, education, defence as well as some of the minor irritations that are affecting our lives.

CAMERON SEES SENSE

2010-11-19T12:21:00.000Z

At least David Cameron was quick to spot that he had made a classic error of judgement by hiring his 'private photographer' (see below) and has sent him packing back to the payroll of the Conservative party. No doubt he was 'advised' that he had been, shall we say, a little silly at a time when everyone else is being told to cut their expenditure. At least the photographer is free to take on other assignments - perhaps a Royal wedding?

It is comforting to see that the PM has seen the folly of his ways but more importantly he has been open enough to admit that he had made a mistake. Good on you Dave!

VULCAN GAINS A REPRIEVE

2010-11-15T17:15:00.018Z

Aviation enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that the world’s last airworthy Avro Vulcan bomber (XH558) has received a further stay of execution after a solid response by supporters to an appeal for funding, The Vulcan to the Sky Trust reports that the success of their Winter appeal means they can now focus on developing commercial revenue streams to raise money so that keeping the aircraft flying will be less dependent on quarterly fund raising appeals.

Photo: The Chris Kennedy Collection

Only 136 of the iconic Vulcans were ever built and more than £7m has already been raised from donations to keep this amazing aircraft in the sky so that others might enjoy her awe-inspiring capabilities. But a constant flow of money is needed if this fantastic example of British military aviation history is to continue being enjoyed.

The Vulcan 558 Club was launched in May 1997 in response the public’s call to conserve the last Vulcan to be retired by the RAF.The mighty aircraft was very much a symbol of the Cold War and was one of three ‘V bombers’ designed to carry nuclear bombs to Russia had the Soviet Union launched an attack.Vulcan and the other two V bombers (Handley page Victor and Vickers Valiant) became a deterrent that probably helped prevent a 3^rd global conflict. But in 1982 the Vulcan was used in anger for the only time when 7 missions were flown from Ascension Island to bomb the Argentines after they had invaded the Falkland Islands. The missions were supported by 13 Victor air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft on the longest-ever bombing mission until then that flew return sorties of nearly 8,000 miles (12,500km).

Please help to support the Vulcan

HERE WE GO AGAIN - ANOTHER WEEK OF POLITICAL GAFFS

2010-11-05T01:19:00.000Z

Prominent MPs certainly seem to have a knack of putting their feet firmly in the mire. While this might raise some public anger, it might even give some of us a rare cause to chuckle at their gross stupidity – but you know, the worst part is that they never seem to learn from any of this.

Brown’s monumental gaff when he called 66-year old widow Gillian Duffy a ‘bigot’ after spending some time having a perfectly reasonable conversation with the lady was unforgivable. That cost Brown dearly; and not only in terms of dear Mrs Duffy's vote. Yet, Harriett Harman seemed to have forgotten how her prime minister had exposed himself (in a non-literal sense) to reveal his character flaws when she referred to Danny Alexander, the Chief Treasury Secretary, as a ‘ginger rodent’ at the Scottish Labour Party Conference. Perhaps Harman considered it amusing to say: “Now, many of us in the Labour Party are conservationists – and we all love the red squirrel, but there is one ginger rodent which we never want to see again – Danny Alexander.” This was quite pathetic really.

But it was even more of a surprise when Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to have forgotten how we are all being expected to tighten our belts again amidst his promises for greater transparency and accountability when it was announced that his private photographer was being funded by us. The tale refers to a former Conservative Party employee, Andrew Parsons, once a Press Association photographer, who has been given a civil service post. In a rare moment of comedy, opposition leader Ed Milliband broke from his normal moribund quizzing of the PM to announce: “There’s good news for the Prime Minister – apparently he does a nice line in airbrushing” referring of course to the election campaign poster that showed Cameron as having been ‘touched up’.

Nothing much changes then in Parliament? It looks as if we are about to embark once more on the silly season when the opposition can do no better than to trade insults with the coalition. At least it helps fill the newspapers.

CHILL OUT IN RURAL OXFORDSHIRE

2010-11-02T13:36:00.008Z

We had the privilege of spending a night at a wonderful boutique hotel owned by Anthony and Peta Lloyd, a delightful couple. Set in 12 acres of well tended grounds in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire at Kingston Bagpuize, the Fallowfields Country House Hotel is very close to Oxford and approximately 50 minutes from Heathrow. Fallowfields is the perfect venue for weddings, conferences, parties and is exceptional for short breaks for anyone who enjoys a cosy ambience, home comforts, quality service from hospitable staff and perhaps the most comfortable hotel beds you will find anywhere. The hotel is passionate about providing the best English produce, from the hotel farm or sourced locally whenever possible. Fallowfields own pigs, Dexter cattle, chickens and quail supply much of what is eaten in the quintessential English restaurant is most of the seasonal produce is grown in the magnificent vegetable gardens and rare apple orchards. There is also an active falconry within the beautiful grounds. The cuisine is exceptionally fresh and creatively presented on slate plates; the wine list is particularly imaginative and individual, steering clear of the usual mass production vineyard labels that unfortunately permeate the lists of far too many hotels and restaurants. If you like to enjoy relaxing over a drink or three in front of an open log fire; prefer friendly informal family owned hotels to the impersonal chains, and feel the need to be pampered - then Fallowfields is definitely for you. I thoroughly recommend that you spend a few nights, visit the restaurant or pop in for afternoon tea. You will be pleasantly impressed by the experience.

FOOTBALL NEEDS TO RETURN TO GRASS ROOTS

2010-10-30T21:52:00.014+01:00

If like me, you were sickened by the recent Wayne Rooney debacle then you might like to consider my proposal for bringing some sanity back to the English game. Although I enjoy watching some of the continental talent that has enhanced our ailing game, the money that is now being coughed-up in wages and transfer fees for players, some of whom barely ever grace the field of play, has now extended beyond saturation point and has become obscene. Professional footballers in the top flight now compare with bankers for their selfish greed. I think it would be wonderful if we could put an end to this scandalous financial destruction of our national game to return to the standards of the past when footballers were admired for their talent, and not for the cars or their sexual conquests nor for the size of their bulging wallets.

It says a great deal about the development of the game in our country that no English players have been included in the 23 short listed by FIFA as contenders to win the Ballon D’Or award. This should not surprise anyone because so little has been done to promote young English talent due to the dominance of foreign born players in the professional game. When it comes to senior English players; Rooney, Terry, Lampard, Walcott etc, although talented, rarely express their skills with the same consistency as Messi, Fabregas, Iniesta, Lahm, Xavi, Villa and dare I say, the precocious Ronaldo.Can anyone name more than one or two young English players that are likely to become world class? It is a crying shame because out their somewhere there will be players with the raw natural talent to succeed in the game if only the opportunities and resources were there to find and encourage them. If youngsters could be nurtured from the moment they start school, then we might be able, in time, to produce an English national side that could compete with the best. However before this can ever happen we must rid education of this misdirected belief that to be competitive is unhealthy and also find teachers that are qualified coaches. Perhaps this is the fundamental reason that Britain has ceased to be competitive in so many spheres, not just in sport?

When I was football crazy youngster professional clubs had scores of players on their books and fielded umpteen teams that competed in four of more leagues at different levels. A skillful youngster had the opportunity of being spotted by a scout from a professional club and if they showed the right level of commitment and talent they would be signed as apprentice players. They would work their way up through junior and youth teams on tiny wages to play in the reserves that, for the top clubs, competed in the Football Combination. If they demonstrated that they had outstanding promise, with suitable coaching they might eventually have played in the First Division, considered by most to be an honour. They were not motivated by great riches but more for a love of the game. Before Johnny Haynes became the first £100 a week footballer and George Eastham took his employers to court to end the maximum wage ruling, players were poorly paid, many needed second jobs to survive and for the most part professional footballers went down the local pub and took a bus to work like everybody else. And yes, the majority were role models to their fans.

Today, although clubs have reserve teams, these are normally comprised of players that are not part of the first team squad. Those that play in the reserves are mainly youth team players or others that have not yet made the grade to senior status. A few may get selected to play a handful of first team games, but most are likely to slip from prominence very quickly to be loaned out to some lower league cub, be given a free transfer or give up the professional game completely through injury or disappointment. This is what happened when the squad system evolved. With first team squads comprising of more than 20 players (Arsenal has 27) unless a player is selected for the starting eleven or as one of the substitutes, he is unlikely to get much playing experience in competitive matches. This can lead to disillusionment and a drop in form. How can players with obvious talent such as Theo Walcott be expected to keep on top of his game if, barring injury, he has to sit on the bench before being called to make a cameo appearance for the last thirty minute of a match? Some first team squad members may spend the majority of their time with a club sitting on the bench without playing while still drawing a very generous wage.

At Arsenal the reserves also have 48 listed players.This only serves to make a player's situation worse. Only some of these can expect to hold onto a regular place in the second string, others will play for the youth team but some will remain matchless. With 75 players competing for limited places in three teams can leave some with the belief that their careers may never take off. Arsenal is fortunate to be one of a handful of clubs with a wide choice of players on their books; but those clubs suffering from financial difficulties have had to cut their playing staffs to meet their commitments.This has not deterred some clubs who face bankruptcy from continuing to pay ludicrous wages.

Fabianski who has recently replaced Almunia between the posts. Most of his time at Arsenal has been spent on the substitute bench waiting for Almunia to either be injured or dropped. So, when his chance came his performance was below par and he played poorly. Compare his shaky performances earlier in the season when he player occasionally to how he played today, and you will see the difference even a few regular first team places make. Fabianski has grown in confidence and he is already looking a much better goalkeeper than he was previously. However, should Almunia be recalled, Fabianski could lose this new found confidence and this could have a devastating effect on his career.

In the days before money became the be-all of the game players, even those that were only mediocre,were appreciated by the fans for their skills but most were also approachable because they had not been revered with super star status. English players may not have quite been the best in the world but in 1966 they were good enough on their day to win the World Cup. Today a team fielding our very best and often highest paid players have difficulties competing on the same pitch with minor nations.

Surely the reason for this is that clubs have found difficulty finding enough suitable home grown players.There are signs that the game is in decline from a playing point of view. During the 1970s to hire a football pitch for a Sunday league team was almost impossibility, at least it was in my part of London. But today, with less pitches available, there appears to be a glut that are not being used. Maybe kids are more interested in burying their heads in computer games than playing in competitive team games? I don’t know. But even if the majority are stuck in front of their monitors this will still leave tens of thousands of lads, and girls too, who would dearly love to play football. Perhaps more youngsters than ever have the aspiration to become professionals even if they are lured more by the riches than their enjoyment of the game. But this still leaves scores who would love to play for a professional club, less for the money, but for the enrichment it can bring to their lives.

But we have neglected the game. Professional coaches will probably tell us otherwise by explaining that the playing staffs at most clubs are much smaller than they once were because clubs simply cannot afford to run four or five teams. My response to this is that we are living a lie, pure and simple. If they refused to pander to the outrageous greed of their prima donna superstars and their pushy agents who have bled the game dry, there would be far more money available to spend on additional teams for youngsters. If they signed far more English born players there would be a better chance of some of these reaching the top that could one day win the world cup again for our nation.

It is nothing short of obscene for Wayne Rooney to be paid what some reports claim to be in excess of £200,000 a week for kicking a ball. I appreciate that he has the capability of returning some of this money to Manchester United by helping to bring continuing success to the club.In commercial terms, branding bearing his name also profits the club, but with so many talented people in other professions claiming benefits, how can his wages ever be justified? Would it not be better all round to cap player’s wages to say £150,000 a year, a lot of money by most people’s standards, and distribute the remaining millions between thousands of up and coming youngsters?

Am I being naive or is this merely too simple? Unfortunately we live in a world dominated by greed and while clubs continue to give in to footballers' pay claims our game is never likely to return to grass roots level.

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT BROKEN BRITAIN?

2010-10-23T13:32:00.014+01:00

As a prelude to the book I am writing, I have posted a new blog to discuss the social and political issues of the Britain we live in today. The country has been dubbed 'Broken Britain' by the think tank Centre for Social Justice not without justification considering the changes in Britain's infrastructure that have occurred during the last decade.

Opinions are mixed. Whether you agree that Britain is broken or not more often than not will depend on individual circumstances. The poor generally will be on the 'front line' and most affected by cuts in social spending, inadequate housing, health issues and other factors, while the better off usually will be afforded protection from life's many injustices. But, we are all now in this together and none us can ignore the difficulties our country faces in the foreseeable future. One thing is certain; too many years of mismanagement, social neglect and personal greed must be addressed - and quickly.

My new book attempts to deal with the many social and political difficulties the Conservative-Lib Democrat alliance faces as they strive to make amends for the legacy of heavy debt the previous Labour administration created. Although they were guilty of a lot of things that have contributed towards the decline, not everything can be attributed to the former government. In the book I will be attempting to describe how mistakes and political events in previous centuries have, in part, contributed to the way our nation has evolved during the first decade of the 21st century.

I am hopeful that you will take an interest in this project and will visit my new blog and add your comments to inspire some lively debate. I am looking forward to your contributions.

123 - ANYTHING BUT EASY

2010-10-21T17:58:00.006+01:00

I often wonder how some companies manage to remain in business when they treat their customers so appallingly. Now, you would think that renewing a web domain name when it falls due would be a very basic procedure; and you would be right. But it is not as simple as you would think if you are a customer of 123.

When I was notified by automated mail from 123 that one of my domain names was due for renewal, as instructed, I logged in to the 123 site and attempted to access the control panel that SHOULD allow customers to process their renewals quickly and without fuss. But, after entering my password several times access was denied. I followed the instructions to change my password but all this returned was a page of error messages. I tried on several occasions over a period of days without success. I then searched the 123 website for a way to contact the company by email but this revealled nothing more than an automated page of standard questions and answers and as far as I could see, no mailing address is listed.

Because I was getting nowhere with 123 despite repeatedly trying, I contacted Nominet for their assistance and they kindly provided me with an email address and a premium line telephone number. From experience I knew that it would be extremely costly to attempt to speak to anyone so I sent an email. I have to say I was NOT surprised when 123 failed to acknowledge me.

