Why is it that when you leave the country for a few days, something totally unexpected happens back home? I'm currently staying with friends in Paris and learn that not only has it been snowing a home in late October (and we turned the heating off completely when we came away!) but that a completely avoidable crisis has hit the BBC.
Now, I'll admit that I don't know the full story and I haven't had the chance to read up on it so I'm not going to say anything about the prank itself. I think the bigger questions revolve around how the show was ever aired without the offending parts edited out. How is it that no one was sacked for gross negligence or something similar? The BBC has not come out of this looking terribly good. And I'm usually a supporter of the corporation.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Something Munchy
The phone in my pocket starts to ring. On the other side of the train door the weather is pretty awful and my hopes are raised at the prospect of a lift home.
The number on the phone is unknown, which means the call is coming from home rather than the car. Those hopes begin to fade.
"Hello?"
"Can you get me something munchy on the way home?"
The hopes are lying in tatters around my feet right about now. "Pardon?"
"Can you get me something munchy on the way home?"
"Erm, okay. Any particular sort?"
"No, you know what I like."
"Right."
"Get two."
I manage not to say anything about how this conflicts with certain efforts to be good. "Two?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. See you soon."
I put the phone back in my pocket. Looks like I'll be getting damp, then.
Blimey, the lengths you need to go to to hide a chocolate craving from a three year-old.
The number on the phone is unknown, which means the call is coming from home rather than the car. Those hopes begin to fade.
"Hello?"
"Can you get me something munchy on the way home?"
The hopes are lying in tatters around my feet right about now. "Pardon?"
"Can you get me something munchy on the way home?"
"Erm, okay. Any particular sort?"
"No, you know what I like."
"Right."
"Get two."
I manage not to say anything about how this conflicts with certain efforts to be good. "Two?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. See you soon."
I put the phone back in my pocket. Looks like I'll be getting damp, then.
Blimey, the lengths you need to go to to hide a chocolate craving from a three year-old.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Comments, Layout and Stuff
If you followed CBS in its last incarnation, you'll have noticed some changes around here. Most obviously, there's the new template. Not terribly original, I know, but better than the last and I may actually play around with it much more this time.
Secondly, I've given up on the old comments. They were too full of spam and didn't quite feel right any more. So, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with the Blogger comments for the moment. Again, I may change this if I get the time.
Which brings me on to some expectation setting. At the moment, life is very busy so I must be mad to want to take this up again. It means that I will have to fit blogging around everything else so updates may well happen mainly at weekends. If I don't post for a week or two, don't worry. If I'm going to hiate again I'll tell beforehand.
So, content will probably be much the same as it used to be, i.e. no set style, or theme. I hope you enjoy it.
Secondly, I've given up on the old comments. They were too full of spam and didn't quite feel right any more. So, I'm afraid you'll have to make do with the Blogger comments for the moment. Again, I may change this if I get the time.
Which brings me on to some expectation setting. At the moment, life is very busy so I must be mad to want to take this up again. It means that I will have to fit blogging around everything else so updates may well happen mainly at weekends. If I don't post for a week or two, don't worry. If I'm going to hiate again I'll tell beforehand.
So, content will probably be much the same as it used to be, i.e. no set style, or theme. I hope you enjoy it.
Credit Crunch Silver Linings #1
No more awful ads featuring a crab saying "What's in your wallet" in a dodgy oriental accent.
Hello... Er... Again.
I was sitting on the train a week ago thinking about the various crises facing the world at the moment and suddenly felt the urge, in a way that I haven't for about three and a half years, to have my say on them (and many other things).
So here I am, clearing away the clouds that have obscured the view around here for so long.
I can't promise it will last very long. I can't promise to write frequently, either. But, for now, I can certainly say that I am back.
So here I am, clearing away the clouds that have obscured the view around here for so long.
I can't promise it will last very long. I can't promise to write frequently, either. But, for now, I can certainly say that I am back.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Bowing Out
As any regular readers of mine will probably have already guessed, I have slowly been running out of steam when it comes to blogging. I'm now down to posting once a week, if that, and it is becoming a chore.
I could offer up any number of reasons for this; I have less time on my hands both at home and at work; I'm more tired than ever; I'm pre-occupied with other things. The simple truth is that I just don't have the enthusiasm for it any more. The skies may still be clear and blue but I don't seem to spend the time looking at them that I used to. Even when I do have an idea, I can't summon up the willpower to sit down and write it. The enthusiasm that infused my first few months has been tempered and diverted elsewhere online and there just isn't any left.
So I'm bowing out. I may prove this to be a hiatus at some point in the future but the way I feel at the moment, that isn't too likely.
