tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88760689151253034682024-03-13T12:03:01.492-07:00Putting the World to Rights !A blog of world changing ideas by Jen Wilson - if you want to contact me just comment on whatever blog post is of interest - I check any comments. Hope you like the blog.JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-48594920777809731992019-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:002019-12-09T08:19:01.405-08:00Tactical Voting site for ScotlandTactical voting Scotland<br />
<a href="http://www.pro-eu-vote-scotland.info/">http://www.pro-eu-vote-scotland.info/</a>JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-84139962957917836372019-02-01T10:38:00.001-08:002019-02-01T10:48:13.040-08:00Achieving the Best Start in Life for Children !<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
We really must not push childcare for very early years so much. </div>
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Families need support to care as well !</div>
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Toddler groups and playgroups are an approach that is good.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Mothers (or fathers if they are doing the childcaring) staying with kids at these young ages means that</span><b style="color: black;"> <u><span style="color: blue;">parent child bonding</span></u> </b><span style="color: #222222;">occurs and good communication skills are developed and children have a </span><u style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: blue;">stable secure</span></b></u><span style="color: #222222;"> start in life. From this they can thrive. If parents need extra help with this then adult helpers at e.g. toddler groups can lead sessions in how to play and have fun with your children.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Toddler Group Christmas party :</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">This side of the debate needs to be heard - and I am afraid to say they may not be heard from very high achieving career women in media, politics etc - so we need to see a balance where </span><span style="color: blue;"><u><b>work hours are reduced</b></u></span><span style="color: #222222;"> and </span><u><b><span style="color: blue;">not just childcare hours increased</span></b></u><span style="color: #222222;">. If necessary families can receive funding to help with the difference in wages or salary due to this. But as childcare is currently subsidised (at great expense to taxpayers including single earner families who are highly taxed...) then why not subside parents doing this childcare ! Especially if it means the children get a better start in life. And who knows everyone might even have some fun along the way ! Its what life is meant to be about after all !!!</span><br />
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Another toddler group party !</div>
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JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-22818059511963861442018-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:002018-10-23T11:25:59.697-07:00Parents Night - Parents Evening<br />
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Whatever your school calls it, Parent's Evening can be a tortuous experience for some and a fun experience for other parents !! Certainly I was down with a cold this evening but as I sat perusing the Dux board and the Captains board I can see names from when I was at school. My family have attended the same school I went to. Really in many cases they should just go the whole hog and put up a Dux list of successful parents ! Why not !!</div>
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eg The parents you see who sit down to meet the teachers to hear how wonderful their kids are !! or the parent tonight who was having a conversation about one of their daughters who just had to get all As to compete with her older sibling ! They should all be up there in gold letters ! Well done !!<br />
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Now... do these parents realise that some other pupils just really don't care what marks they get? How can we instil in our children that its good to get a good mark? At least to get the best mark you can get. Or do we really want to ? Is it a healthy situation to be stressing over whether you will get all As... ? I have to say no ...<br />
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but ...<br />
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as a reasonably conscientious pupil myself when I was at school, who would barely have said boo to a goose (as they say... and what is that all about anyway - who would say boo to a goose .... ), but who did have their occasional moment of silliness at school but generally tried to do well ... it is hard to sit through a parents' night to hear about your child who appears to be genetically of a completely different nature to yourself and actually who perhaps shall we say has a lot of character.... </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bCumQyhNTWw/W89lGH-MI9I/AAAAAAAAERE/5NUawzqxvyAbmbIrRFcWH4X_QC5QN0lNwCLcBGAs/s1600/prefect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="322" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bCumQyhNTWw/W89lGH-MI9I/AAAAAAAAERE/5NUawzqxvyAbmbIrRFcWH4X_QC5QN0lNwCLcBGAs/s200/prefect.jpg" width="181" /></a>Ah well it is time to go out now and forget it all !! I am heading out for a once a year catch up meal with old school friends - one featured on the Dux board and one featured on the Captains board !! And the other is like me - we didn't get on any boards and didn't get to be Prefects either !! I'm not bitter !! honest !! I did get her a "Perfect" badge done in Prefect badge style recently as a pressie !! Because let's face it we are all perfect in our own ways !!</div>
JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-17276754204006934632018-01-19T12:13:00.003-08:002018-05-04T13:39:26.404-07:00History of EU Citizenship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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EU Citizenship originates in the free movement of workers in the <b>Common Market. </b></div>
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This evolved into the Single Market (1993) with its free movement of people.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">European Economic Area</span></div>
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The area that provides the free movement of people, services and capital within the European single market.</div>
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Membership is open to member states of either the EU or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).</div>
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EFTA states which are party to the European Economic Area Agreement participate in the EU's internal market without being members of the EU.</div>
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However, they must adopt most EU legislation concerning the single market except on laws concerning agriculture and fisheries.</div>
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Article 20 of the Lisbon Treaty</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1992</span></b></div>
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— to strengthen the protection of the rights and
interests of the nationals of its Member States
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CITIZENSHIP OF THE UNION
Article 8
1 . Citizenship of the Union is hereby established.
Every person holding the nationality of a Member
State shall be a citizen of the Union.
2. Citizens of the Union shall enjoy the rights
conferred by this Treaty and shall be subject to the
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It seems to be worth fighting to keep our EU Citizenship !</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ajEKgfNlFQ/WuzE4zajrhI/AAAAAAAAD1U/S6Sfk3-a8yw8KclUtcr6mF3lo6KEVDb0ACLcBGAs/s1600/big-eu-passport-campaign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ajEKgfNlFQ/WuzE4zajrhI/AAAAAAAAD1U/S6Sfk3-a8yw8KclUtcr6mF3lo6KEVDb0ACLcBGAs/s320/big-eu-passport-campaign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-21136541857851391912017-11-13T16:21:00.000-08:002017-11-13T16:21:41.797-08:00The Timeless Agelessness of the Internet and Music VideosIn the past to play music we had records ... or we taped music from the radio ...<br />
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now .. at the touch of a button on a phone or iphone its possible to pull up the best music from any era instantly.<br />
Music has become ageless and its a great thing.<br />
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Teenagers are listening to the best music from right back to the 70s, the 80s and these tracks compete with those that are being written in the 2010s !<br />
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<br />JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-36422450653587925642017-09-24T09:15:00.000-07:002017-09-24T13:45:49.289-07:00The QE2 StoryA giant of the Clyde, the QE2 liner, turned 50 this week. There has been a fair amount of publicity on the radio and newspapers, and to commemorate the event, a faithful bunch of enthusiasts also gathered in Clydebank to commemorate the occasion !<br />
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I have family connections to the QE2 as my father worked as an engineer at John Brown Engineering, who famously constructed the QE2. Almost 10 years ago my brother Robert Lightbody started a website after a conversation with some other enthusiasts on board the QE2. He started a forum "The QE2 Story" - "Keeping the Legend Alive" and through this medium many have posted their memories, of the construction, of working on board and of sailing in this fantastic liner.<br />
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The main administrators of the QE2Story website decided to organise a 50th Anniversary celebration of her launch. We gathered on Friday at Clydebank Town Hall which is positioned right behind where John Browns Engineering used to be.<br />
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The event organisers had done a fabulous job and had organised the day down to the last detail.<br />
We were piped into the hall and then received our welcome packs. And we began to swap stories of what had brought us from near and far to gather at this commemoration event.<br />
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We moved through to the main hall which had been laid out as though we were indeed on a cruise, with us all sitting at round tables. First speaker up was Ian Johnstone from Glasgow School of Art and he covered the finances of John Browns and how they came to be the shipyard which built what was originally known as Q4 ! But on launch day came to be known as QE2 !<br />
She had been reluctant to leave and had had to have an extra push to launch her on her illustrious career. But what a career. It has not yet been bettered.<br />