I returned to Nominet and they contacted 123 on my behalf and told me that they would email me. Nothing happened until today - 3 weeks later - when a girl form 123 Support called me with an offer to renew my domain name. Initially I suggested she should do this but in view of their lack of cooperation I felt they should waive the fee, more especially as I had already paid another registration company to transfer it because they offered far better customer service. I then asked why, Nominet had been advised by 123 that they had closed my account for 'fraudulent reasons' without advising me? I was kept hanging on for the prescribed ten minutes while, presumably, she worked out some kind of lame duck excuse. She returned to tell me that accout had been closed because I had fraudulently used their services and had blocked their efforts to obtain payment via my credit card. This is certainly news to me. The girl was unable to explain how and when this 'fraud' was meant to have occured but said it was at least two years ago. I was furious; because I was being accused of something that was entirely untrue. Had there been any kind of allegation of wrong doing on my part why had they not considered it prudent to contact me about this? I do not take too kindly to being wrongly accused of fraud aud I feel I am due an explanation. But 123 thus far have failed to provide me with any information that has led to this serious accusation. But this is not surprising considering their appalling track record for answering customer emails and other other correspondence.

Nominet has now offered intervene by transfering the domain for me to another company at no charge but despite my complaint about 123 nobody seems to have any power to slap their knuckles over this and it seems the company can continue to take people's money without providing anything in return.
After the heated exchange this morning I Googled 'complaints about 123' and found a whole string of web sites dedicated to customer issues surrounding 123 and their parent company Webfusion. The postings do not paint a pretty picture and it appears that 123/Webfusion's poor record of customer service is legendary. At least I know that I am not alone as there are hundreds (probably tens of thousands) of people out their all with an axe to grind against 123/Webfusion. Isn't it high time they addressed the situation and did something positive about it particularly as many of these complaints go back several years?

Perhaps it is time for Trading Standards to intervene?

MAKING YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT

2010-10-16T22:39:00.003+01:00

Please read my new marketing book that I was commissiond to write on behalf of a c/lient to describe how to differentiate your business from others. Reproduced with kind permission of Growler.

WIGAN PUTS PAY TO ARSENAL'S LAST DITCH CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE

2010-04-18T19:29:00.014+01:00

Wigan Athletic 3 Arsenal 2

After the midweek defeat at White Hart Lane had all but destroyed any slim hope of Arsenal pressuring Chelsea for the Premiership title, certainly no doubts remained after the visitors self-destructed at the DW Stadium this afternoon. Arsenal's injury torn side included 19-year old Craig Eastmond, a player not even officially listed as a member of the first team squad. The youngster defended well although Van Persie, was surprisingly left on the bench. When this season ends with the Arsenal trophy cabinet empty once more, some of Wenger's team selections are likely to be called into question. The Arsenal faithful who followed their team to Lancashire will be wondering why the Dutchman was not introduced until the closing minutes after he had contributed so much in so little time against Spurs. By then it was too late and Arsenal had cheaply thrown away a two goal lead to a resilient home side that was fighting for survival in the top flight.

The flowing nature of the game promised to produce plenty of goals as both teams capitalised on the other's poor defensive work and misplaced passes. Wigan should have capitalised early after Fabrianski failed to intercept a ball that flew dangerously across his six yard box. The Pole, called in to replace Almunia who Arsenal claimed has a knee injury, lacked confidence and looked poor.This merely highlighted Wenger's need to buy a reliable 'keeper. Moments later Arsenal were awarded a free kick just beyond the Wigan penalty area. Clichy, who has scored only once, was an unlikely candidate to take the kick and the defender's effort went lifelessly into Kirkland's hands. The visitors had a worthy call for a penalty after a Wigan defender appeared to strike the ball with his hand but referee Lee Mason failed to react and Bendtner should have done better with a strange half volley that Kirkland and a defender jointly scrambled away.

With the game still even Arsenal were lucky not to concede when Diaby headed a corner that Fabianski should have taken with ease but fluffed. It certainly wasn't the Polish goalkeeper's day and it seemed only a matter of time before he would make a costly mistake. However Walcott opened the scoring for Arsenal after latching on to a pass from Bendtner before beating two defenders and slicing a fine shot beneath the hands of the diving Kirkland. It had taken more than 41 minutes to end the deadlock even though Rosicky had a good effort saved in the 34th minute after Arsenal had started to take command. Two minutes after scoring Walcott deserved a second after driving a powerful angled shot beyond the reach of Kirkland but also inches wide of the post from a back-heeled pass by Bendtner.

The second half began with a penalty claim from Wigan when Watson claimed to have been pulled back by Nasri. The referee had a clear view and waived play-on but Watson should have been yellow carded for diving. At the other end Diaby, continuing his period of poor form, wasted a good opportunity to increase the Arenal lead. But with only three minutes into the half Arsenal were awarded a corner on the right which Silvestre, unmarked on the penalty spot, rose to head powerrfully passed Kirkland. From then on it should have been plain sailing for Arsenal who should have capitalised on Chelsea's defeat at Spurs. Instead they allowed Wigan back into the game. N'zogbia wasted an effort when, this time, Fabianski pulled off a fine save. Just beyond the hour, Watson forced another good save from the Arsenal goalkeeper, and five minutes later a mistake by Diaby almost let in Rodallega. Titus Bramble was then booked for bringing down Walcott as he darted up the right flank.

Arsenal should have increased their lead but instead they began to look slack. With ten minutes left of normal time, Arsenal's grip started to wain allowing Wigan to cease the opportunity to pressure their defence. Substitute Victor Moses was given too much space and allowed to put Ben Watson through to score. It was time for Wenger to replace Walcott with Eboue; Rosicky with 20-year old Spaniard, Fran Merida. Arsenal immediately attacked and in a quick passing movement with Ebou, Nasri forced a sharp save from Kirkland. In the closing minutes Watson almost scored the equaliser but Nasri blocked his shot on the line but another Fabianski error let Bramble in to make it 2-2. It should have all ended there, but The Latics had the bit between their teeth and 30 seconds into stoppage time N'Zogbia received a cross from Rodellaga to hit a fine 30 yard drive that went in off the post and this time Fabianski could not be blamed.

ARSENAL FAILS IN CHAMPIONSHIP HURDLE

2010-04-15T01:27:00.008+01:00

Arsenal went to White Hart Lane full of hope last night for the famous north London derby and should have been favourites to take all three points to dislodge Manchester United from second slot in the Premiership. But, the fixture failed to live up to expectations and Arsenal were sluggish and second rate to a Spurs side who were out to impress. Spurs had not beaten Arsenal for 10 years in a league fixture but they earned their just desert by robbing the visitors of any slim snippet of a chance to pressure Chelsea for the title. But Arsenal could have taken the lead in the opening minutes when Campbell, returning to the expected boos from the home supporters at his former hunting ground, had his effort blocked on the line by Benoit Assou-Ekotto. This was the closest Arsenal came to hitting the target during a first half that witnessed their usual precision passing falling short of the mark and by losing most of 50-50 challenges to a Spurs team that looked far more prepared for the challenge.

When Danny Rose scored the first for Spurs, on this his league debut, it was goalkeeper Almunia who showed the same level of inconsistency that makes one doubt whether he has the class needed to keep goal for a club chasing the championship. He was left badly exposed, much as he had in the first leg of the European match against Barcelona. When he could have held on to a cross, instead he chose to punch the ball away despite being unchallenged. This left young Rose to make hitting a fine 30 yard volley look easy' leaving the stricken keeper clawing at air. Arsenal had none of their usual cutting edge vigour and were unable to penetrate a tight, well organised Tottenham defence. With Fabregas, Arshavin and Song all noticeably missing from the injury stricken squad, the Gunners lacked any necessary thrust to get the job done. Sagna and Clichy overlapped well but all too frequently their passes were easily intercepted and Bendtner in the role of lone striker failed to capitalise on their efforts. The great Dane, together with Emanuel Eboue still raise doubts with supporters over Wenger's faith in them. Both seem second rate for a vital fixture when the likes of Walcott, Van Persie and Eduardo were all sitting on the bench. Bendtner's one-footedness and poor conversion rate from simple chances and Eboue's temperament and selfishness on the ball make them odd choices when their is better talent waiting to come on..

To add to Arsenal's problems Thomas Vermaelen limped off with a calf injury and was replaced by Silvestre. It was late tackles rather than anything more malicious that finally stretched referee Mark Clattenburg's patience, Luka Modric was booked for a foul on Sagna, closely followed by an overzealous Denilson after he had caught Rose and then Kaboul was yellow carded after bringing down Rosicky. Campbell added some life to the attack as Arsenal made a late effort towards half time by skilfully heading down a ball that Rosiky wasted with a poor effort easily blocked by Ledley King. As the first period ebbed away Pavlyuchenko set up Modric but this time Almuina pulled off a good save.

Arsene Wenger looked like thunder and he could not have been too pleased when David Bentley was introduced for the second half. Had he been at his best the former Gunner could have reaked havoc on his former employer as he had done on a previous encounter. But it was not to be, Instead it was left to Bale to outstep Silvestre to latch on to a sharp pass from Defoe to slot easily pass Almunia. Sagna was replaced by Walcott and for a brief time Arsenal had some swagger. The England international's efforts were wasted when after making some thrusting early moves he was left with no target man in space to pass to. Huddlestone, Bale and Assou-Ekotto combined well to snuff out any further threats from the right wing untl late in the game.

With less than half an hour to go it was at last time to introduce Robin Van Persie for his first appearance since November. And what a difference he made. Arsenal swiftly perked up and with 80 minutes gone he took a ball on his chest, turned and fired a fierce volley past his two close markers forcing an outstanding save from Gomes. A minute later Rosiky had the opportunity to pull a goal back but his strike was wild and went astray hitting the corner flag. It was now all Arsenal and two minutes later Dawson floored Diaby. Van Persie showed how much he has been missed when he struck a vicious free kick that again forced a fine save Gomes when he managed to claw it away from the angle between post and crossbar.As Arsenal were looking more threatening Campbell came forward again forcing a third save from Gomes in as many minutes when the Brazilian pushed his effort on to the bar and away for a corner.True to form, Arsenal clawed a goal back in the 84th minute after Van Persie had moved the ball to Walcott who hit a pin sharp cross to Bendtner who turned it in. But despite increasing the pressure and a further 25 yard drive from Van Persie two minutes from normal time, for once Arsenal failed in their last ditch efforts to save any points and Spurs ended the worthy victors.

POLICE HARASSMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTINUES

2010-01-09T11:29:00.014Z

There is considerable concern over the number of innocent photographers; professional and amateur, that are being stopped and on occasions arrested, for innocently taking photographs in public places under anti-terrorism legislation. None so far has given any cause to suggest they had been doing anything illegal; most were white British citizens (a couple were Austrian tourists) who were photographing London city landscapes. But, police and support officers are starting to get heavy with photographers elsewhere in the country as well.

A friend of mine, Andy Handley aged 55, a respected local press photographer, was arrested by an over-jealous traffic police sergeant in Milton Keynes during September 2006 while covering a road accident. He was not interfering with the accident scene, he was standing behind the police cordon and was merely doing his job. The police officer approached him and demanded that he hand over his camera and image storage card. He refused because he was doing nothing wrong but suffered the indignity of being hand cuffed for a considerable time. He was then taken to the local police station, spent several hours in the cells and had his DNA taken.

Had my colleague been bolshie or abusive (which is not in his nature) then the action taken by this police officer may have been understandable. But he wasn’t. He was told by photographing the crash he was committing an offence and was arrested for obstruction. His editor, David Gale of the Milton Keynes News later commented: “At a time when the police force are openly trying to free up police officers and rid them of the burden of additional paperwork etc, what sort of message do you think this sends out to the general public?“

I believe this entire incident could have been avoided. It concerns me that the officer in question felt it necessary to take such extreme action. After asking the National Union of Journalists to represent him via their lawyers, in January 2010 Andy received £5,250 compensation from Thames Valley Police and his DNA has been removed from the register. There is a further issue here; the waste of police funds. Had the police officer not acted so stupidly, money would have been saved. The police are constantly complaining about under-funding which makes me wonder how much is being wasted in compensation payments that could have been avoided. Perhaps the officers concerned should have it docked from their wages? At least this would make them think twice about their reckless actions.

WHY IS OUR GOVERNMENT SUPPORTING THE CHILDREN OF EAST EUROPEAN MIGRANT WORKERS?

2009-11-01T16:38:00.006Z

In yet another outrageous example of EU bureaucracy British taxpayers are having to support the offspring of East European workers in this country who have children living in Poland and other countries. Once more we are being exposed as the fool guys of Europe and the Government can, yet again, be accused of failing to stand up for our rights by refusing to adhere to the EU rules that force us to support the dependents of migrant workers. Astonishingly, a spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs is reported as saying that these payments only account for a 'tiny percentage' of the 7.5 million total child benefit payments, yet the Treasury estimates that 37,900 children in Poland are being supported by British handouts to the tune of £24m; an incresase of 20% on last year's figure.

As concerns grown over the number of immigrants now living in the UK this news will further fire the anger of British citizens, especially the thousands of families that are suffering severe hardships and can no loner afford heating, food and other essential commodities.

Is it not time that our Government started putting UK citizens first?

DANGEROUS LEMONS SHOULD CARRY A GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING

2009-11-01T16:28:00.007Z

Every day a new story appears in the quality newspapers that eclipses something that grabbed my attention previously for its gross stupidity. On Saturday, 31 October, the Daily Telegraph included a story about an elderly shopper who was prevented from buying two loose lemons - yes lemons - from an Aberdeen branch of Asda because the staff claimed that the fruit is dangerous!

The man, Chris Pether, 70, was told that health and safety rules prevented the sale of more than one loose lemon - although he could buy a pack of ten had he wished to do so. The reason behind this apparent ban on lemon sales, the man was told, was because local youths had taken to throwing them at people - along with grapefruits and oranges. When Mr Pether placed the lemons on the scales to be weighed a message flashed up to tell him that this was more than the maximum number he could purchase. When he told management that this was 'ridiculous', Mr Pether was told he had to buy them one at a time.