Before I go I just want to thank everyone who has read, commented on and linked to this site over the last 21 months. I have made some great friends and have enjoyed it immensely. I will still be around in a reading and commenting basis, so I'm not dropping out completely. And if you're ever thinking of getting together in 'real-life', drop me a line and I'll probably turn up (when there's beer on offer I usually do ;-) ).
Once again, thank you all and see you around.
I could offer up any number of reasons for this; I have less time on my hands both at home and at work; I'm more tired than ever; I'm pre-occupied with other things. The simple truth is that I just don't have the enthusiasm for it any more. The skies may still be clear and blue but I don't seem to spend the time looking at them that I used to. Even when I do have an idea, I can't summon up the willpower to sit down and write it. The enthusiasm that infused my first few months has been tempered and diverted elsewhere online and there just isn't any left.
So I'm bowing out. I may prove this to be a hiatus at some point in the future but the way I feel at the moment, that isn't too likely.
Before I go I just want to thank everyone who has read, commented on and linked to this site over the last 21 months. I have made some great friends and have enjoyed it immensely. I will still be around in a reading and commenting basis, so I'm not dropping out completely. And if you're ever thinking of getting together in 'real-life', drop me a line and I'll probably turn up (when there's beer on offer I usually do ;-) ).
Once again, thank you all and see you around.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Shared Equity
So, the government has started their third term with a couple of controversial ideas; ID cards and Shared Equity Schemes.
I don't think I've talked about ID cards before but I have to say I wouldn't mind having to carry one. I don't accept the argument that it will tackle terrorism but I can see that it would help to stop benefit fraud and the like. Having said that, I would not be happy about being forced into paying the best part of a hundred quid for one. You shouldn't have to pay for something you have no choice over, in my view.
Anyway, what I really want to write about is the announcement by the Chancellor that the government will be setting up Shared Equity Schemes to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. On the face of it, it's a really good idea, taking some of the burden of debt away from homeowners, but when you get down to it the scheme doesn't look as fair as it should.
The key is that the government or mortgage lender who takes on a proportion of the debt then owns that proportion of the house and accordingly gets that share of the property value when you sell on, regardless of whether the price has gone up. That may not seem quite right but if you shared the cost with a friend that is exactly what would happen. But that is where it starts to get unfair.
Say you're in a shared equity scheme and that the government has a 50% stake in the property. When you move in, the kitchen is in real need of refurbishment and the garden needs some work. You spend a total of £3000 over a couple of years getting it done and that adds £5000 to the value of the house, on top of any increase due to the market. When you sell on, you realise only £2500 of that increase in value, a net loss of £500 on what you put into it. The government has made money from your hard work and spending. The same occurs when you're talking about necessary repairs, such as a leaking roof. You end up spending more money on the property than the other party and yet they still get half the resale value.
I'd love to see someone trying to explain how that can be fair.
I don't think I've talked about ID cards before but I have to say I wouldn't mind having to carry one. I don't accept the argument that it will tackle terrorism but I can see that it would help to stop benefit fraud and the like. Having said that, I would not be happy about being forced into paying the best part of a hundred quid for one. You shouldn't have to pay for something you have no choice over, in my view.
Anyway, what I really want to write about is the announcement by the Chancellor that the government will be setting up Shared Equity Schemes to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. On the face of it, it's a really good idea, taking some of the burden of debt away from homeowners, but when you get down to it the scheme doesn't look as fair as it should.
The key is that the government or mortgage lender who takes on a proportion of the debt then owns that proportion of the house and accordingly gets that share of the property value when you sell on, regardless of whether the price has gone up. That may not seem quite right but if you shared the cost with a friend that is exactly what would happen. But that is where it starts to get unfair.
Say you're in a shared equity scheme and that the government has a 50% stake in the property. When you move in, the kitchen is in real need of refurbishment and the garden needs some work. You spend a total of £3000 over a couple of years getting it done and that adds £5000 to the value of the house, on top of any increase due to the market. When you sell on, you realise only £2500 of that increase in value, a net loss of £500 on what you put into it. The government has made money from your hard work and spending. The same occurs when you're talking about necessary repairs, such as a leaking roof. You end up spending more money on the property than the other party and yet they still get half the resale value.
I'd love to see someone trying to explain how that can be fair.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Health Update
I was meant to be working at home yesterday so I dragged a laptop home with me on Wednesday. I sat down to work yesterday morning and connected to the work network, only to find something was wrong and I couldn't launch any applications. I spent an hour or so on the phone in total between then and 3.30 talking to our technical guys. They couldn't sort it out so I ended up with a day at home, doing very little, that wasn't counted as leave. Result!
Anyway, the reason I was working at home was that I had my next appointment at the endocrinology department at 11.30 (rescheduled from 8.45 the previous week). I had some blood tests a couple of weeks ago, to see how the drug has been working and, the long and the short of it is, it hasn't. My T3, T4 and TSH levels are about the same as they were 9 weeks ago. So, the consultant has told me to double my dosage and we'll see how it goes over the next nine weeks.