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Our day was launched by a commemorative cake being cut by none other than the daughter of the famous <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11996378.Giant_of_the_Clyde_shipyards_dies_at_85/">John Rannie</a>, the Managing Director of John Brown shipyard and a naval architect, who oversaw construction of QE2.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aYInjQt4-2k/WcfTtiVwY-I/AAAAAAAADQA/CEfI6e3znPUxVFKNuK8BWlzeu3l5Jt1wgCLcBGAs/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="961" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aYInjQt4-2k/WcfTtiVwY-I/AAAAAAAADQA/CEfI6e3znPUxVFKNuK8BWlzeu3l5Jt1wgCLcBGAs/s320/cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next speaker up was also from Glasgow School of Art, Prof Bruce Peters, who set in context the design ideas behind the interiors of QE2. She was not going to emulate the Victorian designs of so many of her predecessors but would instead have her interiors designed to the last detail in a more modernist approach. She was the original 60s girl ! Many top London and UK interior designers were involved, with some with full responsibility for particular rooms.<br />
And Bruce Peters pointed out how the room we were sitting in was very appropriate as it had been designed by the person who designed the interiors of the Lusitania.<br />
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Next up Ronnie Keir who spoke about the construction, having worked since the age of 15 at John Browns. He told how every aspect was done "on site", from a 15 ton steel block arriving, to the melting, casting into gears, blades, plates etc. So the turbines, gears etc were all built on site. Nowadays for such a construction, different parts would be purchased from specialists. He recalled a moment when arriving in the ship to see some of the platers dancing a tiller girl routine on the stage of the theatre. That would have been worth seeing. It was obviously very hard work - "character building" work as he described it but with lots of camaraderie too.<br />
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From then on we heard tales of her time on the high seas. She sailed once again in our memories. We heard of the time she sailed with brave soldiers and brave QE2 volunteer crew to the South Atlantic during the Falkland conflict. She set off with soldiers perched on every available point including sitting in the lifeboats. She was waved away and set sail, avoiding icebergs en route and stopping to offload the men in South Georgia.<br />
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One of her captains Captain Bates entertained us with his stories of his time on board. His teacher hadn't expected him to make much of himself, saying he "spent his time looking out of windows". But his eventual job required him to do exactly that ! He was a very entertaining speaker and now uses his skills to help others experience being on a canal boat with the Seagull Trust.<br />
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Other sessions were chaired by another QE2 Captain and by the designer of the QM2, Stephen Payne.<br />
We heard from someone who had worked as a head of on-board entertainment. And we also heard about what the future might hold as she sits in Dubai awaiting development.<br />
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Here are the speakers and organisers from the day:<br />
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The next day there was a boat trip organised to go down the Clyde to see what was left of the John Browns yard and the place where QE2 had been launched and then sat while being fitted out. We also were to go up the Titan Crane.<br />
But before all that we were to witness a re-union of two Clyde greats - the MV Balmoral (most widely travelled UK passenger ship) who was sailing a weekend of Clyde excursions and the newly rescued SS Queen Mary.<br />
We witnessed the handing over of a painting between the captains. There is much work to be done but the plan is to get Queen Mary sailing again in two years time.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N59n14z8dg4/WcfXe8OsbfI/AAAAAAAADQc/vU78es1gC-4U-HPDlmNk0LV6XBcfL8NlQCLcBGAs/s1600/captains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="995" height="246" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N59n14z8dg4/WcfXe8OsbfI/AAAAAAAADQc/vU78es1gC-4U-HPDlmNk0LV6XBcfL8NlQCLcBGAs/s320/captains.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile on the Clyde, a Clydebuilt rowing festival was taking place with over 100 rowing boats having rowed all the way from Dumbarton Rock right to the centre of Glasgow. Here are two of the teams:<br />
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It was then on board the Clyde Clipper for our trip down the Clyde ! Flying a QE2 flag !<br />
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Past the Transport Museum and the Tall Ship then on past the various Clyde dock yards, with an accompanying commentary and then we arrived at the Titan Crane. The staff there are very enthusiastic and a font of information. We could see clearly why John Browns had moved downriver to Clydebank to take advantage of the fact they could launch large ships outwards, making use of the fact the River Cart joined the Clyde at that point to give a larger width for launching.<br />
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Another classic shipbuilding name from the past - Barclay Curle - and another of four remaining Titan Cranes on the Clyde - this one built by the famous Sir William Arrol's company who are famous for building the Forth Railway Bridge.</div>
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The Titan Crane in Clydebank and the red QE2 flag flying again on the Clyde:</div>
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On the way back it was three cheers to the QE2 and then we disembarked. Some headed back for a relaxing drink at the Crown Plaza while others headed back across the world, back to the normal everyday lifes without the QE2 !<br />
Will the days come back when we see such sights again as the QE2, Concorde and the Red Arrows flying in formation ? Who knows - but we certainly did a good job of remembering them this weekend !<br />
Happy 50th QE2 !<br />
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Have a look at some memories - this month's photo competition on The QE2 Story Forum: <a href="https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,7439.0.html">https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,7439.0.html</a>JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-27874568795904741662016-12-26T15:12:00.000-08:002016-12-26T15:12:55.484-08:00You Look Good ! Thank You ... but ditch the Selfie Stick !This is an excerpt of numerous exchanges I have seen in Facebook chats and the like from the under 20 age group. <br /><br />The "selfie generation" ...<br />
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First step - pose, pout and take the photo !<br />
Second step - post your favourite for everyone to see !<br />
Third step - acclamation floods in ...<br />
Step 4 ... the subject of the photo then "thanks" those flooding them with praise ...<br />
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Now maybe its just me ... but in my day, at the same age ... this just did not happen.<br />
And I do think its not that healthy.<br />
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We are born with our looks. We need to live with them. And in fact there really is nothing so attractive as a <b>happy, smiling face and someone who is full of energy and life</b>.<br />
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We were really pretty much taught in my day I would say that we had to have a career. Women were not making a big thing about their looks. But even more than just a career, find hobbies etc that interest you. Educate yourself, have fun, take part in sport, help others, give your time to others, whatever takes your fancy. But get the focus away from yourself.<br />
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If its all about looks and you happen not to have great looks then where are we then ... And in fact sometimes its not all that great to have good looks either, as from my experience it can attract all the wrong types of attention. Yes sure you get asked out a whole lot more. But you are often being asked out by people purely attracted to your looks. Not to your actual character.<br />
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So come on folks, get a life. And ditch that<b> Selfie Stick </b>!<br />
<br />JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-11854931915353424942016-09-12T06:27:00.001-07:002016-09-16T14:46:14.924-07:00Bearsway DesignTwitter does not provide enough space to explain why many residents, even those who are pro cycling, are annoyed about Bearsway.<br />
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I will outline the design flaws that have personally affected my travel on this route.<br />
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I have yet to cycle it, but I have a couple of good friends who commute on it.<br />
I have walked it, driven on it and travelled by bus on it.<br />
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It could have been so much better !<br />
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It appeared to be driven through with little consultation of the public and from what I have heard any suggestions which were made were ignored.<br />
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OK, starting at the Milngavie end ...<br />
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Cyclists are expected to take the following route around a roundabout to enter the Bearsway path. Now, this roundabout is usually very very busy, often with dumper trucks and it is hair raising enough in a car let along a bicycle. If you came from where I live in Milngavie, you would have to take the route I have marked in red to enter the bearsway,., across 3/4 lanes of waiting traffic.<br />
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The obvious solution for the cyclists would have been to have had a single track cycle way on both sides here, with the Glasgow bound one then joining up with the Kelvin Timber stretch.<br />
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Now the next bit is a more minor complaint but if you are driving from the Burnbrae Roundabout and driving towards Glasgow, as you come on to the road from the roundabout you are faced with three lanes - now it could confuse someone as how are you to know that its two lanes coming towards you and not two on your side of the road ?!? And you are so close to that oncoming and heavy traffic -often with lorries etc. Remember this is an A Road - its the main road from Glasgow to Stirlingshire - it has heavy traffic and no central gap or barrier. And possible confusion over lanes...<br />
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OK so a few metres further on and the lane coming towards you is now one lane and there is some parking for the houses which you see high on the right - this is their main parking - across a cycle lane - but its also possibly used by the leisure club who now cant park on the main road - however its not obvious in this photo but if people come out the drivers door of the parked car they are basically going to be standing in the course of the traffic - there is no leeway or extra space.</div>
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OK drive on about 40metres past Kelvin Timber entrance and you find the next design flaw. This is to do with the cycle path - I have photographed it looking back towards Milngavie to show you what the problem is. Now at the pedestrian/cycle crossing here, the path actually crosses across the main road. The following photograph shows what you will encounter if happily cycling out from Glasgow on the track : </div>