The customer eventually got his lemons - by paying for them in two transactions.

THE PUBLIC HAS THE RIGHT TO BE LISTENED TO

2009-10-23T15:23:00.018+01:00

I happen to believe the BBC were right in allowing Nick Griffin on to the Question Time programmre last night and had they barred him from taking part it would have been another serious nail in the coffin for our democracy. Just because you don't agree with a person's views is not sufficient to gag them from speaking. I watched the programme with a keen interest but I was angered by the way it appeared to have be stage managed. Earlier in the day I had listened to John Prescott talking on Radio 5 when he claimed that the guests had prior knowledge of the questions that would be asked and that the 'invited' audience were 'plants'. I think he is probably right and Dimbleby went down in my estimation for his biased views and poor handling of the programme.

Nick Griffin is not the sort of man you warm to and much of what he and his party stands for is despicable; nevertheless there is no doubt in my mind that the programme was deliberately stacked against him. As such he and the BNP probably gained more than they lost but we will have to wait until the election to see how many voters will back the party. Although I hate what the party stands for, I am convinced support for them will grow mainly because of the lack of confidence voters have in the ability of the other parties to listen to the voters and act in their interests.

The mainstream parties can say all they like against Griffin and the views of his party but nothing will hide the fact that voters are increasingly concerned about the 'open doors policy' expressed by the Government towards immigration. Let's face it, they have not only failed to stem the flow of immigrants into this country but they have also lost track of thousands who have remained here illegally. We can only guess at these numbers but, like everything else, Labour's guesstimation is likely to be wildly inaccurate.

Jack Straw - who still has not answered a letter that I have repeatedly sent and e-mailed him since nearly a year ago - waffled around the problem and was typically evasive leaving Griffin to put across the real concerns of the people. Barones Warsi (Conservative) was far more controlled and gave a good account of herself as did Bonnie Greer who was also on the panel. The public are also rightly worried about voicing their opinions on immigration for fear of being branded as racist when clearly the majority are not. Many share my view that everything in this country is being stacked against hard working decent people while certain favoured groups (did I say bankers and MPs?) and the 'great unwashed' who are allowed to continue doing what they've always done and are left completely unchecked. People are deeply concerned at the drain increased numbers of people are having on our already shrinking resources that have reached breaking point and beyond. The immigration issues expressed by the majority have nothing to do with race or colour, and the Government must clearly understand this and allow the citizens of this country greater freedom to openly air their views. We are aware that the vast majority of immigrants are decent, law abiding citizens who contribute a lot to our country; but, the Government cannot be blind to the fact that there are also countless more that contribute absolutely nothing and are a drain on our system. It is this group that we are concerned about.

If the BNP dramatically increases its support to win a foothold in Parliament (providing Labour does not introduce a law to make the party illegal first) then the mainstream parties have every reason to be fearful. But they can really only blame themselves for failing the public on every count. At a time when MPs are despised for their abuse of the rules, they should be trying very hard to regain public trust, but they are not. Instead of listening to their constituents and addressing what they have to say, they are showing no signs of action. The future of this country is increasingly looking bleaker by the day and the intransigent attitude of Brown and his government are mainly to blame. We need urgent changes now - not pointless promises and lies - and if politicians continually refuse to listen to what we, the people have to tell them, the country will lose its status as a democracy. It is a time for honesty and integrity - a time for a new breed of politician to step forward who will truly represent the views of the people.

WHEN WILL MPs ADMIT THEY HAVE FLEECED THE PUBLIC?

2009-10-13T00:19:00.011+01:00

The issues over MPs expenses exposed by the Daily Telegraph earlier this year are unlikely to die down following the independent inquiry by Sir Thomas Legg. It appears public confidence in those charged with the affairs of running our country will continue to diminish because many Members of Parliament, especially those within the Government, still refuse to admit the errors of their ways. It looks likely that a large number of MPs will either resign or be forced to stand down by their constituents at the next election.

The fact that PM Gordon Brown has been asked to repay £12,415 comprised of more than £10,000 in cleaning costs and £2,000 in other claims is a complete travesty and will prove to emphasise how out of touch he is with the populace. It is unacceptable that Brown can claim more for cleaning than some people earn in a year. MPs continue to argue that what they have done was within the rules – rules that they made themselves, but this cannot be taken as a reason for fleecing the public. They believe that they are being tried retrospectively and many refuse to accept that they should be called to account. More than 500 MPs have been called to account to justify their claims. Those MPs that continue to fight the committee’s findings will surely only succeed in digging their own political graves.

The independent inquiry does appear to have reached some pretty inconsistent findings. Former Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has got off lightly and has not been expected to pay back the £116,000 claim she made for expenses on her family home in Redditch despite conflicting evidence that she spent most of her time at her ‘main home’ in London; a small room at her sister’s house. It is ironic that it is the police who have contradicted Ms Smith’s claim that she spent the majority of her time in London.

From the evidence gathered meticulously by the Daily Telegraph team, it is also shameful that to date there has been no confirmation from the police or the DPP of any impending prosecutions for fraud but public pressure could eventually force them to act.

It will be interesting to see how the expenses issues fans out in the next few weeks.

Check out the your MP's expenses and how Parliament tried to hide the true facts on the The Daily Telegraph web site.

Highly recommended: A thoroughly interesting and informative read 'No Expenses Spared' - The inside story of the scoop which changed the face of British politics - by the team that broke it by Robert Winnett & Gordon Rayner (Bantam Press)

MY NEW BOOK RELEASE

2009-10-12T16:21:00.006+01:00

My latest book was released in the UK on 1 October and is due forworld wide release in December.

'Imperial Airways - The Birth of the British Airline Industry 1914-1940' is published by Ian Allan.

Imperial Airways is a name redolent of the excitement and glamour of the pioneering years of flight. Founded in the 1920s, Imperial Airways flew to destinations all over the world. This beautiful and evocative book on the 'golden age' of passenger flight is the result of years of research, and the text is complemented by a wealth of stunning photographs and ephemera. It is the most definitive book published on the history of Imperial Airways and the formative years of British commercial aviation. The book begins immediately following World War I with the pioneering companies - Air Transport & Travel Ltd (AT&T), Instone, Handley Page, Daimler Airways and others - and shows how, after AT&T's demise, the remaining three companies were brought together in 1924 to form Imperial Airways. The company continued through difficult times, political uncertainties and fierce competition to open routes to India, South Africa and beyond. This was achieved through the untiring efforts of colorful characters such as Sir Sefton Brancker, Herbert Brackley, George Woods Humphery, Sir Eric Geddes and an array of often eccentric pilots such as one-eyed Ray Hinchliffe and 'All-Weather Mac' Robert McIntosh. The book covers all the various different types of aircraft flying at the time. Often out-of-date and, on occasions, considered to be dangerous, the companies maintained a level of safety and reliability that was sometimes against all the odds. This is especially true considering the lack of navigational aids and other equipment that was available. The story continues with the arrival of the legendary HP 42 airliner, the era of the great flying boats and the experimental 'Mercury-Maia' project when routes across the continents were opened to link the British Empire to the motherland during the period between the two wars. The work also covers the important role that Croydon Airport played in the history of commercial aviation. The story concludes in 1940 with the formation of BOAC. This is an intriguing story that represents a journey through time when it could take more than a week to travel by flying boat between Australia and the UK and when passengers flying the near East routes would stay the night at remote desert forts en-route for India.

DINING OUT

2009-10-12T15:55:00.007+01:00

I have recently had the pleasure of eating in two excellent pub restaurants that I recommend you check out. I have deliberately kept my comments short and suggest that you click on the links below to view the web sites of these two inns and to discover about their menus.

The first is The Lord Nelson a delightful 18th century country inn located in the small Oxfordshire village of Brightwell Baldwin near Wallington and is run by Carole and Roger Shippey. The menu is varied; the food excellent and the ambience superb. The hostelry is open all day on Sundays (for Sunday lunch/dinner) but I suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.

The other is the Bell Inn at Beechampton, a recently refurbished village inn nr Stoney Stratford, Milton Keynes. As this is a free house it offers a wide variety of excellent ales and an exceptional wine list that is interesting and varied. Excellent food is served in two cosy dining rooms. I thoroughly recommend that you try their traditional Sunday roasts or treat yourself to their succulent steaks (specials on Tuesday Steak Nights).

Brides Stretch the Boundaries With Intimate Portraits

2009-09-29T00:08:00.005+01:00

When couples have been together for any length of time it can be difficult for a bride to know what to give to her groom as a very special present on their wedding day. For the man that has everything what can be more personal than a beautifully posed portrait of the bride … either nude or dressed in sensual lingerie? Surprisingly there are plenty of young ladies willing to make the effort to have this type of portrait taken as items that appeared in The Sunday Times and Femail in The Daily Mail will testify.
The trend for sensual portraiture has taken off in America where the term Boudoir Photography was adopted some time ago but glamour portraiture is fast catching on in the United Kingdom.
Some brides have taken the plunge by making an all out effort to lose a few pounds in weight so that they can look their very best when they visit the photographer’s studio. Many of the young ladies that are opting for this style of portrait tend to be the shy, reserved types and not necessarily those that are more extravert. But women today are far more liberated and if they have good bodies then there is nothing wrong in being proud of their attributes.
If care is taken over the photographer that is chosen, then there really is no need for the young lady to feel embarrassed or ill-at-ease. In the past I have asked to produced portraits of this kind for clients and it is important to create the correct ambience and to maintain everything on a highly professional level. I have found that my clients soon relax and enjoy being models for the couple of hours that it might take to produce an exceptional set of photographs. It always helps if the client brings along a female friend who can offer her encouragement. An album containing a set of stunning portraits should be viewed as a lifetime investment and is likely to cost in the region of £700.

As one lady, interviewed by the Daily Mail commented “When you see old people in the street, it’s hard to imagine them as young,. But when I am old and grey I’ll be able to look back on these pictures and think, yes … I did have pert breasts and a nice bottom. I want to tell my grandchildren that, actually, I used to be quite sexy”.

If you are thinking of having a tastefully intimate series of photographs taken there it is of course not necessary to be completely nude; this is entirely up to the individual. With the sensational styles in lingerie these days and experienced photographer can produce wonderful images of their clients that in years to come they will glad they had taken.

Although I have a great deal of experience of taking sensual portraits of my clients, if you prefer a lady photographer there are a few all-female studios that specialise in this type of portraiture.

If you'd like some information about my sensual portraiture please drop me an e-mail at info@robertbluffield.co.uk

HAS DAVID DAVIS PULLED OFF AN AMAZING MASTER STROKE?

2008-06-12T23:42:00.004+01:00

The resignation today of the Shadow home secretary, David Davis might in time be seen as a master-stroke. I reason that Mr Davis has become so disillusioned by what he has referred to as '...the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this government' and by making a firm stand he has the opportunity of making public the underhanded way this government is behaving.

I applaud David Davis; I have always admired the man and I believe that he is one of the most honest MPs in the House. I do not regard his action as a 'stunt by a vain man' as suggested by Tony MacNulty (Labour) on the BBC 'Question Time' programme this evening and I feel it is time somebody from public office put their reputation on the line to stand up and fight for what they believe is fundamentally right. Davis's resignation announcement does not appear to have been as sudden and unexpected as we may have first thought. By having the Liberal Democrats 'onside' by their agreement not to contest the by-election seems to me to be a further well-defined strategic move and I cannot accept that Mr Davis's action has not been timed to perfection. I also suspect that David Cameron could have cooperated with Davis in constructing the strategy.

I feel Mr Davis has taken the view that the 42 day detention rule is the straw that has broken the camel's back but the passing of this legislation by a very small majority in the Commons yesterday merely highlights the latest in a whole string of measures the government has introduced against the public. Under normal Parliamentary debate I do not believe Mr Davis would be able to gain sufficient arousal as a serving MP because such debate would not be sufficiently within the public domain and any vehement efforts for heated debate would most likely be censored and tamed by the Speaker. To take a campaign to the streets is almost certainly going to gain a growing amount of public support and massive media attention over our issues of freedom that the government will only be able to ignore to their folly. I am hopeful that Mr Davis will be able to carry this through and if he succeeds, then the government may have little option than to call an election.

By the taking the action that he has, it is my view that a renewed by-election campaign by David Davis will provide the means to bring the misdemeanours of this government to a greater public arena. If Labour decides to fight in Haltemprice and Howden and in so doing takes a major thrashing as it did in Crewe then surely this can only be a major victory for the Conservative party? If Davis wins by a vast majority then this could be the next nail in Gordon Brown's coffin as prime minister that could massively turn the public further against the Labour party and might even force a general election. Should this happen then David Davis could be heralded a hero.

It is my opinion that the introduction of the 42 detention period without charge will only lead to greater levels of unrest especially among the Muslim community who already believe that they are being unfairly targeted by the police. While every humane citizen wishes to be protected from terrorism an extension of the custody period could lead to the arrest of an increasing number of 'suspects' who are later released without charge. Such action is likely to tip the balance and could lead to an increasing number of militant radicals, especially those more vulnerable to persuasion, to join 'the cause'. There is little evidence to suggest that an increased detention period before a charge is made will lessen the threat.

These are only my views but I firmly believe that David Davis's resignation has been carefully crafted and if his by-election campaign succeeds, the government might have little alternative to being forced to either call an early general election or force Brown to quit. We will have to wait and see but the next few weeks should prove to be very interesting.

THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW GOES GREEN

2008-05-30T11:14:00.007+01:00

“Chelsea is always guaranteed to delight … there’s plenty to absorb everyone … from avid gardener to the pure novice.”