The odd thing is that I have been feeling better. Okay, I haven't been back to the old me, but I didn't expect to be, given that parenting Cirrus is hard work. Maybe I'm just sleeping better (when I'm allowed to, that is). Even more odd,yesterday afternoon and evening I felt worse than I have done in weeks. Perhaps it's all in the head.
The consultant was a little puzzled that the pills hadn't made any real inroads but he wasn't all that surprised. He stressed that, particularly in men, the condition is often not completely sorted out by the drugs but that we needed to get it under control before doing anything else. I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that other treatments would be required anyway so what he said didn't bother me at all.
So, now I have to remember to take 2 little pills every morning instead of one and hope that they're going to do the trick. At least I'm exempt from prescription charges.
Anyway, the reason I was working at home was that I had my next appointment at the endocrinology department at 11.30 (rescheduled from 8.45 the previous week). I had some blood tests a couple of weeks ago, to see how the drug has been working and, the long and the short of it is, it hasn't. My T3, T4 and TSH levels are about the same as they were 9 weeks ago. So, the consultant has told me to double my dosage and we'll see how it goes over the next nine weeks.
The odd thing is that I have been feeling better. Okay, I haven't been back to the old me, but I didn't expect to be, given that parenting Cirrus is hard work. Maybe I'm just sleeping better (when I'm allowed to, that is). Even more odd,yesterday afternoon and evening I felt worse than I have done in weeks. Perhaps it's all in the head.
The consultant was a little puzzled that the pills hadn't made any real inroads but he wasn't all that surprised. He stressed that, particularly in men, the condition is often not completely sorted out by the drugs but that we needed to get it under control before doing anything else. I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that other treatments would be required anyway so what he said didn't bother me at all.
So, now I have to remember to take 2 little pills every morning instead of one and hope that they're going to do the trick. At least I'm exempt from prescription charges.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Unexpected Meeting
In the last carriage of a Northern Line train, a man is standing near the door, book in hand and white earphones in his ears. A woman with a distinctive lock of red hair is sitting down nearby and looking at him as if she knows him. A girl walks down the carriage and as the man moves out of her way he sees, from the corner of his eye, the woman watching him. He looks up and recognition blooms on his face. He steps over and they talk about his new baby for a few minutes before the woman gets off at her stop. The man starts reading again before getting off one stop later.
Friday, May 13, 2005
An Oily Character
So, George Galloway MP, who lives in Portugal (from where he can obviously represent the people of Bethnal Green and Bow adequately), is off to the States to rubbish the claims made by the US Senate that he was allocated a large amount of oil by Saddam Hussein. I can see how it will go.
US Senator: "So you see, Mr Galloway, these papers show that Saddam set aside this oil for you. Now we're not saying you have profited from this in any way (aside: mainly because we can't prove it) but you can at least see that Saddam allocated 20 million barrels of oil for you."
George Galloway (in a loud voice) "I did not make any money through oil from Saddam Hussein. I have answered these allegations already in my successful legal battle with the Daily Telegraph!"
US Senator: Sigh "We're not saying you profited from this, Mr Galloway, and we have already shown that these allegations are different for those made by the Daily Telegraph. Can you see that now?"
George Galloway: "You can't talk to me like that! Do you know who I am? I've just won an election! The people of Bow Green and Bethnal have chosen me, ME!, as their MP and now you're asking me these ridiculous questions. Why don't you ask me about what matters in Green and Bow Bethnal? They don't care about oil. Look, I've had enough of this. Either ask me something sensible or I'm off.
US Senator: "But..."
George Galloway: "Right, that's it." Storms out and hops back on a plane to Portugal.
Always good for a laugh, isn't he?
US Senator: "So you see, Mr Galloway, these papers show that Saddam set aside this oil for you. Now we're not saying you have profited from this in any way (aside: mainly because we can't prove it) but you can at least see that Saddam allocated 20 million barrels of oil for you."
George Galloway (in a loud voice) "I did not make any money through oil from Saddam Hussein. I have answered these allegations already in my successful legal battle with the Daily Telegraph!"
US Senator: Sigh "We're not saying you profited from this, Mr Galloway, and we have already shown that these allegations are different for those made by the Daily Telegraph. Can you see that now?"
George Galloway: "You can't talk to me like that! Do you know who I am? I've just won an election! The people of Bow Green and Bethnal have chosen me, ME!, as their MP and now you're asking me these ridiculous questions. Why don't you ask me about what matters in Green and Bow Bethnal? They don't care about oil. Look, I've had enough of this. Either ask me something sensible or I'm off.
US Senator: "But..."
George Galloway: "Right, that's it." Storms out and hops back on a plane to Portugal.
Always good for a laugh, isn't he?
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