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If you are cycling to Milngavie the fact that you now need to cross at the pedestrian crossing is indicated by the tiny wee arrow pointing to the left - can you see it ?!? now imagine you assume you are on a nice cycle path ... or you are in a group eg with young kids cycling up front - do you think they will notice this ? ... because if they fail to notice it the next thing is you could be cycling right off the pavement and into the path of that oncoming traffic ... There is a bit of a bollard that has latterly been put in - but again <b>a black bollard with a white circle</b> - what does that mean to you ? Hopefully it makes you think STOP!! </div>
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The next issue is a few metres further on. Because of the cycle track and the extra pavement in the middle plus the chevrons protecting a right turn into some houses, the well used pavement on the right hand side now has heavy traffic right close next to it. This is a pavement that is well used between Bearsden and Milngavie and by people using the Sports Centre. There is also a bus stop there on the right that you cant see in this photo. But I find this is now quite a hair raising pavement to walk along. Yet the wide pavement all the way along Kilmardinny, that you can see on the left of the photograph, has not been incorporated in any way into the design. This pavement is rarely used and perhaps only by a few people coming from the Sports centre, the bulk of whom are eventually going to cross the road anyway, so it could easily have been halfed in size. I presume it was a matter of budgeting that it would have added to the cost to do this ! But surely the best and safest design should have been used ?</div>
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You may have noticed in some of the pictures that there is a large CALA development on the left. Another concern of people is that we are not sure where the exit road from this development is going to be. If they are going to join the people trying to get out of the Allander Sports Centre car park road then good luck to them ! Its bad enough doing this once a week for my exercise class ! But people have been held up here for up to 15 mins regularly. And the Bearsway appears to have made it worse. In my opinion, and maybe its also a good thing ... but because the traffic has been slowed slightly to deal with all the twists and turns, it is now more of a constant heavy stream rather than shorter bursts of traffic with gaps. But it does make it extra tricky to come out of the sports centre road. We will now examine that junction as there are other issues too ! The junction is just coming up on the left in the photo above or to look more closely have a look at the photo below :<br />
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So if you are coming from Milngavie (to the left of the pic) and turning left into the Allander, you may or may not have to sit behind a car who may be giving way to people on the cycle track. If you have waited a while then the people on the cycle track may be entirely different to what you viewed while driving along. However to now see who is on the track you would need to look over both your right and left shoulders as the track is behind you while you wait at that give way sign. Now its not impossible - but it not ideal and if you have cyclists who fully assume they have right of way and some of whom could be travelling at 30 mph then again it could be a little bit of a recipe for disaster. Also on a minor point the crossing here is marked as a give way for cyclists but not indicated for pedestrians ...<br />
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OK so that is me maybe 200 to 300 metres along the Bearsway - I will highlight the issue with the Reid Avenue turning later and also a particularly tricky bit to drive on where oncoming headlights are facing right into you. Also the fact the pavement is so high there is literally nowhere to go to get out of the way on oncoming lorries etc on your side of the road. Also the fact that if a bus stops everything has to stop. This did not used to happen as it was previously a nice wide road.<br />
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I will do all that later as I need to go out now !<br />
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And the Hillfoot end is still a mystery as it moves into Bearsway 2 in theory at that stage, even though £300,000 was recently spent upgrading the pavement at the shops there over a 3 month period with great disruption to shops businesses and traffic ! The current entrance to Bearsway at the Hillfoot end is highly dangerous and you do see some young teenage cyclists etc trying this - and I hate to say but they tend to wear black as do a number of commuters on this route - with inadequate lighting of their bikes ....<br />
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And further design problems exist in my opinion with the sequencing or lack of sequencing of the lights on the not-very staggered new pedestrian crossing at the bottom of <b>Nethermains Road.</b> This is not part of Bearsway 1 but part of the whole redevelopment of the Burnbrae / Waitrose roundabout at entrance to Bearsway 1.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIR2vQHcoas/V9xn86t1h3I/AAAAAAAACC8/0Bn8o3YFhPUz85-Tw-HV_As8EHNi5GMvQCLcB/s1600/nethermains-red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIR2vQHcoas/V9xn86t1h3I/AAAAAAAACC8/0Bn8o3YFhPUz85-Tw-HV_As8EHNi5GMvQCLcB/s640/nethermains-red.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Confusion could easily arise if people exit-ing <b>Nethermains Road</b> assume that if they see red lights on the far side and were to assume this meant the lights on their side of the road were also sitting at red when they can in fact be green, as the lights operate separately.<br />
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Now this crossing, although separate, is not obviously staggered, so its not obvious. And considering that one street along at the foot of Keystone Quadrant you have a complete pedestrian crossing then you can maybe see where the confusion could arise. Now even myself last night I noticed I had assumed the lights on one side would be the same as the other ... I then quickly realised it wouldn't be ... but it only would take one person in even 1000 or 10,000 to get this wrong with awful consequences. Confusion could also arise in the same way for people turning right into Nethermains Road.<br />
Does anyone know more about how these should have been designed ? .gov.uk link ?JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-48592155961780115732016-08-14T12:29:00.000-07:002016-08-14T12:29:20.410-07:00<span style="font-size: large;">Today I was reading (actually skimming as it was not all that interesting !) through an article about the guy who created Tinder. In fact he may be part of a team of four as there was also a team photo. Apparently he invented the App as he had gone into a pub or somewhere, and seen a table of girls but when the guys went up to them to ask them out, the girls were not interested. So he invented this App so that it was possible to find out who was interested in you in advance of meeting them. Therefore more success in the dating game - apparently ! And less rejection ! Now the problem with this is that often the most successful relationships previously were when people met through others. There was a chance to vaguely know some background about the person, but also there was a little more hope that the relationship would be successful as both people already had the same friends and maybe liked the same things or had the same sense of humour or attitudes. Now what I wonder is, is this as likely at all now to happen. Previously, it was also fairly common as a young person, to have groups of male and female friends. But maybe nowadays that is less likely and people are meeting up online.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">My next thought though was that what is this haste for having a relationship ? I personally can't think of anything worse thanbeing in a relationship for the whole of your twenties with no times as a singleton!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But on a plus side. Now Tinder does sound to me like a pretty shallow App. I don't see how you can possibly choose someone based just on looks. Apparently it shows you images of people and you swipe Yes or No as to whether they interest you. No way of knowing if the person is compatible, or is a laugh or a considerate lovely person. However maybe I under-estimate Tinder. I have no intention of finding out if it is more cerebral than I have heard. My mobile phone is already full up before I even got a chance to upload Apps ... !! (Thanks Motorola E !)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">However, back to the plus side of new technology ... I have met someone who did in fact meet their partner through online dating. Now this was through the type of site where you can match up based on your opinions and interests etc. And apparently it has worked really well. So maybe that will be the future after all. And who knows, maybe its been sussed for romantic encounters, it could maybe then be extended to help all the rest of us get along too ! As the world sure needs more love at the moment. Now how do I do one of those little heart icons in my text .... ♥♥ !</span>JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-34978919382770829902016-08-04T14:53:00.000-07:002016-08-04T15:22:07.526-07:00Driving - Mobile Phones etc - It feels more Dangerous out there I write after completing another journey across Glasgow and back where I again had to put up with crazy driving incidents from other drivers who are either too impatient or just plain unsafe in their driving or dont know the highway code.<br />
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Let me tell you of the incidents just in one journey of a total of around an hour and a half today.<br />
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OK so I set off and driving out of my town of Milngavie into the country on a road called Auchenhowie Road. I was following three cars ahead of me. In fact I had noticed someone was driving too close behind me two traffic lights back - you end up having to check this driver is not going to slam into the back of you instead of paying full attention to the road. Anyway we leave the 30mph zone and are travelling at the prevailing traffic speed which was roughly 40 to 50 mph and perfectly typical speed for that road when suddenly the driver from behind in his souped up car overtakes at a ridiculous speed and making a ridiculous noise. I put my radio off and lost track of what I had been listening to on what had up til then been quite a relaxed journey. He then overtakes the next person and then overtakes two cars in a row and this is on a bend. No way was he able to see if there definitely wasnt someone coming his way especially on the last of the two cars when he was very close to the bend. This is also past the exit to Rangers football training ground Murray Park and there were people gathered there at the exit. There is also at least one or two side roads to consider that come out onto that road. He appeared not to need to consider these things. I have his number and I will possibly contact the police tomorrow to report it and see if anyone else has reported the driver on this occasion.<br />