The problem with all of the RHS garden shows is that there are so many positive aspects and it is only possible to skim the surface in a feature of this length. Chelsea is the major international show piece of its kind and even if you only have a passing interest in gardens and flora, you cannot help being thoroughly engaged by its content. This year the weather was a great deal kinder than last and exhibitors reported that the conditions were ideal for planting and building their show gardens. This was the 86th RHS Flower Show to be held on the site of the Royal Hospital since 1913 and the popularity forced the organisers to announce quite early that all tickets had been sold and 157,000 visitors were expected to attend during the five days of the event. Despite this I couldn’t help feeling there was something slightly lacking from the usual air of expectancy that usually surrounds the occasion that I could only attribute to a knock-on effect caused by the depressing economic situation.

Sadly there was a notable absence of the popular presenter of BBC gardening shows, Monty Don who had been forced to give up his role after suffering from a recent stroke. I didn’t see that former doyen of the BBC’s ‘Ground Force’ programme Charlie Dimmock either. It seems she has fallen from favour with the BEEB. Press day generally brings a plethora of celebrity guests but there seemed fewer than at previous shows. Those that did make an appearance included Damon Hill, Chris Tarrant, Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach, Felicity Kendal, Michael Portillo, Anneka Rice, Sir Patrick Moore, Brian May and Susan Hampshire. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family did attend later in the day but by the time they arrived the least humble members of the press corps had to vacate the show site.

The large show gardens are always the main attraction and they usually offer something very special on a grand scale. The smaller gardens are also painstakingly put together and are no less impressive even though they are built to much lower budgets. This year there was a distinct indication that the concepts had moved back to basics with strong geometric design and lush planting coming to the fore. Green was by far the theme; not so much as an environmental issue, but as the predominant colour that ranged across the majority of the 21 show gardens. Wild grasses, hostas, tropical palms ferns, perennials, trees and hedges were plentiful and the designers appeared to have adopted peace and calm as their overall themes. One exception was the Oceânic Garden (Bronze winner) by Diarmuid Gavin who had joined forces with Sir Terrence Conran with a flamboyant design that centred on an open sided timber and metal pavilion, complete with espresso machine, overlooking a garden shaded by canopy of mesh and metal daisies. Bamboos, ferns and dicksonias formed jungle style borders around meandering paths and lollipop shaped trees that formed the backdrop. I have the feeling that Diarmuid never quite wins the full approval of the judges, even though Chris Beardshaw had, in a sense gone from poacher to gamekeeper by moving from designer/exhibitor to join the team of judges.

The therapeutic qualities and joy that pleasant gardens can bring to the sick and infirm were evident. The BUPA Garden (Gold) by Cleve West featured plants of medicinal qualities in a tranquil design with a claming water feature that reflected the specific needs of those suffering from dementia and Altzheimers. Similarly the Cancer Research Garden (Gold) by Andy Sturgeon was devised to highlight the progress being made in the fight against cancer by deploying a peaceful design that suggested a journey through different periods in time. The garden contained four reflective pools that became progressively larger towards the front of the garden with Southern beech and large tree ferns planted to provide an exotic woodland setting that formed a series of delightful peaceful glades with orange blue and purple flowering plants brought in to add a brightening element of colour.

The Laurent-Perrier Garden (Gold) by Tom Stuart-Smith was judged Best in Show with a design that was surrealistic in nature that relied on juxtaposing brick-shaped objects around meandering paths arranged in one direction with a random pattern of planting that included a grove of magnificent thirty year old hornbeams that created the effect of floating clouds. Zinc panels on the rear wall and hand-crafted water troughs also of zinc were used to enhance and to break up the strong green by introducing a contrasting shade of blue-grey.

The Cadogan Estates Garden (Gold) designed by Robert Myers reflected how a hotter, warmer London climate of the future might alter the way formal community garden squares are perceived. This used a double canopy of lofty palms to create dappled shade above a layout of York stone paths, a piazza and two parallel canals linked by irrigation streams of harvested rainwater. This created an air of cool calm in a garden that was envisaged to be set among tall buildings. At the rear, a statue of the Cadogan Estate founder, Sir Hans Sloane, proudly overlooked a small terrace while a high feature sculpted from stone and hedges formed the back wall of the garden

Water played a major part in so many of the designs this year and a Far Eastern influence prevailed in several gardens. The Ky Wong Charitable Trust highlighted the cultural links between China and Europe in a creation that they called ‘I Dream, I Seek My Garden’ (Gold) that relied on the imaginative idea of a partly submerged Chinese pavilion and garden being discovered beneath the London soil. Shao Fan is a well respected artist famous for developing old and new Chinese art forms and his garden was an evoking combination of hand crafted wooden buildings, limestone rocks, water and indigenous Chinese plants.

Arabella Lennox-Boyd created a stimulating water garden for the Daily Telegraph (Gold) that achieved tranquillity by tastefully combining an extensive water feature with large slate rocks set in a border of Purbeck stone and slate mulch with a winding path also of slate. A trimmed line of yew bordered the edge of the garden to compliment the colours reflected in the pool as did the strong foliage at the rear of the garden. The ‘Garden in the Silver Moonlight’ (Silver) owed its influence to the Moon Observation Stage at the 17th century Katsua Imperial Villa in Kyoto with a garden devised to stimulate the five senses. This was the first time that contemporary Japanese show garden had been seen at Chelsea and it was devised Hank Ski and Makoto Saito to celebrate 150 years of cultural unity between Japan and the UK. Every year the popular Australians of Flemings Nurseries bring a crowd of personnel to construct their garden and to entertain visitors. ‘The Fleming’s and Trailfinders Australian Garden’ (Gold) this year was designed by Jamie Durie to provide a flavour of beach and bush. Australian plants and hardwoods were used around a wall of Western Australian sandstone constructed from 3,500 individual pieces. A dining area incorporating a central fire bowl ‘bar-b’ completed the impression of outdoor life in a hotter climate and the feature was adorned by an aboriginal hand-painted artwork by renowned artist Gabriella Possum Nungarrayi that enhanced this small vision of Australia.

The show sponsors, Marshalls called their showpiece ‘The Marshalls Garden That Kids Really Want’ (Silver) that used a theme of an organic playground devised to encourage children to play outside. Beyond the metre high stone sculptured snake that guarded the entrance, the garden opened into areas of bold, jungle style foliage that was used extensively and balanced with soft grasses and turf areas where children could play safely. A skimming pool, den and natural rock stack climbing area reached through an underground tunnel added to the overall adventure theme of a fun garden that youngsters were bound to find absorbing.

Chelsea is not only about the lavish show gardens that provide much of the acclaim. Overall there was plenty for everyone from the experienced gardener to the complete novice and the 250 trade stands offered a massive array of the newest and most fashionable garden products and services from tractors to clothing, books to sculptures, botanic wall art to greenhouses. Plenty of expert advice was also at hand for those in need. There were also numerous exciting designs to be seen in a new category to the show; urban gardens that featured outstanding design concepts for small gardens located in a modern urban setting. The 2008 show included no less than 22 of these small gardens; each of them unique and delightful in their own particular way. While the outdoor gardens displayed an abundance of green planting, the Great Pavilion was alive with a mass of outstanding displays of vibrantly coloured popular and less common garden plants, flowers, fruit, vegetables and miniature bonsai trees with features from places as far away as Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and elsewhere proudly displaying their own indigenous flora. With the shows at Hampton Court and Tatton Park still to come, this looks like being another exciting year for the Royal Horticultural Society.

More information about Chelsea 2008 and the other shows can be found on the Web site:: www.rhs.org
Further photographs of this year’s event can also be seen by hitting the link on my web site at: www.robertbluffield.co.uk

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

2008-05-29T22:33:00.001+01:00

The normal working British people are being thoroughly ripped off and our once great country has already gone to pot. The rich get richer, the poor poorer but there is also a middle ‘under class’ that has evolved that Gordon Brown is succeeding in bringing to their knees. This group forms the majority of good, honest workers that Brown is treating with total contempt. He seems blind to the fact that he is crippling the nation by taxing us to the hilt while he remains happy to continue to blow money on his pet schemes as well as a useless war in Afghanistan and a peace keeping mission that can never succeed in Iraq. All of this is bleeding the country dry. On this score it is interesting how the government steers clear of questions relating to what all of this is costing the tax payer and just how much money is being spent every time a missile is fired.

I believe that Gordon Brown is the most loathed prime minister in living memory; in fact I will go as far as to suggest that he is hated by a vast sector of the population. We don’t like his face; the way he stutters and stumbles whenever he refuses to answer simple questions and we certainly do not like the fact that he doesn't have any ears. If he had then he would hear what the public is saying and for once do something positive about the worsening economic situation he has created. What makes matters worse is the fact that he was never voted into power by the populace and he got there by default. There must be some question about the legality of this? Tony Blair must be chuckling to himself for letting his former colleague loose on the British people and we all know that Cherie is ecstatic. Blair’s action in letting the former chancellor take the hot seat should be deemed in itself an act of high treason which sadly is not worth pursuing because it is no longer punishable by the death sentence.

I feel it is time that an Englishman governed our country. The Scots most certainly would never entertain a Sassenach ruling their country so why should we permit a Scot to rule us? Perhaps Brown is an interloper sent here by those north of the border to destroy our country along with any self-esteem that we have left?

The Tax Payer’s Alliance has estimated that more than £101 billion … yes one hundred and one billion pounds of our money has been totally wasted by the former chancellor during the last year alone. This not only goes to fund a war that is killing and maiming our young soldiers, but is also blown on consultants the government hires but refuses to listen to and costly computer systems that are never likely to work. He pumps money into education and the National Health Service but completely in the wrong places that allows money to flow down the drain while areas that should be supported are left void of cash. One such example relates to the allocation of life enhancing drugs to cancer and Altzheimers patients that are given only to patients that live in the right places.

Then we come to fuel tax. We were told to buy diesel powered cars in favour of petrol and now at my local filling station there is already a 14p per litre price differential in favour of petrol. Everybody is affected by the cost of fuel and it reflects heavily in the prices of every commodity that we buy but Brown appears totally blind to the facts. Our haulage industry has long been under threat from operators from mainland Europe who not only fill their tanks considerably cheaper in France and Belgium before arriving on our shores but then add insult to injury by using our roads totally free of charge. Will there ever be a time when this prime minister comes to his senses? Nothing short of a major blockade or an all out strike by our truckers will be sufficient to make Gordon Brown realise exactly what he is doing to our nation. At a recent Prime Minister’s questions, the Milton Keynes Conservative MP Mark Lancaster put the direct question “Does the PM know what a litre of fuel costs?” Bumbling Gordon was unable to answer and had to rely on a prompt from Alistair Darling to provide an answer which only goes to prove how completely out of touch Brown is with reality. But of course, if he travels by road it is usually in a fuel guzzling Jaguar that is hardly environmentally beneficial and lucky Gordon never has to pay for a tank of fuel. Neither does he have to pay for his TV licence, his carpets, his furnishings, his kitchen … enough said. No, we pay for everything which probably comes down to his underwear.

Like all of these things, the continuing issue of taxes will hit the poorest the hardest. The so called green tax issues relating to increasing the road tax levied on older and supposedly more polluting cars will only hit those unable to afford to buy new, energy efficient vehicles. There is a strong argument here; if you can afford to buy a new car then you can afford to pay higher taxes but the situation will only apply in reverse by charging the poor extra because they cannot afford new cars and have to rely on older models to get to and from work. Could it be that the PM has a hidden agenda that he tries to disguise with green issues? Maybe this is a way of getting as many cars as possible off of the roads. But, if he succeeds then this will create mass unemployment and force countless businesses to go to the wall.

Then there is the issue of MPs pay and expenses claims. Are there any honest Members of Parliament remaining out there who are prepared to stand up and be counted on this issue of coming clean about their expenses? How can you respect a bunch of well-heeled bureaucrats that seem only intent on rubbing salt into the public’s already festering wounds by expecting to grab a 64% wage increase when the Home Secretary has failed so abysmally in the underhanded way that she has treated our police? Nobody else is allowed to get away with unjustified expenses claims nor can most people vote on and approve their own pay deals. The Speaker’s underhanded way of dealing with things has really put him in the spotlight and there is very real justification in ridding Parliament of this self-centred parasite. It is time to review the entire way that Parliament operates and for politicians to come clean about the vast sums of public money they are claiming to line their own nests. In the private sector company bosses that get up to a mere fraction of the tricks performed by the MPs would be sufficient to label them as corrupt embezzlers but a Member of Parliament (I refuse to use the term Honourable because that they are not) sees fit to award his or herself a massive pay award while the under-classes who really need the money are deemed unworthy. What Gordon should be doing is being forced to live on an average worker’s wage for a year and be subjected to all of our household expenses; only then would he start to appreciate exactly how difficult he is making life for the average British citizen. Sorry, did I say ‘life’? This was a slip of the tongue because Brown and his control freaks have succeeded in creating a nation that has had so much stuffing knocked out of them that they barely feel capable of existing.

One would have thought that the hammering Labour took at Crewe and Nantwich would have announced loud and clear that the party’s days are well and truly numbered. The only thing that might prove me wrong here is his reliance on the votes of the ‘free society’ and the Chavs that have prospered by his handouts. These number tens of thousands and my only fear when it comes to the election is that they might just remain loyal to their friend that feeds them. Typically Gordon Brown refuses to accept that the writing has long been on the wall and he has passed his sell by date. He is either blind or simply too stubborn to accept that in the party’s own parlance ‘he is not fit for purpose’ nor for that matter are the are the arse licking Cabinet members that he has around him. I cannot believe that they have any respect for a leader who appears to listen to nobody. But to be more to the point they are probably so scared to death of the man that they are unable to publicly register their disapproval. Behind the scenes one can only imagine the levels of sniping that is going on but there could be a light at the end of the tunnel if this causes New Labour and Gordon Brown to implode.

This government has come far closer to destroying our once proud nation than any Nazi bombs and it sucks. Come on Brown … it is time that you came clean and accepted that you simply are not wanted and step down because there is no way that a tyrant of your calibre should be running our country.

IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

2007-11-23T23:09:00.002Z

This feature was written in the aftermath of the 2005 tsunami when I visited the Southern Indian state of Kerala and found it peaceful & relatively unaffected.

As the dreadful events of Boxing Day unfolded on television I was growing increasingly anxious about going to India. I was also deeply concerned that people and places that I knew in neighbouring parts of Asia had been wiped out. I was experiencing nightmares that threw me towards a dark depression yet I knew that by going what little money I would spend might directly help the region’s already depleted tourism industry.

En-route to Dubai my wife sat next to a softly-spoken, middle-aged Sri Lankan, a UK resident since his childhood. He was a psychiatrist returning to his birthplace to help counsel tsunami victims. He expressed a pronounced anguish over what he would face and was concerned about how his own mind would react to the heart-rending situations he would encounter. As a trained specialist he feared the lasting psychological damage he might be exposing himself to and suspected that in time the counsellors would themselves require counselling to prevent the brain from shutting down. As we met our connecting flight, international rescue workers had gathered on the airport concourse en-route to Colombo, a stark reminder of the disaster’s close proximity.

Locally they call Kerala “God’s Own Country”. It shares the most southerly landmass of India with Tamil Nadu to the east and a communal border that continues towards the very tip of the sub-continent. Trivandrum, the Kerala state capital, lies towards the foot of the Malabar Coast near the point where the Indian Ocean meets the Arabian Sea. This stretch of coastline had been savaged killing over two hundred fisherman and pilgrims who were worshipping in the sea as the great wave struck. Kerala faces south west and apart from the most southerly part the majority of coastline was sheltered from the tsunami’s direct path. This spared small fishing communities from total annihilation. Abnormal tides had swept the beaches but they failed to venture far enough inland to cause damage but it did deter many visitors from venturing onto the magnificent white sands. Fewer still entered the sea. Fearing the tsunami might return, some fishermen had already sold up and bought auto rickshaw taxis (phat-phats) with their limited funds.

Religion in Kerala dominates often to the point of obsession. Many locals, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, even Jains commonly agreed that it was “God’s will” that had spared them from disaster. In reality their location was their saviour but it was easy to imagine what a direct hit from the tsunami could have done to the ecosystem around Vembanad Lake and the district’s intricate network of meandering backwaters. These waterways are essential to Kerala’s economy in so many ways not least tourism. The vast lake (204 sq km) one of 34 throughout the State, acts like a hub to 1900kms of peaceful backwaters that links small communities of inland fishermen, farmers, shell collectors and rice growers. Three hundred houseboat operators depend entirely on backwaters tourism to survive. The English language newspaper “The Hindu Times” reported that cancellations and a drop in bookings for 2005 had already diminished their trade by up to 40%. Although Kerala hasn’t the widespread gross poverty that is found elsewhere in India, a reduction in tourism could force many boat owners to go bust. Thankfully the State is rich in natural produce such as rice, fruit, nuts, vegetables, tea, coffee, and spices. These resources provide a steady living for some but this is of little consequence to the houseboat operators. They are well aware of their vulnerability so they are pushing the government to campaign overseas for more tourism in an attempt to save their livelihoods.

The houseboats, known as kettuvallom, are converted rice barges, comfortably equipped; some part solar powered, with a crew of two boatmen and a cook. An overnight stay on a kettuvallom is enchanting even though failing to book an air-conditioned boat was a mistake that made for a very sticky night beneath a constricting but essential mosquito net. A noisy electric fan became the sole means of distributing the humid air. But the boats do have basic en-suite facilities and a restless night is a worthwhile sacrifice when you awake to be rewarded by the sound of the dawn chorus and the prospect of a few more relaxing hours of the cruise still remaining. Nothing could diminish the outstanding pleasure of watching everyday rural life pass by as you sit in a comfortable armchair on the sundeck sipping chilled Kingfisher while the crew attends your needs. I’d heard that the curries created on board are without comparison. Two sensational meals confirmed this to be a true culinary experience that no British take-away could match for taste! Freshwater fish cutlets, vegetable curry, perfectly flaky boiled rice and chapatti for lunch taken at anchor surrounded by bird life on the motionless waters of Vembanad Lake. Afternoon tea arrived as we traversed the water hyacinth strewn backwaters beneath a lofty canopy of swaying coconut palms while lone fishermen trawled their nets from narrow wooden canoes. Dinner was a maharaja’s feast of spiced fried chicken, crispy bitter gourds, okra, fried rice, green beans, dhal and potato curry.

A narrow green divide separates the canals from the lower level of the rice fields where farmers worked their small holdings using bullock-drawn wooden ploughs as their forefathers had done for centuries. Others worked knee deep in mud harvesting rice. At times it felt we were viewing rural life through a kaleidoscope and we’d become an integral part of a Discovery Channel documentary. Farms, small shops, houses, village schools and temples competed for space on these medians, often no more than forty feet wide. Daily life is enthralling, people watching became a pre-occupation. Smiling children in blue uniforms waved from long, tightly crammed boats that criss-crossed the waterways taking them from village to school. Women rinsed their waist length black hair and bathed fully clothed, some used a finger to brush their teeth as others washed clothes in the communal waters of the canals. On land, lop-eared goats were milked while small groups of elders passed time doing precious little. The backwaters also have their own unique sounds. At times the tranquillity was broken only by the low purring of the houseboat’s outboard motor or the occasional deep-sounding throbbing diesels of fast moving waterbuses that distribute human cargos at stopping points spaced either side of the main arteries. Some times nature alone disturbs the silence with the sound of wild birds taking flight, a black crow screeching or the distant rousing call of a cockerel. Overhead, the graceful shapes of white headed eagles circled in the warm thermals. At dusk and dawn the sound of Hindu prayers chanted in Malayalam, the local dialect, permeated the air from a temple dotted within a tiny community. Perhaps this was as near to an earthly form of heaven as you might find!

Kerala is one of earth’s most densely populated rural areas. Nearly 32 million people cram into 38,863 square kilometres, an area smaller than Switzerland. Wallowing in the sleepy atmosphere of the backwaters this statistic can easily be overlooked. It is not even overly apparent within the dusty confines of a busy town. But look inside the churches and temples or along the main highways and it seems this is where life is gathered. During late morning a church in the town of Alleppey was overflowing. People queued for access while several hundred devout Catholics, mostly women in bright saris, were already seated on the floor inside worshipping. Christianity arrived with St Thomas the apostle in AD52 and continued as a legacy of the Portuguese (1498), Dutch (17th Century) and British (1806). Kerala (then called Malabar) has been an important trading centre from the 1st century BC when the Greeks and Romans came in search of spices.

Hinduism remains prominent and from before daybreak the spiritual sound of prayers carries on the tropical air from distant temples. Holy festivals that can last for days are a regular occurrence and in the hours before dawn highly revered elephants are led along the main highway as they are moved between temples. It is haunting to see their broad shapes silhouetted in the headlight beams of oncoming traffic. Apart from a swinging reflector hanging from their tails they have no other safeguard from being hit from behind. Indian driving standards lack common sense or any kind of discipline. Last year 3066 died on Kerala’s roads (13,000 injured). Jokingly we were told that a similar number die from being hit by falling coconuts!* The day we arrived 59 perished when a crowded bus plunged into a canal; seven died in a head-on accident two days later. The most venomous are the horn blowing bus and truck drivers who hog the crown of the road at high speed bullying others to move aside. Motor cycle riders rarely wear crash helmets, car drivers seldom bother with seat belts. I watched a family of four aboard a small moped. The father was helmeted, his young son and wife riding side-saddle behind nursing a baby had no protection. The drivers assigned to foreigners maybe slightly less crazy but they too manoeuvre dangerously into the smallest gaps between moving trucks and overtake blind. Everyone nurses a burning desire to get ahead of all other traffic regardless. Visitors are generally transported in Ambassadors, big heavy cars, still made in West Bengal to the 1948 design of the Morris Oxford. They are basic, seriously underpowered but built like tanks and well suited to the Indian environment.

One night spent on a houseboat is generally sufficient especially when combined with a visit to other parts of India or a stay in the old city of Cochin. A few nights at a magnificent Vembanad Lake retreat or a little longer at a relaxing beach resort can also provide a well earned break from travelling around the historic cities of India. The State Government has launched an eco-Kerala programme that is successfully encouraging hotels to become environmentally friendly. The cost of accommodation, meals and drinks can be high by Indian standards but considerably less than at many comparable hotels elsewhere in Asia. The state authorities claims almost 100% literacy rate for Kerala, the highest in India and unemployment is low by national standards. The extremely friendly people are proud of the history, cuisine, wildlife, deserted beaches and a good climate that the state offers. In view of the tragic circumstances in Sri Lanka and Thailand, Kerala is now well placed to capitalise by attracting visitors who might otherwise have gone to the tsunami affected countries.
• During 2002 George Burgess the director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Shark Attack File claimed in a speech that “Coconuts kill 150 worldwide each year, 15 times the number of fatalities attributed to sharks”.

KERALA TRAVELLER FACTS
When to go
The best time to visit Kerala is between November and late February. The monsoon comes later in the year and the pre-monsoon heat can be stifling between late April and mid-June. This is followed by the monsoon rains of June to August but seasonal fluctuations can mean that the heavy rains fall later in the year. September and October also tend to be very humid.

Festivals
For much of the time there are religious festivals of one sort or another taking place but the major ones honouring a particular god are the Sabarimala Festival (January – February) Pongal (4th January) Thaipuram or Thai Pussam (January – February) Shivratri (February – March) Onam (August – September) which includes boat races at Alleppey, the ten day festival of Krishna at Guruavayoor and the Pooram (April – May) at Thrissur where elephants decorated with gold are paraded, carrying colourful parasols to a background of fireworks and drumming.

Consuming pleasures
Keralan cuisine is delightful and is quite removed from most Indian food found in British restaurants. It is generally more gentile and full of taste. Coconut in various forms is used in many dishes together with local spices. The different religions have an influence in the way that dishes are prepared but each culture offers a wide choice of vegetarian dishes including okra and gourds that are usually served with rice or lentils. Fish, often cooked in coconut based curries, is also widely served and mutton, duck and chicken is popular. Beef is eaten by the non-Hindus. Malabar Biriyani is fish or meat cooked in rice with an Arabian influence. Local breakfast specialities includes a sponge like pancake, Appam, made from rice or puttu a popular dish made from rice-flour dough. A reasonable Indian wine is available in hotels but Kingfisher beer is widely available.

Kerala is also the home of Ayurveda and this form of herbal therapeutic massage and medicine is available in all of its’ forms inexpensively at centres and hotels throughout the state.

Bazaars and markets sell all kinds of locally grown spices, saffron being a particularly good buy, cashew nuts, Indian tea, silver jewellery, fabrics, cooking utensils, wood carvings and crafts from other parts of India. It is illegal to take genuine antiques out of Indian without a license but plenty of reproductions can be found in larger towns.

State of the Nation
Kerala is the most literate state in all India and there is less obvious poverty than elsewhere. Kerala was made a state in 1956 when the princely states of Travancore and Cochin joined with Malabar, a province under Madras state. It has 20 seats on the Lok Sabha, the national legislative assembly. Hindus are in the majority but Christians form a quarter of the population. There is also a sizeable Muslim following. The people are exceptionally friendly and visitors should feel safe and at ease although there is the expected gentle harassment from hawkers around popular tourist attractions. Malayalam is the local dialect but English is widely spoken.

Web Sites
The official state tourism site that contains much general information about almost anything a visitor would wish to know. The content, photography and graphics are very professional and the site includes a diary of events that includes information on festivals and other activities. This is very well organised site that even offers audio, video and stills photography links.
http://www.blogger.com/http//www.keralatourism.org
Informative site that contains most of what you need to know about the old city and port of Cochin. It lists useful links to all kinds of travel information including timetables and is equally useful to visitors and locals who live in the city.

Books
Surprisingly there are very few books about Kerala available in the UK although there are some excellent local books about Kerala life and culture available within the State.

South India – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa – A travel guide
By Philip Ward. Published in 1991 this is a journey through the history, culture, wildlife, art, architecture, landscapes and communities of these three states. Knowledgeably written and illustrated with maps and black and white photographs that are now quite dated.
Thomas Cook Guide to Goa & Kerala
By Anil Mulchandani. This is a modern guidebook split into two sections, one for each state, and gives good, practical advice and information about towns and other places of interest to visitors. It also has useful feature articles on items such as the cuisine and architecture, arts and crafts, mammals and Ayurveda. The book is illustrated with good colour photographs and maps throughout and it comes with a useful mini-CD Rom that provides further information and web links.

THE ELEPHANTS OF PINNAWELA

2007-11-23T23:04:00.000Z

There is something very mystical about watching forty or so Asian elephants moving almost majestically in procession, trunks and tails swaying, towards a river where they will take a communal bath. It is a sight I had waited a long time for and this alone would have been worth venturing several thousand miles to witness even had the tropical island had nothing else to recommend it. The elephants, as it transpired, were the icing on the cake because I fell in love with the beauty and the people of this wonderful island that sits, like a glistening pearl, in the Indian Ocean just at the foot of the Tamil region of the Sub Continent.

At the time the island was at war, but then it has been at war for much of its history only this time the fighting was not against an invading force but between the Tamil people and the Government. That makes things all that harder to accept given the otherwise inner tranquillity of the people. Now there is a kind of uneasy peace. Discussions between the warring factions are under way but how long this will last is anybody’s guess. Mostly the fighting has been restricted to the Jaffna region in the north of the island but every so often a bomb will explode elsewhere, on a crowded train or on a Colombo street killing unsuspecting citizens and reminding tourists that the regime is still unstable.

Countless lives have been lost fighting to gain independence for a tiny strip of land. They haven’t all been human lives either. Many casualties have been from the wild animal population. The elephants have frequently been casualties and their existence remains on a tightrope in Sri Lanka as in other parts of South East Asia. Sometimes an elephant has been caught in cross-fire, on other occasions a single animal may have torn up a farmer’s crops causing him to hunt the animal down to kill it. Worse, some have trodden on mines and have lost a foot or an entire limb but have continued to live, usually in extreme agony until secondary disease from the wound spreads and eventually causes an awful prolonged death. The ultimate only comes after the elephant loses its’ mind with the pain that can turn it into a very dangerous and unpredictable animal in the process.