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Anyway onwards ... the number of people who appear to be driving without paying full attention has in the last two weeks become frighteningly high. I hate to say so as a woman but it does appear that almost every woman who stops behind my car appears to be on a mobile phone texting .... please its so dangerous. This included on my return journey a silver VW Beetle driver who was paying little attention ... Now if you have ever given yourself a huge fright when you have maybe just had a fleeting moment of inattention then think again - why on earth would you do anything that is going to distract you ?<br />
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Now the next things I had to encounter were aggressive and fast driving that was quite pointless as there were just lanes and lanes of queued traffic on the M8 or M77 ... what is the point ? In fact yesterday I felt a guy in a large Volvo seriously nearly crashed his car into the one in front just due to aggressive driving.<br />
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Now my final driving fault I see all the time is that of people who signal AS they are doing the thing- and not BEFORE ! I got an awful fright when someone changed lanes right in front of me and only signalled really after the maneouvre had been made - that is not the point of a signal - its a signal of intention ! Mind you some people dont signal at all - but really the only useful one is a signal before the maneouvre.<br />
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Now then I encountered a Glasgow Taxi - a Skoda I think - he was driving a bit crazy through the Clyde Tunnel - he came out of the give way in front of me into the traffic through the tunnel - then moved into outside lane, then half way through the tunnel he crossed back over the double white lines (Highway Code = do not cross !!) and ended up in front of me again ! He then veered left up the exit road to Clydebank/Victoria Park South as he came out of the Tunnel - again no signal !! Now this is someone who is driving around with their taxi license plate number fully on display - he is a "professional driver" ! yet doesnt think rules apply to him. I dont take taxis any more since I felt we had an extremely unsafe journey locally from a taxi driver who had never even driven the car he was in before - is that even legal ? I suspect not !! That wasnt a Glasgow Taxi though but an East Dunbartonshire one I think !<br />
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OK so that's my main quibbles - please folk - relax and stay safe when driving - no distractions - use your signals - and think of other road users.JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-52252031878511168882016-02-23T05:44:00.002-08:002016-08-14T13:29:52.278-07:003G pitches - summarising safety worries<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">3G Pitches - Are they Safe ?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I suppose we assume extensive health & safety testing is done prior to a product/material entering the open market...</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">but - these research articles indicate to me that there are serious questions :</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pitchcare.com/magazine/is-artificial-turf-hiding-an-800-pound-gorilla.html">https://www.pitchcare.com/magazine/is-artificial-turf-hiding-an-800-pound-gorilla.html</a></span><br />
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the following site <a href="http://www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk/3G_pitch_safety_in_the_UK">http://www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk/3G_pitch_safety_in_the_UK</a> lists the following research which would take an age to go through - although I see the first article is about groundwater runoff so nothing about human health<br />
<a href="http://www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk/sites/default/files/agp_-_listing_of_independent_research_and_reports_1998-2014_-_artificial_grass.pdf">http://www.technicalsurfaces.co.uk/sites/default/files/agp_-_listing_of_independent_research_and_reports_1998-2014_-_artificial_grass.pdf</a>JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-30620096635237552892016-02-23T05:44:00.000-08:002016-02-23T07:26:17.675-08:00Pregnant with Twins ? Put your Feet up !If you are pregnant with twins - or more ! then I say stop try and stop working as early as possible - I think 29 weeks is when you can start maternity leave, and take lots of rest. Or if you are still feeling physically comfortable at work and are not being overworked then maybe you will be OK. But please read on and consider what happened to me.<br />
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I had twins quite a number of years ago now. (I finally have time to take a rest and write a blog post !!) I stopped at 29 weeks, for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was working on a temporary project so I didn't really have a job to go back to, so there was not much point in working right up to the date I was due etc. It was also becoming increasingly uncomfortable to do the 30 mile car journey every day. And it was high summer so the heat was also getting hard to take.<br />
<br />
So I stopped work. And another thing that happened towards the end of my pregnancy was that I got a very painful trapped nerve or sciatica type thing in my leg. And the only way to relieve it was to rest or lie on the couch for a large part of the day. I could usually manage to stand up for an hour or so to go out for lunch or shopping or whatever but I had to rest for the bulk of the day.<br />
<br />
The other thing was that I worked in a hospital and had ready access to books about "having twins" from the medical library. I discovered that in America, the mums were very much recommended to take a lot of rest. But I didn't hear this at all from the doctors I saw here in the UK.<br />
<br />
And I don't know if the extra rest helped, but of the six mums in my town who were all (by sheer chance) expecting twins in the same week, I was the only one who made it to "term", which for twins is 38 weeks. I had to be induced at that point as the babies were no longer growing etc and the placenta was no longer helping them.<br />
<br />
Some of the other families ended up in hospital for a month etc in the special care baby unit. I ended up there for a week, but really we were very lucky that they weren't early, with all the health problems etc that that can involve. I did find out that as I had one who was lying breach, the new recommendations are that I should have had a caesarian and I sort of think that might have been good as you always wonder if the second twin out maybe loses out on oxygen etc...<br />
<br />
However I am being sidetracked !<br />
<ul>
<li><b>This blog post is firstly a plea to mums and dads and everyone connected with pregnant mums to make sure the pregnant mum takes it easy and can get some rest. Especially if expecting twins or more.</b></li>
</ul>
<b></b><b><div>
<br /></div>
</b><ul>
<li><b>And secondly, we really do need to have longer maternity leave and pay for twin/triplet mums as its harder work beforehand when you are pregnant and then it gets even harder as you have to care for two tiny tots and make sure they are fed etc. </b></li>
</ul>
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JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-54273456633056063322015-10-27T09:49:00.001-07:002015-10-27T17:20:07.656-07:00Halloween !! Its Scottish and Irish ! Celtic !English Heritage today are the latest body to quote again the incorrect fact that Halloween has come from America.<br />
<br />
NO NO NO !!! Every year we email and tweet and try to correct this !!!<br />
<br />
Now in <b>Glasgow </b>we celebrated <b>Halloween </b>when I was young ! I am 50 ! But reports from my family record halloween happening 80 and 100 years ago.<br />
My uncle remembers blackening their faces and tying the opposite doors on a tenement close together and running away !<br />
This would have been around World War 2 time.<br />
<br />
We always carved turnips - so at least English Heritage are mentioning that - now turnips make a great smell when carved and with a candle in them - but boy are they hard to carve ! So pumpkins are perhaps a welcome import there !!<br />
<br />
We did not do "Trick or Treating" - we went "<b>Guising</b>" - we were in Disguise - and we had to have a joke or a poem memorised as we went round the houses, before we would get any sweets or money etc.<br />
And the main enjoyment about getting dressed up was the month beforehand when you thought up and <b>created </b>your costume ! I once went as a pantomime horse with my best friend Jane, who is now a respectable doctor !! We did a pantomime horse dance as our entertainment - the old ladies we visited were scared as their china was dancing in their cabinet so they quickly gave us our sweets !! Another year I went as a witch (apparently made my brother be the cat !) and my friend was the Alien from the Smash potato advert ! Other great costumes in my family included a dalek, a washing machine and an uncivil servant !!<br />
<br />
We would do "<b>dooking for apples</b>" - dooking as a word comes from across the north sea I believe, and there would be treacle scones hanging from the pulley and toffee apples !<br />
<br />
Now the tradition in Scotland has never stopped - its a spooky night and we did have the idea there were spirits out there so maybe best to stay near a light ! Ireland had the same tradition and it wouldnt surprise me if Cornwall, Wales and Brittany had the tradition too. <br />
<br />
Now, please in England if you only discovered Halloween recently, yes you personally may have heard of it from America - but the rest of us have always had it, and it only got to America because of Irish emigrants !!<br />
<br />
So lets take back our own tradition !! Also traditionally we did not go in for the majorly scary costumes and props etc you see in the Supermarkets - so lets get rid of those.<br />
<br />
It is of course the eve of All Saints Day - or All Hallows - hence Halloween. Many of us also visit church for All Saints Day and All Souls Day the next day. And November is a month of Remembrance and on the 11th Nov we have Remembrance Sunday. Personally it also seems to me to be a good idea if the shops did not bring out their Christmas goods until after that. Certainly I have refused to look at them so far.<br />
<br />
So there you go - LETS RECLAIM <b>OUR OWN TRADITIONS !</b>!! <br />
<br />
Ref : <a href="http://www.scotland.org/features/halloween-traditions/">http://www.scotland.org/features/halloween-traditions/</a><br />
and more (including the blacking faces tradition of guising -- <a href="http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/ways-to-celebrate-hallowe-en-in-true-scottish-style-1-3929175">http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/ways-to-celebrate-hallowe-en-in-true-scottish-style-1-3929175</a>)JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-17123716545684582452015-10-13T13:27:00.001-07:002015-10-13T13:27:44.962-07:00Computer Games Design - Suggestions to Reduce Disruption to Family Life<b>Suggestion 1 - MUST BE ABLE TO EXIT AT ANY POINT</b><br />
<br />
Need each game to be possible to leave at any point - especially those that are not online.<br />
As how often do you hear "But I'll lose all my progress ! I've been on this mission for an hour" ... well you are not always feeling a heartless enough parent to pull the plug at that point ...but you can see the kids point ...but also the dinner is ready or you need them to set the table ... so WHY cant the programme just save their progress ? I mean at any one point the game is just a variety of variables which presumably have numbers attached - all those could be saved - EASY !<br />
the question is - why hasnt this been integrated into games ? Are they trying to fuel realism (and Addiction) by creating hour long or longer scenarios/missions in games ?<br />
<br />
<b>Suggestion 2 - Clear Age Rating Display</b><br />
An age rating could be displayed in a small box at top of screen at all times.<br />
You could have a 18+ logo or under 18 content in eg GTA.<br />
Could be clearly displayed the logo at all times.<br />
Again - Simple<br />
For example in GTA if there are areas of the programme you dont want under 18s to visit then why not just close those off for the under 18 game. Simple. Again each section is just a load of variables and functions. It does mean that age ratings have to be integral to the programming, but I suggest they should be. And then if scenarios or missions are displayed the programme just has to check what the age rating is set to.<br />
<br />
So I hope Computer Game Developers are listening - as well as government etc who could insist the developers do these things - although better still, the industry could take a responsible adult approach to this ! Before family life is ruined ! And really overall it would be better for the gaming industry overall too as they might even generate more sales if they got the adults on board !JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-7165912523120862852015-09-04T10:06:00.002-07:002015-09-04T10:16:55.380-07:00The Great GatsbyWe lived and breathed Gatsby ... for a while we felt like we were in 20s New York, driving over the bridge in an open top car...chiffon scarves floating and excitement in our veins .... looking to the future.<br />
<br />
We savoured the quotes like an exquisite sweet ...tasting the very essence of that summer ...<br />
we debated the characters and how they felt... why had Gatsby done this ... and had the films portrayed it well.<br />
<br />
A friend introduced me to the world of the film producer Baz Luhrmann.<br />
<br />
But in the end, just as Jay Gatsby had reached out for what was unattainable, it turned out that passing the English exam was also unattainable.... but do you know ... I think we still love that book .... it has quietly sat back and closed its covers and is waiting ... for perhaps some future moment when hopefully it will be opened again .. the dust blown off and perhaps it will again spring to life and the sun will rise above the waters of East Egg and West Egg and sparkle on the waters as we again witness a summer with Jay Gatsby and his neighbour ... and exams will seem a long way in the past !<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Keywords : Higher English, Curriculum for Excellence, CfEJWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-80734573528060461042015-06-25T12:57:00.001-07:002015-06-25T12:57:58.661-07:00Mums can be all in a lifetime - SAHM, Part Time, unemployed, Full Time WorkingMums can be all in a lifetime - SAHM, Part Time, unemployed, Full Time Working<br />
<br />
How many surveys do you hear which tell Mums what they should be. I say bin them all ! Listen to your instinct and if you want to stay home with your kids because you just know that is best, then do it ! And lets hope that finances and government subsidies are such that you are able to do this for a few years until your little people are heading for school.<br />
<br />
But even then it can be tricky to find work or to manage all the pressing demands in family life. Work does not always fit in with age-ing parents, kids who need to be in three places at once etc. And the weather is not always on their side either. If they have over a mile to walk to school and nowadays the rain is invariably falling then it can be great to take them to school occasionally.<br />
<br />
Anyway back to my original point. These surveys seem to assume that in a Woman's working life of 50 years they can be a stay at home mother for fifty years .... I doubt many people do that !!<br />
<br />
Here is what the people I know have done :<br />
<br />
10 years working...10 years SAHM...10 years self employed ...aiming to work for 15+ more years<br />
Others work part time when babies are small.<br />
There are all sorts of options.<br />
Many have returned to their original careers, others have taken the chance for a change of career.<br />
Still more have retrained.<br />
Some regret not taking more time off.<br />
<br />
But for the sake of equality - listen to your instinct and insist on staying off with your kids at whatever time in their lifes you feel they need you. They are your number 1 priority ....<br />
<br />
And government should do more to find part time jobs for women who want to return to the workplace, instead of this constant push to force women with very young babies to go back to work.JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-22226770749913437872015-06-23T06:01:00.004-07:002015-06-23T14:46:55.142-07:00Higher MathsThere has been controversy this year over the SQA Higher Maths exam in Scotland.<br />
<br />
However .... many people I have spoken to, including some in my family, did not have a particular problem with the exam. Although others were reporting some pupils to be quite distressed by the exam.<br />
<br />
Some of the questions were designed in a way that had been experienced by those doing the new Higher. So that would have been a disadvantage to those sitting the old Higher.<br />
There has also been some discussion over the wording of questions, where the question was not entirely clear.<br />
<br />
Now the problem is that if they were to remove these questions and base the exam results on the other questions then this could actually disadvantage someone who had originally done better in the exam and could lead to people who originally had a lower mark coming out on top ...<br />
<br />
Some pupils just did not even attempt certain questions...and it is possible that these pupils therefore had more time to check their other questions ... whereas those who struggled with the difficult questions may have had no time to go back and check their answers.<br />
<br />
On a simple level lets take an example of a eight question exam for a total of 20 marks, with questions increasing in difficulty as the paper progresses.<br />
If achieving <b><u>full marks,</u></b> the marks per question would be ... 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4<br />
<br />
Now lets assume <b><span style="color: orange;">Pupil 1</span></b> finds maths quite hard so they achieve the following marks :<br />
1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 3, 0, 0 (total = 10 / 20)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Pupil 2</b> </span> is better at maths and achieves :<br />
1, 0, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2 (they have attempted the last few questions but had no time to go back and check the earlier questions)<br />
(total = 16 / 20)<br />
<br />
Now, if the last two questions were removed as deemed too difficult, the marks for both pupils would then be <b><span style="color: orange;">Pupil 1</span></b> = 10/12 and <b><span style="color: orange;">Pupil 2</span></b> = 11 / 12<br />
Now,... these pupils now appear to be much closer in results than the actual marks illustrate.<br />
<br />
So ... how can these pupils be differentiated ? Should they both now get an A ?<br />
<br />
Well perhaps that would be OK .... BUT there must never be a case where a pupil ends up with a lesser mark having originally had more marks.<br />
<br />
For example lets say there was a <span style="color: orange;"><b>Pupil 3</b></span> who achieved 1, 1, 0, 1, 3, 3, 4, 3<br />
<br />
This pupil originally achieved 16 / 20 (equal to pupil 2 and much more than Pupil 1)<br />
but if the last two questions are removed<b><span style="color: orange;"> Pupil 3 </span></b>would only score 9 / 12 and may well be allocated a B .... which is LESS !! than <b><span style="color: orange;">Pupil 1.</span></b> This is patently unfair ...<br />
<br />
No pupil should ever achieve a mark less than they originally achieved. So if they were heading for an A or a B on their original score then that should not be reduced.<br />
Fine, there may need to be some adjustment for pupils who have taken the wrong meaning from a question if there is agreement that the question was badly worded.<br />
But these decisions must not be taken lightly as people's futures depend on these results.<br />
This is unfair to that pupil but also negative to society in general if we don't get those who are best at maths into for example engineering etc.JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-41444753046139052242015-05-16T13:04:00.000-07:002015-05-16T15:20:44.248-07:00Time Out !Take Time Out for Kids !<br />
<br />
Children are the most important thing. They are our futures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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And every family should be able to take Time Out to enjoy bringing up their kids.<br />
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They should be supported if they want to take some time out from work for a few years to rear their young age 0 - 3. And once the kids are at school, right up to the teenage years, there should be the possibility to work part time for at least one parent.<br />
<br />
The current push to make the school day longer will not suit many kids. The school day is long enough and many kids just need to get home to relax after school.<br />
<br />
We need to stop thinking that people who "stay at home" with kids (a misnomer if ever there was one !) are somehow a different species !<br />
Many mothers, and a few fathers, take a few years out when their children are babies and toddlers. This is what many want to do and its great for the kids. Relaxing in the playpark while playing with friends, running across the grass after toddler group, visiting friends, going shopping, going swimming, picking strawberries at a fruit farm, playing football, going to playgroup. Now most of these things I have listed are free things to do, or at least very inexpensive, as parents work together to run toddler groups and playgroups. Its a community effort ! Now surely that is worth valuing.<br />
<br />
So lets all realise that Time Out With Kids can be a good thing. It has been shown to be good for the children's mental health with respect to bonding with their parents, attachment theory etc. and apart from anything else it is good fun. It is what life is about.<br />
<br />
I like this piece which was a reading at a funeral I was at recently, of a friend's father who was very much a "family man", it makes me think of how there is a "time to work, a time to spend with your young children, a time to support your older children, a time for your parents, etc." :<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:<br />
A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted.<br />