It is believed that 12,000 elephants once roamed wild on Sri Lanka. This was around 1900 when the natural resources that the animals would feed on were plentiful and the population smaller. Now almost 20 million people inhabit the island and much of the habitat where elephants lived and thrived peaceably within their environment has gone cutting their numbers to just a few thousand wild animals. Those elephants that get maimed frequently become separated from their herd. Many of the victims have been females with young that have not yet been fully weaned. The baby elephants, left to their own devices, fall over cliffs or simply starve to death. The few lucky ones are captured by caring villagers and are taken to the Orphanage where they will be fed and cared for.

In 1975 the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife set up the Elephant Orphanage to care for the offspring of dead or injured mothers that had been found in the jungles. Twenty five acres of coconut grove were taken up at Rambukkana on the Maha River. The orphanage moved locations on several occasions, at one time being housed at the tourist area of Bentota before moving to the Dehiwala Zoo. It eventually ended up at Pinnawela and had just five baby elephants in its care. The intention was for visitors to be attracted to the orphanage and the money raised from entrance fees etc. would support the cause. In 1978 the National Zoological Gardens took over the running of the centre and a captive breeding programme was launched in 1982. At that time there were five mahouts caring for twelve elephants. By 1997 the adult elephant population had increased to 42 and there were 10 babies, all under three years old. Although adult female elephants could successfully be introduced into the orphanage, the situation tended to be the opposite with the males because of their naturally aggressive behaviour.

The Orphanage tries to maintain a natural wild environment for its charges. The babies are fed by hand on milk before being allowed to roam freely over 12 acres of grassland. There are signs of what elephants tend to do naturally, break down trees and the compound is littered with torn off branches. Twice a day the animals are walked to the Maha Oya River, just 400 metres away where they enjoy a two hour bath. This is the spectacle that the majority of visitors come to see and this can be done from the terrace of a restaurant that overlooks the bathing area. The frolicking is great fun to watch even though the occasional elephant may attempt to wander off across the river. The mahouts soon spot a troublesome one and ensure that it is kept with the others.

During the evening the babies are again fed on milk while the older animals receive leaves. The usual diet consists of jackfruit, coconut, tamarind and grass. Each elephant is fed 76kg of green food a day which is supplemented with 2kg of mixed maize, rice, bran, powdered gingelly seed and minerals. Although penned for the night, boredom can set in quite easily so some of the older elephants are encouraged to work by using their trunks to carry tree branches and food stuffs.

Sama is an adult female elephant, now aged about twelve, who had her right forefoot blown away by a landmine when she was only two years old. She had learnt to walk on three legs although as she grows the imbalance is putting stress on her spine. Reports from the Orphanage state that one of the zoological specialists is hoping to train the Sama this year to wear a prosthesis that they hope will solve the elephant’s imbalanced stance. Only time will tell whether the experiment is a success or not.

The good work of the orphanage specialists and staff, aided by others from around the world, continues to save the lives of many of these unfortunate creatures. The Orphanage attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year which helps to create a continued awareness of the problems faced by the Asian elephant that can only help the species’ fight for survival. If you get the opportunity to visit this picturesque island be sure to take the road from the capital Colombo towards the ancient city of Kandy. Set in the hills approximately half way between the two cities you will reach Pinnawela village. It is easy to miss but the yellow signs at the roadside showing an elephant crossing will provide a clue. You will be richly rewarded by the experience of walking amongst these delightful animals.

THE BIG BANK RIP-OFF

2007-11-23T22:54:00.000Z

I have been following the progress of the issues relating to unfair overdraft penalty charges that are being imposed by banks closely ever since the subject first started to receive media attention. Like many readers I have a vested interest. It has been well publicised that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are bringing a case against the banks because they agree with consumer views that bank overdraft fees are unfair. Whether this action will be in the public’s interest will remain to be seen but the decision to litigate has put paid to any further individual cases being brought to court by individuals who feel the need to sue their banks.

The banking industry could have accepted the OFT’s claims of profiteering by overcharging their customers instead of adopting a largely intransigent attitude that has resulted in legal proceedings being instigated. The eight banks involved are challenging the OFT’s right to interfere in their affairs and claim that it has no jurisdiction. However, the BBC has reported (11 September 2007) that the OFT could drop this highly controversial test case if the banks offered to cut their charges so much, that it would be in the interests of consumers to drop the case. However the fairness of charges isn’t the issue the judge must consider. Instead the Court must rule on whether the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations apply to overdraft charges. The OFT believes that they do apply and that is in their power to order the banks to reduce unfair charges. The banks, as expected, disagree claiming their charges to be a ‘core feature of their current account business’ an area that is beyond the jurisdiction of existing regulations. The banks are also adamant that overdraft ‘penalties’ are legitimate service charges that are fair and justifiable. The OFT also argues that the charges are still excessive even if they could be viewed as legitimate service charges.

Since it was known that the OFT were intending to bring this issue to the High Court, some might be forgiven for thinking there has been an impasse. This is not the case. Most financial experts agree that consumers should still formerly place their claims before their banks prior to the court date; although they believe that the banks will no longer entertain paying any settlements. Despite this view some banks are continuing to offer refunds based on prior claims that were sent to them before the OFT announcement was made. Whether these settlements seem fair or not is for the individual to decide. It appears that the situation has now become a gamble split between whether a customer is willing to accept what the bank is offering them now, or wait for the outcome of the court action. If you back waiting for the court’s decision there is the chance that the banks might win the litigation and you will end up getting nothing at all. Even if the banks should lose the first battle, any settlement is likely to be protracted because they are almost certain to Appeal. Should they lose that too then they might even consider appealing to the House of Lords. This will all take a considerable amount of time. The action is due to commence in January but nobody is expecting a result until at least 2010 so even if the case goes against the banks you’ll still be waiting more than two years before your disputed charges are returned. In many cases it simply isn’t worth the gamble. If your bank is still prepared to discuss a refund you might well consider it now rather than risk losing out totally. The worst part about this is that there is no clear cut favourite to win the action so it’s not an easy call to make.

There is some evidence that some banks are still prepared to consider settling despite the OFT action. If your bank has offered to negotiate it might be wise to be flexible. What they are offering is likely to be considerably less than the amount you are demanding but you can always try ‘pushing’ the bank to increase their offer to something more acceptable. Although this will be a compromise you are guaranteed at least some form of settlement immediately but you won’t be able to pursue any balance. The banks are clearly defining such settlements as ‘goodwill’ gestures and they are refusing to accept any liability of overcharging or wrongdoing. This to me seems rather dishonest. My argument to this is based on my belief that no banking organisation would be prepared to offer a substantial settlement if they didn’t believe that they were in the wrong. Banks simply aren’t in business to make goodwill payments out of a feeling of generosity so this has to be dismissed as poppycock! If a bank offers to settle a claim this is tantamount to accepting full liability and pay up rather than risk the possibility of being taken to court. If they believe they are in the right and that their charges can be justified, then why would they offer a refund? The reason could be that they are growing nervous about losing the case with the OFT in the same way that they’ve already lost the majority of cases brought against them by individuals. This has already cost them dearly. The banking industry’s own interim figures reveals that no less than £399million had already been refunded to customers during the first half of this year. The contributions towards this substantial amount of ‘goodwill’ have been met by Barclays (£87m), HSBC (£116m), HBOS (£79m), Lloyds TSB (£36m) and RBS (£81m).

The whole issue seems to have become a bit like Katch-22 and it is a shame that the OFT doesn’t already have sufficient clout to enforce the banks to refund unreasonable penalty charges under existing laws without having the need to resort to the High Court. The banks, no doubt, will view any government agency intervention in their business as being grossly unfair. Isn’t this a travesty when they have acted unfairly towards their clients for donkey’s years? The banks seem to believe they have the absolute right to help themselves to their customers’ funds. As a result their profits have soared to all time highs and their wealthy shareholders have got fatter by screwing their customers. Their greed has no parallel, they have no scruples and they appear to revel in the ruthlessness of their actions. By compounding the debts of customers by adding unfair overdraft charges and subsequently placing default notices on the credit register they are guilty of creating misery and ruin for thousands. Quite frequently default notices are issued because customers have been unable to pay the unreasonable charges that their bank has imposed such action effectively blocks an individual from obtaining credit for a minimum period of six years. This cannot be fair. No other business is allowed to default a customer in this way so why are the banks allowed to do this without first proving their case in court? There can be no justification for charging a customer £35 for ‘bouncing’ a £3 payment when the banking experts have estimated that it costs the bank less than £2 to process the refused item? More often than not it is a case of the banks extorting money from those that are the most vulnerable; those on low incomes or businesses owners that are facing financial difficulties. When anyone is already suffering financially distress, I believe it is totally unreasonable and devastating to impose further monetary penalties on top of debts they already cannot meet. It is easy to understand why personal and business debts are soaring to record highs. The banks blame their customers, charging them with being irresponsible, but in a vast number of cases people fall into financial difficulties for reasons beyond their control. The banks are merely making matters worse. In any case the banks are not in a position to preach considering their record of poor lending to Third World countries and the recent activities of Northern Rock.

Nobody could ever deny that the banks need to make healthy profits but their methods can readily be viewed as scandalous and their profits excessive. They were once regarded as upright, responsible, honest organisations that could be trusted. Mostly they could be relied upon for their integrity and upright behaviour. But, the public perception has widely changed and most would conclude that as an industry the banks no longer enjoy a respectable reputation or meet the needs of the consumer. Their obsession with the ‘bottom line’ has led to justifiable accusations of greed and they have also come in for criticism over their methods of selling a range of associated products that aren’t always in the interests of their unsuspecting clients. If you were to conduct a poll I wonder how many consumers would consider the banks to be honest and trustworthy? When things are going well they are quick to lend money but, at the first signs of danger, they are equally as quick to ‘pull the plug’ in ways that can cause misery and total ruin. The outcome of all of this is that when a customer complains the banks are likely to retaliate by calling in their overdraft and by closing their account. As a consumer, I can only hope that justice will be seen to be done and that customers will ultimately gain from the process.

Are the International Football Authorities Blind to European Crowd Trouble?

2007-04-05T15:34:00.000+01:00

Eighteen Manchester United fans ended up in hospital following a clash between rival fans at the match against Roma in the Italian capital last night. Several of these had serious stab wounds; others had cut heads following the buttoning by the local police who claim that their actions were "justified". I didn't watch the match but I did see the ugly scenes of violence on the television news. it appeared to me that the police were deliberately targeting innocent bystanders and not any of the fans that were the real perpetrators. The home fans seemed to escape Scott free and it goes without saying that the Brits were blamed for the violence that occurred.

Cast your mind back a few months and you will remember that a police officer was murdered by fans at a match in Sicily. Violence and racial abuse is certainly not unknown in Italy and elsewhere the crowds have an appalling record yet it is always the Brits that take the brunt of any action. After the Heinsel Stadium tragedy it was the British clubs that were banned from European Competition yet this type of punishment has not been handed out to clubs from Turkey (where Leeds fans were murdered by fans in Istanbul)or any other European country.

The level of violence at British grounds now has almost ceased owing to the work of the clubs, our police forces and the genuine fans themselves. isn't it about time that we got a fair deal in Europe as far as EUFA and FIFA are concerned?

Is the Football Association Bringing Our Great Game Into Disrepute?

2007-03-14T13:26:00.000Z

Following the debacle of the Carling Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea I can sympathise with Arsene Wenger entirely at the way the Football Association conducted their "investigation". In the now well screened handbag incident it would appear that the linesman (sorry referee's asssisant) was telling porkies when he said Adebayor had thrown a punch. It could mean that the assistant needed to change his optician because he certainly couldn't tell the difference between a player with a kind of dreadlocks hair style and a player who has been almost scalped. Adebayor had every reason to be angered, refusing to leave the pitch after a dismissal that was blatantly wrong. So too did Wenger after the FA had failed to accept the television evidence to back their appointed "line judge" instead. Wenger was further angered by the suggestion that the two managers had trespassed on to the pitch without permission in order to add to the incident. From my viewpoint in my comfortable lounge at home I immediately came to the conclusion that the intention of both managers was to try and separate the players and not to add their weight to the fisticups.

But isn't the truth something the Football Association always tries to avoid in favour of their own version of what they decide has happened? The Association, it has to be said, does tend to favour a certain club from Manchester while Arsenal (and I admit to a certain biase) are always branded the villains. Arsene Wenger is often accused of allowing his players to be out of control, an endearment that has led to so many red cards over the last ten years. But, if we are honest, and we stop to analise each and every one of these incidents you have to reach the conclusion that a high percentage of the dismissals were completely unjustified. How many times can we also conclude that the referee brandishing one red card after another has got it completely wrong? Referees however are rarely brought to task for their mistakes; to the contrary the FA will back their trustees to the hilt.

The problem of money; far too much of it, must be introduced to the equation. It has become far too important and this has created a win at all costs attitude amongst managers and their players. Of course football is a business, a business that plays to high stakes like Monopoly money and players will fight each other in order to win an advantage. But although this might be the case very few football "punch ups" are serious and most are caused by a rash, spur of the moment, action by one player on another. If a player is through on goal and is pulled back by the cuff of his shirt then surely it is little more than a human reaction to turn and retaliate? Ask yourself; if somebody pulled you away from a bar by your shirt tails as you were about to buy a drink wouldn't you turn on that person in anger? I think so. Football is and has always been a highly charged game that is played by men (sorry girls)and a certain level of retaliation has always been, shall I say, a "healthy" part of the game. In the 1960s when i first started to take an interest in the game you could witness some appalling fouls but seldom did anyone get sent off. The first time I saw a player dismissed, in fact both were given their orders, was when Ron Yeats of Liverpool and the late Joe Baker were sent off at Highbury after the former pulled the other down in the centre circle. Baker's natural reaction was to swing a punch at the Liverpool centre half because little Joe would have been through on goal. This was the only time I saw a player dismissed in a period spanning many years. But now of course almost every match has at least one player given his marching orders and the dismissals are ruining the game. Is the game any more violent than it was fifty years ago; I think not. It is probably true that modern day players have become a little bit more crafty, able to con the officials more easily, but violent, no.