A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building.<br />
A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing.<br />
A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing.<br />
A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for discarding.<br />
A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking.<br />
A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peaceWhat do people gain from the efforts they make?<br />
I contemplate the task that God gives humanity to labour at.<br />
All that he does is apt for its time; but although he has given us an awareness of the passage of time, we can grasp neither the beginning nor the end of what God does.<br />
I know there is no happiness for a human being except in pleasure and enjoyment through life.<br />
And when we eat and drink and find happiness in all our achievements, this is a gift from God</blockquote>
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JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-77606139061195115552015-05-14T09:46:00.000-07:002015-05-14T09:46:58.556-07:00Plastic PackagingIt is my belief that we could easily have a law which required that companies had to use recycled or re-usable packaging or biodegradable packaging wherever that is possible as an alternative to using plastic which comes from a finite resource on our planet of oil.<br />
<br />
Currently I have collected 8 <b>Persil </b>tubs (photo to follow !!) and am about to send them back to <b>Unilever via their FREEPOST address </b>with the suggestion that they could require us to re-fill our (very substantial well made) plastic tubs at the supermarket. There could easily be a large skip at the supermarket with the liquitabs in it and a dispensing drawer at the bottom which allowed 20 capsules out at a time. This type of machine is available at driving ranges to dispense golf balls, and I am pretty sure it could be designed fairly quickly. If they want to contact me, even as a non engineer, I am pretty sure I could design it in a day. It would need to be only for adults to use though as these liquitabs have been mistaken by children for sweets on occasion.<br />
<br />
Another area which I allude to in another post, is the current use of plastic packaging for feminine hygiene products, where there is a perfectly good cardboard alternative which will biodegrade and not end up washing up on the beaches half way across the planet. This is <b>Proctor & Gamble</b> who are currently guilty of promoting this.JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-72558088018629281942015-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:002015-05-14T09:55:51.098-07:00Why Every Political Party Should Support "Stay at Home Working" Mothers or Fathers as well as "Working" Mothers and FathersIf you think a about it, Stay At Home Mothers (or Fathers), certainly of small children aged 0-3, should fit in to each Political Party's idealism, along with Working Mothers, who currently fit into the supposed "economic model family" currently being pushed in society.<br />
<br />
Here we go :<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><b>Green Party</b></span><br />
<br />
A Stay at Home Mother (or Father) is a Green alternative. Not adding to the materialistic push to own belongings (usually made of the earth's valuable resources). And taking time to appreciate such things as the local park and to get out and about to appreciate the environment. Not adding to the carbon footprint by driving to a nursery etc.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Conservatives</span></b><br />
<br />
A Stay at Home Mother (or Father) is taking responsiblity for their own children and their upbringing. Standing on their own two feet. Taking time to educate children about society and values. Mums or Dads often volunteer as part of the "Big Society" taking part running playgroups and toddler groups etc. And if parents do their own childcare then those young workers who are employed on low wages in childcare could get out and train for a better paid job which would bring in more tax return. The mums or dads can then return to the workforce rejuvenated once their children are a little older.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Labour</b></span><br />
<br />
Labour had the Sure Start centres which seemed like a good idea. A place where mothers and fathers could go to find out more about parenting. By looking after your own children, this is often the first real responsibility many people have had to care for another human being. But we need to care for families and those who have family responsibility so that they are supported in this vital role for society. Being a parent of a young child gives you a chance to get out and meet people and mix with others. You can learn new skills and take this chance to learn about parenting etc. Labour should be ensuring that every mother has the option to take a few years out with their children and not just those who have saved beforehand or who have a partner working. And Labour should prioritise a review of family budgeting and finance to find out why so many families are currently visiting Food Banks.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">LibDems</span><br />
<br />
The Liberal Democrats are famous for being "Liberal" - what does that mean exactly ? Well the definition in the Oxford dictionary should mean that Stay at Home Mothers are definitely on the agenda !<br />
1 Willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own, open to new ideas<br />
2 (of education) concerned with broadening a person's general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>SNP </b></span>and <span style="color: purple;"><b>UKIP</b></span><br />
<br />
See above - or are you just here to add some colour to the political party spectrum !!<br />
<br />
So overall I would suggest we need a major review of Family Policy as this new Parliament of 2015 starts out. We need to review taxation and benefits. Obviously benefits must have limits, there is not enough money to go round to support everything, but we need to think what is it we want from and for families if our society is to improve. We also need to look at the school years and work out how to improve our education system and set higher standards for our teenagers. And we need to review such things as internet access, pornography etc. and how this is affecting all of our children, whether they are directly viewing these things or being affected indirectly. And.... as well as young children, we should look at how society is treating our older family members and also how this impacts on wider families as well. There is a big difference between having a grandparent who needs help, whether a small amount or large amount to having either no grandparent around or having a very active and involved grandparent who is lucky enough to have retained all physical abillity. And in fact the age range of grandparents that I know varies from 40 right up to about 80 - now that is going to make a lot of difference in a family.<br />
<br />
So let us all call on our Political Representatives to make the case for <u>ALL</u> WOMEN, MEN and FAMILIES !!JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-67949470217887307412015-05-08T14:55:00.003-07:002015-05-08T16:10:33.326-07:00History of Scotland Independence Voting - Lukewarm to say the least!I can remember the Scottish Assembly referendum in 1979 under James Callaghan's Labour government. I was still at school but I can remember we had an SNP sticker on our car !<br />
To win the vote for a Scottish Assembly :<br />
<ul>
<li>50% of votes cast had to vote in favour <u><b>AND</b></u> at least 40% of the electorate had to vote in favour. </li>
</ul>
Although <b>51.6% voted in favour</b>, this was only<b> 32.9%</b> of the electorate (due to a low turnout) so the Scottish Assembly was not brought into being.<br />
SNP MPs then put down a motion of no confidence. And then with Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher and LibDems supporting, an Opposition motion was put down and the debate was scheduled for Wednesday, 28 March 1979. The motion moved by Margaret Thatcher MP was :<br />
<ul>
<li>"That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government".</li>
</ul>
Callaghan critisised the SNP, who supported independence for Scotland, for voting with the Conservative Party who opposed devolution. The Scottish National Party were to lose all but two of their seats in the election following the no confidence vote and the predominantly anti-devolution Conservative Party won the 1979 United Kingdom general election.:The following is a quote from James Callaghan :<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We can truly say that once the Leader of the Opposition discovered what the Liberals and the SNP would do, she found the courage of their convictions. So, tonight, the Conservative Party, which wants the Act repealed and opposes even devolution, will march through the Lobby with the SNP, which wants independence for Scotland, and with the Liberals, who want to keep the Act. What a massive display of unsullied principle! The minority parties have walked into a trap. If they win, there will be a general election. I am told that the current joke going around the House is that it is the first time in recorded history that turkeys have been known to vote for an early Christmas."</blockquote>
The Campaign for a Scottish Assembly was formed afterwards to continue the campaign.<br />
<br />
There was then the following vote, on<b> September 11th 1997</b> and I was living in Perth and can remember voting at the local school. I remember voting for the Parliament but against the tax varying powers. (from the results it looks like about 200,000 agreed with me (astute people !!) :<br />
The result was as follows :<br />
<br />
<b>I agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament.</b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><b> </b> </span> 1,775,045<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>74.3%<br />
I do not agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 614,400<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>25.7%<br />
<br />
I agree that a Scottish Parliament should have<b> tax-varying</b> <b>powers.</b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>,512,889<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>63.5%<br />
I do not agree that a Scottish Parliament should have<b> tax-varying powers.</b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>870,263<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>36.5%<br />
<br />
So a more resounding result but again it was only based on a 60.43 % turnout so not great for such an important issue.<br />
<br />
In 1999 the Scottish Parliament was formed and Donald Dewar <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/345189.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/345189.stm</a>). (The new Scottish Parliament building finally opened in 2004)<br />
of the Labour party was our first First Minster. It was a proud moment for Scotland as they marched up the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the Court of Session building. (Ref:<br />
<br />
And then in <b>2014</b> we had the important Scottish Independence Referendum, agreed to by David Cameron.<br />
This was a large turnout of 84.6 % and a very close result.<br />
<ul>
<li>Yes 1,617,989 No 2,001,926</li>
</ul>
Now some people afterwards claimed that "The Vow" - an assurance made by a group of Labour LibDem and Conservative MPs assuring more powers to Scotland was what swayed the vote to a NO at the last minute. But surveys since have shown that was only the reason for a very small percentage (3.4%) of the voters. (Ref: <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/the-vow-did-not-sway-the-referendum-result-new-research-shows.121704244">http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/the-vow-did-not-sway-the-referendum-result-new-research-shows.121704244</a>)<br />
<br />
So....what I want to know is why do we now seem to heading towards Independence ? There has never been a vote in favour. The first vote was 32.9% of the electorate in 1979 and in 2014 we had 45% of the electorate.<br />
<br />
Yet now in the 2015 General Election, David Cameron has used scaremongering tactics and politics of fear tactics to frame the SNP as something to fear. And this tactic has led to him being elected to "protect" the English electorate in some way. And we could well see a beginning of very extremist/ divisive politics that is not wanted by at least 50% of those in Scotland. At this 2015 election it was again 50/50.<br />
<br />
<b>So where do we go from here.</b> Half the electorate in Scotland are consumed by a feverish evangelical vision of the future while the other half do not necessarily share this vision - perhaps having analysed the figures and maybe raising some questions e.g. why are college places cutback etc. But these people dare not admit their view as they will be "shouted down" by family members/work colleagues/friends. Some retain a quiet British-ness. Not the triumphalist flag waving or flag-wearing type. But the quiet type where you might not even admit it to yourself but just accept that this is how we have <b>lived together</b> and <b>shared a history </b>for the last 200 years - and its not been too bad really......<br />
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<br />JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-28332275827913539162015-05-08T10:37:00.002-07:002015-05-08T16:41:11.821-07:00The "Middle" needs a voice in politics or we will never see sense in the UKThe UK has been ruled for my whole life by extremes. We have swayed between :<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">left wing</span></b> governments who were profligate with spending and had little understanding of the private sector </li>
</ul>
and .....<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: blue;">right wing</span></b> governments who had little understanding of caring roles or of valuing the NHS</li>
</ul>
<div>
But.... the problem is <b> THE MIDDLE GROUND DOESN'T HAVE A VOICE !!!</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Because we have a constituency based voting system for the UK Parliament, where areas are either well off areas with perhaps some less well off or poorer areas with perhaps some slightly better off areas .... but overall the "middle" vote is spread country wide, while the Conservative, right wing vote is focussed in affluent areas and the left wing Labour (or SNP if in Scotland) vote is focussed in other areas.<br />
<br />
So the result for the General Election 2015 shows that from 36.9 % of the vote, the Conservatives have over 300 seats.<br />
<br />
If we portray this graphically :<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrQOKdUn1Gk/VUz0XMrVqGI/AAAAAAAAAW4/QCG20vEHCZ8/s1600/percentofvote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrQOKdUn1Gk/VUz0XMrVqGI/AAAAAAAAAW4/QCG20vEHCZ8/s400/percentofvote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And then if we add in the Number of Seats each party got, the discrepancy in our voting system shows up. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VrDizev_3a4/VU0Sb5kIfAI/AAAAAAAAAXI/6q7Rb9b-oIg/s1600/percentofvote-seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VrDizev_3a4/VU0Sb5kIfAI/AAAAAAAAAXI/6q7Rb9b-oIg/s400/percentofvote-seat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But its only when you look at how % of vote translate into % of seats held in House of Commons that you realise how great the discrepancy is. (this graph exludes votes for "Others" eg DUP/Plaid Cymru):</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuOxDuVMqbk/VU1IHfFUhyI/AAAAAAAAAXo/H0GD3Dmch3s/s1600/percentofvote-percentseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuOxDuVMqbk/VU1IHfFUhyI/AAAAAAAAAXo/H0GD3Dmch3s/s320/percentofvote-percentseat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As a frequent Lib Dem supporter I am used to this ! Often 30% of the vote lead to hardly any seats.</div>
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And were you aware that big names like Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher often had only small percentages of the vote. Rarely a majority of the "popular vote" across the UK.</div>
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So if you want to change this lets work towards it. The electoral Reform Society works to improve things. We have Proportional Representation in the Scottish parliament and it works reasonably well. Certainly better than the Westminster System. Because just think for example, how many more would have voted Green if they had had the remote chance of getting in in many constituencies. Proportional Representation means "YOUR VOTE COUNTS" and you can vote for the Party you REALLY BELIEVE IN !</div>
<br />
And ... perhaps we can have a re-run of the 2011 vote on Electoral voting system reform. I personally do not remember this vote. And it was based on a low turnout and I suspect people just did not understand the issues. Or if you were a Labour or Conservative you understood it all too well and voted to protect your situation where you receive an unfair number of seats for your percent of the vote. But is that really a healthy situation ? No! Because it does not reflect the electorate. And parliament will only work if everyone has a say in it. The situation now in Scotland at General Election 2015 means that 50% of the vote has taken almost a clean sweep of the seats. Now that is not a healthy situation. <br />
(Ref: 2011 voting system vote : <a href="http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/referendums/2011-UK-referendum-on-the-voting-system-used-to-elect-MPs">http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/referendums/2011-UK-referendum-on-the-voting-system-used-to-elect-MPs</a>) and what we voted about ::<a href="http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/alternative-vote"> http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/alternative-vote</a><br />
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JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-46076175320172264572015-05-05T06:33:00.000-07:002015-05-05T06:38:58.521-07:00Gatekeepers of the Female VoiceIt seems to me during this General Election 2015 that yes the political parties and also the media are now very much out of touch with the reality of the lives that ordinary people are pursuing.<br />
<br />
With regards to Women's Issues there seems to me to be even more of a gulf.<br />
<br />
Media Women control the "voice" of women on Radio and TV and in newspapers.<br />
They are probably strong, strident and educated women. Well done to them etc. But they have also been successful as they have risen to the top if they are working in National TV or for a National newspaper. Now, not everyone has their ambition or even wants to be that successful, but are they even able to represent the rest of us ? They may not have had to deal with failure - e.g. failure to pass an exam, failure to get that dream job you applied to, failure to be able to live in the town you grew up in or near your family.<br />
<br />
And if working in media, then the nature of the job is such that they will probably have had to use nursery or childcare, if working 9-5 or maybe use a nanny if working unsociable hours. So already they have moved into quite an exclusive league.<br />
<br />
Those of us who either <b>stopped working</b> or <b>aimed for part time work </b>or<b> started a small business so we could work from home </b>when our kids were young are just not in their league. And then there are the people who have failed to find employment ever - they struggle with young families. Can these media people really understand where these people are coming from ? Now I am sure many do try, but my concern is that from their privileged position, they are able to push their own <b>agendas</b>. I mean who wouldn't be able to resist pushing your own ideas in the same situation ? So we seem to have a very liberal left wing / "equality" (at paid "work" !!) agenda being pushed- its alien to me, not something I ever discussed during my years doing a science degree or working as a teacher or in a University Hospital department. And then afterwards mixing with mothers and some fathers at toddler groups / school gate etc.<br />
<br />
So we have the media types, Womans Hour is an example, who I feel push their own agenda with the occasional token person with a differing point of view.<br />
<br />
And now we have politicians. Our local politician proudly proclaims her grandmother is helping out with childcare while she is out at political meetings etc locally. But again if a young woman with a family has decided she can work with the long hours at Westminster then she must be using childcare or have a husband at home. But how well can they represent us ordinary women ? And again these women tend to be confident, educated, strident, articulate people.<br />
<br />
But in the whole debate now the one woman who is no longer approved of is a Mum who decides to take some time out and rear their own kids. Now why is it that this is no longer approved of ? Surely if we had equality then this choice would be accepted and valued ? And subsidised / paid for ? Just as the role is subsidised or paid for if it is done by someone else ?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>True equality is only going to be reached when Mums are accepted into our society.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And I know in a few cases a Dad will prefer to take on this role.<br />
<br />
But the thing that I think would help everyone, working Mums and Dads included and even people without kids who may have even elderly relatives etc to care for is the following :<br />
<br />
We need more options to work :<br />
<ul>
<li>Part Time</li>
<li>Term Time</li>
<li>The Hours that a job requires</li>
<li>Flexibility</li>
</ul>
This will lead to more satisfied, content employees and will ultimately lead to less stress in the workplace and at home.<br />
<br />
Many many jobs really do not need to be full time. Fine if that is what someone wants to do, but so many times there are busy weeks and quiet weeks. Why not trust your employees to register the hours they actually require. And many jobs could be 9.30 - 2.30 which would be ideal for school hours.<br />
<br />
So we need to re-focus on getting more part time jobs and also stop the focus on young children staying at school 8 - 6 to accommodate the parents !!<br />
I mean maybe if these Media Types and Politicians had hated school like the rest of us then they wouldn't be subjecting our young children to this !!JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-50246439378424371022015-05-05T06:14:00.001-07:002015-05-05T06:14:54.014-07:00Why Are Mums the only Ones Not Paid ?Currently childcare subsidies go to just about everyone who cares for kids <u>EXCEPT</u> for the mums !!<br />