I think that it is time that the FA took a break and stepped back to review the conduct of the players that fall within its' jurisdiction. They should take stock of the situation and review the hows and whys of red card incidents to reach a conclusion as to whether or not they were all really necessary. The great game is certainly losing out from players recieving bans, more especially those players that are subsequently proved to be unjustifiably sent off or cautioned. With every decision resulting in a fine for those deemed responsible everything becomes answerable to the cash cow. Results obviously suffer when clubs are missing key players and the fans are also deprived of seeeing the strongest teams being fielded.

I believe that the time is right for the FA to withdraw from the process of punishing clubs and players. Instead I propose that any disciplinary measures should be metered out by a body that is independent of any FA biase. Perhaps this way the system might become a good deal fairer although it would lead to a lot less money from fines falling into the Football Association's laps.

Driving in India Can Seriously Damage Your Health

2007-03-14T12:55:00.000Z

The British government's attempts to bring the road accident rate down to zero can only work if they achieve what I believe they are trying to achieve ... by taxing every form of travel to the hilt. That way they can ensure that we all stay in one place so that the politicians and the thought police know where to find each and every one of us. I firmly believe that the latest form of control from the Labour party is trying to restrict our movements. How long will it be before we are banned from going abroad? With this in mind spare a thought for the Sub Continent where l something like 93,000 people die on the roads every year.

By comparison the accident rate in most European countries can be seen as fairly minor and in Britain I think we have one of the best standards of driving in the world although at times it might not seem like it. But India is something else. Take a taxi ride, even in one of the more laid back states such and Goa or Kerala, and you will be in for a roller coaster ride that leaves you begging to get out of the car. Don't get me wrong; Indian drivers are good, but they are just downright dangerous. By "good" I am referring to the way that they can fit their cars into the tightest of gaps to avoid a collision at the very last second when carnage is about to ensue. Indian drivers cannot accept that orderly driving, one vehicle behind the other, should be the acceptable norm. For this reason every vehicle in front has to be overtaken and this is achieved regardless of what is coming at you in the opposite direction. It is a truly frightening experience but you will not find any tour operators with India on their agendas advising you not to take their transport from the airport! So, dear traveller, if you intend to visit anywhere on the Sub Continent you should be prepared to risk your life when going on the roads.

The buses and truck drivers are the worst especially those that drive the interstate buses for ten or more hours at a stretch non-stop. The Bombay to Goa bus for example sits in the middle of the road and will move for nobody. Argue with it at your peril but the local drivers will and when their luck is out they leave a trail of death and destruction. It seems there is no penalty for killing somebody by dangerous driving in India and life being generally cheap means that nobody seems to care. It is not uncommon for half a dozen people to be killed in a single accident yet even this does not deter the Indian from behaving like a suicide jockey.

I was recently told that the State government in Goa had recently introduced a law to force motor cyclists to wear crash helmets but only on major roads. The rule seemingly does not apply to their passengers (yes, plural because I have seen an entire family of four on a single moped). They recently had a purge but it made little difference if the rider was wearing a helmet because the police officer that stopped him would insist he was breaking the law. A hundred or so rupees however is usually all it takes to guarantee that the officer doesn't write a ticket.

Driving is all a bit of a game really in India; sometimes you win, often you lose. It is certainly not a pastime to be enjoyed by the feint hearted.

Things Can Sometimes Get Better

2007-01-10T01:39:00.000Z

Liverpool 3 Arsenal 6 ... Carling Cup Quarter Final Who could have dreamed that an Arsenal second squad (we mustn't call them Reserves because that they aren't) could go to Anfield, field 6 or so players aged 17 or thereabouts and thrash a Liverpool side that included Gerrard, Bellamy, Fowler and several other first team members? Okay, they too had a few youngsters but the spirit and strength of Arsenal was too much for them.

After Arsenal had taken the lead, Liverpool were quick to come back but they were then overpowered. Arsenal's splendid six was the biggest home defeat Liverpool have suffered since 1914. The Gunners were without their first team regulars except Cesc Fabregas and the determined and often brilliant, Kolo Toure, who was aptly skipper for the night. Jeremie Aliadiere had his best ever game and carved the Liverpool defence wide open with thrusting runs several times to provide cutting passes that gave Brazilian Julio Baptista (known as The Beast) two of his four goals, one of them an amazing curling direct free kick that gave Dubcek no chance. It was a shame that Baptista's penalty, when his personal goal tally was then at two, was hit too close to the Liverpool goalkeeper that allowed him to push it wide otherwise the score line would have been even better and Baptista would have been an even bigger hero. An away player hitting four goals at Anfield must be a record in any case?

Arsene was bubbling with praise for his youngsters and rightly so more especially as they managed to outscore the 3-1 victory gained by the first squad in the Premiership at Anfield just three days ago. But the peformance by the lads tonight was fluent, uncomplicated football and they managed to carve openings in the home side's defence with remarkable ease that was a pleasure to watch. The team's play seemed more direct, less complicated than that of the first team and they managed to score without needing to try to walk the ball into the net. Sometimes Arsenal can be guilty of playing exciting football that is too complicated. As a result they are scoring less goals than they should.

Manuel Almunia, who it must be said, looked positively shaky when he first came to the club seems to have developed a much improved and safer style that is less flashy than Lehmann. The Spaniard is also less volatile and less lilely therefore to risk giving goals away after throwing his toys out of the pram.

The other goals came from Aliadiere and Song. Maybe Aliadiere, after tonight's performance, will no longer wish to leave the club ... or was he merely advertising his strengths to all comers that will surely raise the odds on any transfer fee demanded by the club.

Nine goals in three days away at Liverpool cannot be bad and the results at least have lifted my depressison a little. Bring on Spurs for the Semi-final.

A Very Bad Start

2007-01-10T01:24:00.000Z

How quickly another year seems to come around and in my case another year older, another year in debt is extremely apt. After a great New Year's Eve, when even I indulged in a little Karaoke, the following week was marred by misfortune.

I don't really know how, but as I lifted a cup of coffee my hand seemed to go limp and the contents went all over and inside my Sony laptop. It died extremely quickly and all attempts to dry it out and revive it came to nothing. I'd only just returned to work that day after suffering an upset stomach for almost a week ... possibly caused by some form of food poisoning. I do, after all, have a habit of eating things that have been kept in the fridge beyond their sell by dates so I guess it is my own fault. Was Parma Ham the culprit ... or was it the melon?

Getting back to the routine things I needed to do ... even writing this blog ... has been a major effort since Christmas and everything I planned to write over the festive break failed to happen for one reason or another. I loathe Christmas at home ... just Frances and I. It's okay if there are other people around because at least you can get more into the spirit of the occasion. Boxing Day was like that because we went to friends. Judging by the many people who have NOT sent us Christmas cards this season I suspect others are also tired of the commercial abuse of Christmas.

The crunch came yesterday evening. I was returning from the computer recovery place with CDs of the files they'd fortunately managed to salvage from the laptop when I hit a bump in the road and suddenly found that I had no gears in the Passat. I coasted to a lay-by where I waited over two hours in miserable weather for the breakdown vehicle to arrive to tow me. Today I have found out that my clutch more-or-less disintegrated ... cost over £750!

What a fine start to 2007.

Surveillance, Gas Guzzlers and the Government

2006-11-30T21:54:00.000Z

I have a theory; in fact I’ve had this theory for some considerable time and it all relates to the “Big Brother” attitude of the Government and how they are trying to limit our movements. There is nothing they would love more than to price the motorist off the roads but then have no stealth taxes coming in to invest in alternative public transport. In short we’d have no alternative but to stay within walking distance of our homes. Add the much hated ID cards into the equation and while they are about it, compulsory tagging, and the Labour party righteous would have us exactly where they wanted us.

More surveillance than Russia
It is a fact that we now have more closed circuit surveillance cameras watching us than in any other country in the world. Blair and his merry men try to tell us that they are security cameras; perhaps they are but who are they providing security for? They probably allow Government ministers to feel more secure but hardly the British people. This is proven by the fact that the police never seem to be able to apprehend the criminals that operate in spite of the fact that they know they are being filmed. Put the offenders on Crime Watch and the quality is so poor that nobody can recognise them, which only poses the question of why are they there in the first place? We are watched constantly, everywhere we go and a part of my theory relates to a belief that Big Brother wants to know where we are every minute of the day. The Labour party are paranoid. If they believe that security cameras help us and protect us in our fight against terrorism, then why didn’t this surveillance prevent the London bombings?

Surveillance cameras are a feature on every motorway but they aren’t being used to prevent the country reaching total gridlock. Shouldn’t the purpose be used as a means to re-distribute congestion? If the Ministry of Transport really wanted to help ease traffic congestion then shouldn’t they be providing early warnings of impending gloom on the roads many miles before we ever get to the snarl ups? With the technology we have at our disposal why is traffic not re-routed say ten, fifteen or even twenty miles before a major incident? I don’t know the answer to that but somebody in the Ministry does. To the contrary it seems that the Government actually wants to delay our journeys and perhaps the underlying reason could be because they are trying to force us to rid ourselves of our cars by creating organised pandemonium on our roads so that it is becoming almost impossible to complete a simple journey on time. Could there be some underlying plot to force us all to stay where they know where to find us? If we all remained at home and did our work on the internet then no doubt a Government agency would be planting spiders or some other gadgets into our hard drives that tell them exactly what key strokes we are making,. This is assuming of course that they haven’t done so already!

Motorway madness
The whole system in this country seems to be arse-about-face. They are widening the M1 south of Luton as everybody knows but this is going to take at least a further two years to be completed. Is this because the Government are trying not to spend any money on the project because whenever I drive through this eternal balls up I am yet to witness more than two or three people actually doing any work. It seems nobody does anything at weekends or between the hours of 5.00pm and 9.00am.on weekdays so that doesn’t allow much time for my 2-3 three workers to complete a major road project between tea breaks. At one time, when a major highway required repairs, there would be teams of men working shifts twenty-four-seven to get the project finished in the shortest possible time. Even with this kind of input the projects were generally running behind schedule. On this basis if we start to believe that the M1 widening scheme below Luton will really be completed by December 2008 then we must be in cloud cuckoo land. Apart from some bridge supports and a load of mud what else has been achieved? I really pity those poor souls that have to drive through this crazy chaos everyday because it is enough to put you into a straight jacket and send you screaming to the psychiatric ward. At first I thought the aim was to raise the revenue to pay for the scheme from the specs speed cameras (oops … don’t I mean safety cameras?) that watch over us like hawks These were installed “to protect the work force” (sic) by ensuring that nobody drives at over a 50 mph average speed. My theory however can be shattered by the fact that hardly anybody ever gets out of second gear to get anywhere near this speed so the Government coffers must be pretty empty on that score. Hence, no money to pay for the construction work. I can just see Brown trying to balance his books and wondering where his next billion is going to come from.

What is to follow is an extra M1 junction being planned between 13 and 14 in our neck of the woods. How many years is this going to take and how will this affect the dreadful problems that befall those trying to cross the motorway at Junction 13? You might recall that it took them around 12 weeks simply to repair the supports and structure of the bridge that carries the Willen Road from Tongwell that caused diabolical chaos for anyone travelling into Milton Keynes from Newport Pagnell, Bedford or Olney everyday. God forbid, building an entire new junction doesn’t bear thinking about!

Somebody in the Ministry of Transport came up with the bright idea of allowing peak time traffic to use the hard shoulders of the motorway. A section of m-way was tested in the West Midlands and the civil servants were jumping about congratulating themselves. As usual the scheme doesn’t seem to have been thoroughly thought through. First of all the hard shoulders on motorways were built to allow broken down vehicles to be parked clear of fast moving traffic. If the lane is to be used as an additional carriageway then what happens when the inevitable does happen and somebody does breaks down? My guess is that the following traffic will simply plough into the back of the stationery vehicle causing death and destruction because drivers won’t be able to stop in time. The result will be mayhem. Another point relates to the construction of the hard shoulders. As they were never built to carry a volume of traffic, how long will the surfaces stand up before they too need replacing?

Let’s price the motorist off the road
It seems that Blair’s boys are really trying extremely hard to stop us using our cars. The theory I have this time is that they are really hell-bent on pricing us off the roads. In so doing this will leave empty roads to allow only official ministry vehicles and the stinking rich to move about the country unimpeded as they once did in Soviet Russia and Communist China. If motorists think we’ve had it tough already with the highest fuel taxes in Europe, road tax charges based on engine capacity and income tax penalties for driving company cars, beware because this is only the beginning. The Borough of Richmond already looks set to impose huge parking charges on Chelsea tractors; Red Ken promises to follow suit with a thumping £25 congestion charge that will be forced on anyone driving a car bigger than his and there is talk of charging us for every mile travelled on our roads. At least the 4-wheel boys will still have the option of running amok by cutting across the fields. How long will it take for other sheepish councils to follow these charges by making their own once they realise how much they can raise to fund their jollies through yet even more stealth taxes? As I don’t think the Mayor of London owns a car (he prefers a thing called The Tube) then this will eventually mean everyone will be expected to pay the increased charge.