There is an illogical-ness in this situation !<br />
<br />
We have the bizarre situation where the only person who can't be funded to raise their own children is a mother (or father). Now we should be getting annoyed about this. We should be standing up for ourselves as we deserve this as we have often had to stop working / given up a salary in order to raise our own kids.<br />
<br />
And it is good fun - <b><u>and its good for the kids too !</u></b><br />
<br />
We used to go to swimming lessons / playpark / toddler group etc. or even just taking time to go to the shops etc. Its all time with your Mum and on a 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 basis so great for language development and for you to learn to share a bond with your kids with no pressure. So I would recommend it.<br />
<br />
If its really not for you then by all means employ the best help but funds should be paying for all options.<br />
<br />
<b><u>If we value our future kids then we should value and recompense those caring for them.</u></b>JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876068915125303468.post-21861560584159016732015-04-22T06:00:00.001-07:002015-04-23T16:04:13.460-07:00My ManifestoHere is my election manifesto for 2015<br />
<br />
I wish the political parties had a few of these - they all seem to be pledging the same boring things - no ethics or ambition involved ! What one would you add or write your own manifesto for change !<br />
<br />
<b>1 </b> <b>Children </b>- children deserve the best start in life. Families deserve time to learn to become a family and to be able to understand their child's needs. Many families need support in learning how to play with their children, how to feed them and how to enjoy being with them. This means families need funding. Funding should not just be going to pay for other people to care for young children. Our brain pathways are built in those first precious months and years of development. If the early years are stressful out brains in future will react quickly to stress and produce more cortisol, the stress hormone - this is a fact. So come on politicians, FAMILY FUNDING PLEASE ! And this should take account of total family income, as parents often give and take - it really does take more than one parent or adult to help bring up children. All family circumstances are different, some have lots of friends or grandparents, some have two parents, some have one parent. Some have a parent who works for long hours or works abroad (very common where I live). For this reason I believe that family funding should be based on total income and should perhaps follow the child themselves. But whether parents use childcare or do the care themselves BOTH MUST BE RECOGNISED. And I don't know an awful lot about Sure Start centres, but they might form the basis of a good idea. And toddler groups and playgroups should get the full support of society.<br />
<br />
<b>2 </b> <b>Animals </b>- animals also deserve the best. We have lived alongside dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, pigs and horses for millions of years of human development. These animals are mammals and care strongly for their young. So they should be allowed to grow in family groups. We should not overexploit them for their milk. Currently dairy cattle have their calves removed at birth and must produce vast quantities of milk. This cant be comfortable for them. Surely someone somewhere can work out a method where the cattle can filter through the milking barn with their associated calf alongside ? I mean the calves are still going to drink the same amount of milk overall. And do you know that pigs are highly intelligent and can play football ?! Yet in the EU there are still some places where they are kept in small stalls. This should not be allowed. And even with regards to hens/chickens these need better treatment. Who wants to eat meat from an animal which has had virtually no life. The current breeds of chicken are developed to produce meat as quickly as possible and look quite ridiculous. I wonder how good this really is for us to be eating. We should also be promoting more vegetarian options in some way, encouraging people to eat the wonderful vegetable produce produced by our farmers. And finally we need to ensure that slaughter methods, if these have to be used, are the most humane possible. They should probably be killed by the captive bolt method and this should be supervised by CCTV. The animals should not have any fore-warning of what is happening. But as I type that it makes me feel physically sick to think that we would do this to peaceful animals. We should only be caring for them, not eating them. For the sake of the planet as well, we get more energy from farms if we eat crops directly rather than feeding them to animals. So it makes sense ecologically and economically. And we must not give in to religious pressure to change the way animals are killed. Surely any religion would agree that we must look after the animals. Simples - as the Meerkats say !<br />
<br />
<b>3 Climate Change</b><br />
This is a big concern and needs sorted - guy on Radio 4 this morning talking about how this should be in election manifestos. (22 April 2015)<br />
<br />
<b>4 Nuclear Power</b><br />
As a scientist I have a fair understanding of nuclear power, but the after effects are shocking. The time that it is going to take the products to decay are unacceptable. We need to find another method of power. And how stupid is it to build Hinkley B (is that the name of the new one ?) right next to the sea when sea levels are inevitably going to rise ? Doh !!!!<br />
<br />
<b>5 Finance</b><br />
World finance needs sorted out. Banks and accountants have pulled the wool over many people's eyes and completely disrupted the world financial systems so they are in a terrible mess. Gamblers and crooks should not be in charge !<br />
<br />
<b>6 Monsanto</b><br />
MOnsanto should not be allowed to control the world's seeds. This company needs to be stopped. And rumours are that the weedkiller it produces - RoundUp is carcinogenic.<br />
<br />
<b>7 Other big organisations</b><br />
The same goes for Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) - many companies have been caught up in less than ethical practises and need to be stopped. Its not like any of these companies (and others eg Starbucks, Amazon) actually need the money !<br />
<br />
<b>8 Ecopackaging - biodegradable materials</b><br />
Following on from the previous issue, companies should be required to use biodegradable components in for example nappies, pads, packaging, feminine hygiene products, washing powders etc. Companies should be required to use such things as starch etc which will biodegrade, <b><u>unless</u></b> they can provide evidence that the material they have used is the <b><u>only</u></b> possible material that can be used. For example look at how many solid plastic boxes for Persil washing liquitabs are just being thrown away and not used - this is ridiculous - the liquitabs could be in a dispenser at the shops and you could bring your box along to be re-filled. Easy to do and masses of plastic saved. Good for the environment and good for saving valuable and finited natural resources.<br />
<br />
<b>9 Online Pressures on Teenagers and Children</b><br />
Children are living with a very different environment even from 10 years ago and need to learn to live with it but also to be protected from it. They need to be able to discern what is good to watch and what is not good to watch. What is a good way to live ? What do you want out of life and are you going to consider other people too ? Society has become very materialistic. Personally I am quite horrified by some people I see, driving gas guzzling cares too fast (bought on credit! or via dodgy business expenses), along with dyed hair/false eyelashes/fake tan. I'm sorry but how did we come to this ? Lets get our kids out playing, walking, enjoying life. My kids enjoyed visiting an outdoor centre but were confined to their rooms some of the time due to the experience in previous years where other kids misbehaved. Some just do not have any idea nowadays where the limits of behaviour are. And I have seen this at kids parties too. So we need to get our kids onto a firm foundation again (this follows on from Point 1). Then we might have some hope that they can withstand the onslaught of celebrity trash/porn/self harming sites/social media comments etc. And they will hopefully have some ambition then to improve society themselves as well.<br />
<br />
<b>10 Care Homes / Nursery Businesses</b><br />
These are two areas where functions used to be done by the state and are now increasingly in private hands. A friend pays £1,000 a week for her father to be in a care home. So all that money has come from selling his house. Yet even at that he doesnt seem to get particularly good care. When I looked up the profits of the big Care Home companies, they appear to take 33% profit and many companies are linked to each other. Disgraceful !<br />
The same happens with nursery businesses and nursery chains. Many of these are active on Twitter and Facebook etc, and via all sorts of lobbying organisations and are gradually getting money out of out gullible MPs who believe everything they say. Organisations backing the family are unfortunately more pre-occupied with actually caring for their own kids and just don't seem to get much airtime/lobbying time etc. <br />
But this is not how it was supposed to be. There seems to be two extremes - wasteful resources and people if its public sector (I have heard many cases from people working there and have done myself although most people work very hard) but the situation is probably even worse when the private sector is involved.<br />
<br />
<b>11 Huge retirement funds in public sector - particularly national government and MP, MSP jobs - Also dealing with Retirement Age - "active" jobs and "slowing down a bit" jobs</b><br />
Why should MPs retire with a full pension as though they have worked for 40 years ? This should not happen. I dont know how extensive it is but I have heard of it happening. Maybe they can get a small payout if they lose their seat, but many people are now in temporary employment - its pretty normal now.<br />
Secondly if some people have retirement age set at 67 then so should everyone. National government civil service jobs I suspect are still sitting at age 60. This is not on. And fireman are retiring at 50 = ridiculous ! They should perhaps be assigned a less active role eg a desk job if they are no longer fit for the job. But again why does anyone feel that the employer is responsible for employing them for life ? I mean where did this idea come from ? As a person who always worked in temporary jobs, much as I'd have loved a permanent job, I just do not get this ! If you can't do the job then you are redundant ! End of !! I am sure many people working in physical occupations need to have a re-think at about age 50 eg foresters, farmers, footballers !! etc Much better to employ all those under-employed young fit people who seem to have to work at Tesco, in the active roles and let those who want to slow down a bit work at Tesco for a while !!<br />
So really that is two issues to do with retirement,JWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855581921877310697noreply@blogger.com0