The vanishing taxes
An issue that these goody-goodies seem to forget is the amount of VAT the Government already collects every time a car dealer sells any new car let alone a fuel hungry 3-litre or Chelsea tractor that raises loads more. The road tax charges are also higher and, because big engines guzzle more fuel, there is also much more revenue for the Treasury to collect from the big-car owners in fuel tax than from someone driving a Smart car. Get rid of thirsty cars and where is the Government going to turn to replace this revenue? Of course, silly me, it will have to come from those the cigarettes smokers and enjoy a few drinks! Imagine the next budget … fags £20 a pack; a pint of beer £15. You think I’m joking but who would have believed five years ago that 20 cigarettes would cost about five quid? Perhaps they might also raise the VAT level to say 20 or 25% thus crippling businesses even more. We’re led to believe that this is all being done to help us save the planet by cutting done on exhaust emissions. Who are they trying to kid more especially as punchy Two Jags Prescott now has a third to carry his croquet set? Of course it would be a wonderful vote winner for the Blairites if we all scrapped our cars and bought electrically powered hybrids that chugged along at 5 mph while we searched for a mains outlet to recharge the damn things. The Government (read police) would also lose their revenue from speed (sorry … safety) cameras. The Greens would simply have a field day. But, as a reporter on the BBC pointed out, wouldn’t the amount of emissions being blown into the atmosphere during the actual construction of these hybrid cars totally outweigh the cause? Of course they would. But wait, the best bit relating to the demands to save the planet is still to come. Somebody has already produced figures to suggest that even if we all did everything we’re being told to do in this country to protect the environment, it would all be completely fruitless because it would take the Chinese just 64 days of normal, everyday fossil fuel burning in their great polluted cities to undo everything we had achieved! Bloody marvellous isn’t it? So why are we burning so much energy even thinking about ways that we can save the planet?

I am afraid with this Government it is all about doing what they tell us to do … but don’t criticise Labour for not setting a good example. Maybe I’m the one who is paranoid.

This article was previously published on www.miltonkeynes.com

How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Buying Property Abroad

2006-11-26T23:17:00.000Z

The media thrives on the horror stories of people that have adopted a casual go-it-alone approach to buying property abroad. Too often what has been intended to be a retirement home or an investment has ended in complete disaster because the unsuspecting buyer has lost money or worse still, has had their home seized by the authorities over a serious breach of a local law.

If you are contemplating investing your money in overseas property in makes sense to do your homework thoroughly before making any kind of commitment. Then, once you have found out the kind of things that can go wrong, it is essential to hire the services of an expert in the overseas property market who will guide you painlessly through the procedures.

It is of course an attractive proposition to escape our damp winters to a place in the sun. If you intend to buy a property the first thing to remember is that foreign laws are different to ours and that they don’t always offer you protection. It never pays to take short cuts and the simple motto will always be buyer beware!

It is worth considering involving friends or family members in your project who could commit resources in order to jointly buy a bigger, better property. By involving other people who you trust could make all the difference between buying a small apartment or a villa with a swimming pool.

If you find a property that interests you it can be a foolish move to commit to buying too early. If you require any kind of finance for the purchase you will need to ensure that this is in place, or at least you’ll need a legal written guarantee that your funding will be available by the time you intend to complete the deal. This should be organised before you commit to signing contracts, even before you put down a deposit. There are many pitfalls that could be hidden from immediate view with re-sale properties. From the outset you should consider hiring a reliable local lawyer in the country where you intend to buy who will advise and protect your interests. This should be somebody who specialises in property law rather than a general solicitor. You will need to know, for example, whether there is any outstanding debt attached to the property that could pass on to an unsuspecting new owner. This can arise if the vendor has raised money to have the property built then allocated this as additional security to the developer’s bank. Similarly there may be an ongoing dispute over land boundaries or planning applications that you could become party to if you fail to have such things checked. It s no good relying on second hand information or on what a developer tells you; always have your lawyer check things. Never commit without having a full independent valuation carried out because this could reveal serious hidden problems such as damp, subsidence or wiring defects. Only when you are completely satisfied that everything is sound about your intended property should you consider becoming involved in a contract. Once you feel confident that everything is in order, your overseas lawyer can be instructed to proceed. Insists on a opt out clause without penalties should your finance not materialise or if something unexpected should be found with the contract or the property to your detriment.

Remember that contracts and other documentation will be written in a foreign language and will comply with the specific country’s laws. It is no good trying to understand what has been written unless you are fluent in the mother tongue of the country; even then it will pay you to ensure that any specialists such as surveyors, lawyers and architects employed locally are fluent in English so to minimise the risk of a breakdown in communication. Never, ever sign what you don’t understand. Believe it or not, many people either think that they understand a contract or make a guess about what they think has been written. This can only lead to costly problems later on.

You will also need to set up a bank account at a recognised bank in the country where you intend to buy your property. Financial details should be arranged in the local currency and you will need to have a thorough understanding of the exchange rates that are prevalent throughout your negotiations. If you are exporting funds into a foreign land you will need to obtain a Certificate of Importation and need to check the current legal implications about moving money to your chosen country. Taxes will need to be paid as well as utility and other bills once you have purchased the property so you will need to organise standing orders locally in order to pay any charges on time. In some countries, France, Spain and Portugal in particular, if taxes aren’t paid you can be fined or even have your property seized by the authorities. It makes sense what Government taxes will apply to you in advance of committing yourself to a move overseas. Don’t forget to set sufficient funds aside to pay insurance, lawyers and the fees of other professionals that you may hire.

The pitfalls of home ownership overseas may sound horrendous and they can be for those that are unprepared to do things properly. In the long run it is always cost efficient to employ a reputable firm that specialises in overseas sales because they will be fully conversant with the various issues involved. They can also put you in touch with accredited experts such as banks, financial advisors, lawyers, architects and surveyors. If you do your homework thoroughly and comply with the expert advice you are given, then there is no reason to suspect that buying your dream home overseas will be anything less than pleasurable.

Who is the English Education System Failing?

2006-11-26T22:33:00.000Z

At the age of ten I left primary school and proudly waited at the school gates of my new school having turned eleven during the summer holidays. My new school was a grammar school, the type of educational establishment that has, albeit mostly disappeared yet as those independent of government interference have proved, they remain successful pillars of learning. I was a little fortunate because I lived within the boundaries of Middlesex and the year before changing schools they abandoned the Eleven Plus examinations in favour of a grading system based on the student’s overall school work. It had seemed a fair and logical system to separate those that were markedly more academic from those better suited to an eventual manual trade. Even the abolishment of the Eleven Plus might be seen as the embryo of the crass changes that followed.

For the first two years at grammar school I scored highly in written examinations. The school was good, the teaching levels appropriately high and the mix of subjects taught were applicable. As I had (during those first two years) a more academic leaning I was probably ideally suited for a grammar school education while most of my former primary colleagues that I’d been through from infant school showed signs of being less academic, yet more practical. It is easy to determine, even for a laymen, why the two systems suited particular people. The bulk of my class mates moved to what we knew then as a secondary modern school where the emphasis was more geared towards practical subjects such as metal work, woodwork and technical drawing. My lessons involved longer periods spent learning maths, English and the sciences. The academic selection process roughly divided the numbers so that 20% went to grammar schools while the remainder went to secondary modern. The system followed a well trodden path that went back many years but it seemed to work. Few from secondary modern schools ever got to university; it wasn’t a consideration and even at grammar school there was still a tendency for many to leave at the minimum age of fifteen. At the end of the second year my education was thrown into total upheaval as state-funded local authorities removed the selection process and introduced the single system comprehensive school. This really was the beginning of the end that forced students of all levels to follow the same newly conceived teaching programme that proved to be totally unsuitable to many, especially those that were more academic. The rot had set in. At my new comprehensive the establishment became almost twice the size of my former grammar school; there were too few teaching staff and many of these were incapable of doing the jobs that they were employed for. Academically I became a failure. My examination marks that were once high fell dramatically as I went to near bottom of the class. I was forced to take subjects I had no inclination to study and, as a result I walked out of school at 15, several weeks prior to my official leaving date at the end of the school year. More recently I have discussed our schooling with former class mates that I have met through Friends Reunited and the general consensus is that we should have sued the local authorities for failing to provide a suitable education.

Unlike today I went straight to a London employment agency and walked into the first job I was interviewed for; a messenger in a major advertising agency. I had the desire to progress and within a fortnight I had been promoted to an office job involving cost accounting. At that time, like most young people who were starting on the work ladder, I made many friends but I never came across any youngsters that were so poorly educated that they lacked all hope in life. This certainly isn’t the case today whereby even Blair expresses concern that one in four eleven year olds are illiterate and a quarter of all school leavers have little understanding of maths or English.

Life then was more competitive and if, during our school years, we played any sports the purpose was to win. Then, if we did win, we were rightfully rewarded with a trophy as a token of victory. I was only mediocre at sports so won nothing, nevertheless everybody appreciated that it was necessary to be competitive. Many of us subscribed to the School of Hard Knocks that made us resilient and we knew that if we wanted something we would have to work hard to get it. When it came to dating girls even those who considered themselves to be “Jack the Lads” had respect it would have been an outrage to have got a girl pregnant. Today the UK has the highest number of schoolgirl pregnancies in Europe and the number of youngsters with sexually transmitted diseases is spiralling out of control. This is nothing to be proud of and much of it has been caused by a failure in our education system.

Things have changed of course but it can hardly be called progress. Successive governments can each take a part of the blame for ruining a once good education system that worked. From the introduction of comprehensive schools the whole issue has been a disaster. The current government believe everybody should have the chance to be university educated, yet they are unwilling or unable to fund those that should go. Is the government so lacking in educational skills themselves that they fail to see that many of those who they steer towards university are totally unsuited? Is Tony Blair too short-sighted to appreciate that the former polytechnics were the catalyst that provided further education for those with lower academic capabilities, similar in a way to the trade schools such as the dressmaking school my mother attended as a young woman during the 1930s?. It is folly to alter the status of lesser establishments in an attempt to convince the public that they should rank in the same category as Oxbridge. Employers know the difference. What major employer would take on a graduate trainee from Luton when they expect to hire someone with a degree from Nottingham, St Andrews or one of the other long established appropriate seats of learning? I am not being flippant when I say that there is a difference in standards yet Tony Blair and his cronies firmly believe they can hoodwink potential employers as well as students by advocating that all universities are on a parr. Both sides are being badly and irretrievably let down.

When I started my business I would regularly try to help students by offering to take a few each year on work experience schemes. Over the years the standard of students that I have received has been growing worse and it has reached a situation whereby they have become a total liability. None has shown any interest at all in the type of work that I do and the majority have been totally unable to communicate either with myself, my staff or my customers. Over the last two years I have had to dismiss two back to their schools because they have been rude, refused to undertake simple tasks assigned to them and were unable to arrive on time. A third faked illness so that she could meet her friend at the Milton Keynes shopping centre who, it later transpired, had acted similarly at another company. I cannot be alone in this experience. But, having discussed the issues with some of the teachers involved it leaves me wondering who is letting who down? Some of the teachers more lately seem to palm students off to work experience places at companies merely to get them off their hands and who can really blame them? Students leave school unprepared for the working environment and few seem to know how to approach an employer for a job. I receive letters from students of all levels who are writing on-spec to seek work. Few of their letters are compiled neatly; they are badly positioned on the page; most contain poor grammar, appalling spelling and the writer often forgets to sign their name to the correspondence nor have the courtesy of enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for a reply. It appears that no guidance has been given on how to present their CVs to potential employers. There are exceptions of course and it is these students that are likely to gain suitable employment while the others sadly become assigned to the unemployment queues. Doesn’t our government owe it to the young people to offer an education system that work well for those of us that were fortunate enough to have received at least some of their schooling before the dreadful days of the one-tier system?

IMPERIAL ...The airline not the mints

2006-11-18T23:28:00.000Z

For over six years now I have been working on my mega work that has a working title of "Imperial Airways and the Birth of British Airlines". The whole thing has really been a labour of love. Much of the time has been spent researching any and every conceivable book about the early aviation pioneers and the airlines they flew with. This is followed by a brief period of hyper activity at the computer knocking each section into shape. At times it has been laborious, mostly however I have enjoyed the experience. 'Why am I doing it' many friends have asked? Well, first and foremost I enjoy writing and I also love the whole airline industry.I find it fascinating how an obscure man can sometimes realise his dream by starting an enterprise that transports people to the most distant corners of the earth in machines that now cost vast amounts of money. The entire Imperial story I find intriguing because it took place between the two World Wars at a time when equipment was incredibly basic and often downright unsafe. As I become deeper involved, there are times when I have tended to feel personally connected to some of the colourful characters that were involved with the company and I can feel their pains when they fail and suffer their excitement when things go to plan.

Certainly I am not writing the book to become rich; far from it. Most writers become engrossed in their projects because they want to see them reach fruition; a bit like watching your young child grow. Firstly the project has to be completed and then you hope and pray that a decent publisher will become as enthused about the subject to want to publish it.

At the moment the book is about two thirds finished and the manuscript is with a specialist publisher in the north of England who has initially expressed an interest. I am terribly fussy about my expectations and I want the book to be exceptionally well produced with an inspired layout and plenty of illustrations; the type of book Dorling Kindersley are famous for. I have approached DK, twice in fact, about my project but they have not been gracious enough to bother me with a reply. Sad really, but then this is often indicative of the publishing industry.

As the manuscript grows in length I shall, from time-to-time, report on the progress but, for the moment at any rate, I've not written a word for several weeks. This is because this Blog and other writing projects that actually pay me money have taken precedence.

The First Blog Is the Deepest

2006-11-18T16:57:00.000Z

I guess I should start by apologising to Mr Rod Stewart and I think it was Miss P P Arnold for 'borrowing' the title of the song they both recorded extremely well called The First Cut is the Deepest. Knowing where to start my first blog is the hardest part ... more realistically it is knowing when to finish because I'm not known for keeping things short and simple.

Okay, what it all about? Well for a kick off it is always good to express your feelings and there will be good as well as plenty of bad times that I am sure will reflect on the content of this page. So, with this in mind I can tell you that I will be writing from the heart about things that are near to my heart. Depending on my mood the subject matter might take many forms but I suspect there will be bits about football (soccer to you American folk) food, wine (the sort that can give you a headache) whine (the sort that resembles verbal diarrhoea) a sprinkling of controversy and a lot of opinionated crap.

Having outlined where I think this diatribe will be heading I hope there will be a few readers out there who may like to contest with me over bits I have said, or bits that I haven't. Feel free to express your views because this is the only way that we can keep this thing lively.