Alex's Rant Spot

Another Pot

2011-10-14T01:03:00.000-07:00

This is my Fish Pot. Fresh out of the kiln.

I am sort of getting into Japanese style, so this is in keeping. White earthenware body, with underglaze. Transparent overglaze and sprayed with cobalt. Looks rather good, even if I do say so myself.

My Pots

2011-08-26T00:50:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of you may know that, as well as a keen cyclsit I am also a potter. So I thought that I would share some of my most recent work with you. Oringinally, I have worked with stoneware (1250 C), but have recently started working at a local studio where earthenware is predominately used (Around 1100 C). So I am going to post a couple of the Images here.

This first pot is an earthenware. You can just see a tape measure in the bottom of the picutre. This uses a black inner glaze and white outer. I have poured thicker glaze over to give the run lines.

I am quite pleased with the next one. Again an earthenware. The brown is the natural clay body with a clear glaze over the top. I then used Gloss White for the interior and poured some drips down the side. I like this one and can see a range of small pots, casarole dishes etc in this style.

This uses a similar style to the first. However, I have poured a medium blue with gloss white dipped over to give run lines and effects.

This is a stoneware jug. It uses an ash glaze as the base, using a red/brown top. This, when mixed with the ash becomes green, but still brown inside the pot. I have also poured a light blue to give the run lines.

This is a simple stoneware jug using a medium brown over a matt finish base. Poures well

This uses the same glazes as the the ash glazed jug. You can see much more of the ash and blue body.

This final one is an earthenware. White tin glaze base with brushed underglaze over the top. Quite fun.

So there you are. Some of my work. Feel free to comment.

Luck

Bike Movie

2011-05-31T13:42:00.001-07:00

This is quite good, watching these guys go airborn.

Enjoy

http://vimeo.com/22698426

Britains Got Tallent

2011-05-31T13:13:00.001-07:00

Britains Got Tallent finally has something beyond the usual singers or dancers. Check this guy out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6tJenFEEoA

Not as good as Danny Mac, but not bad either.

Luck

Britains Got Tallent

2011-05-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

This guy shows a great deal of potential. May even give Danny Mac a run for his money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6tJenFEEoA

Enjoy

Luck

Bike vs Car

2011-05-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

I found this one on my many travels. It is a laugh to have proven what we knew all along. Bikes are best (Especially when riden by an Atherton).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgTCpoPMIcM&feature=related
Enjoy

Favourate biking videos

2010-12-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

OK, so what are my favourate cycling videos?

The first one is easy. Danny Mac. If you have not seen this guy, then prepare to be amazed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpEDtHjlM-U

Or you might want his latest video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw

This is a really fun video, if you fancy hitting the slopes this winter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWrZWE53ESg&feature=share

If you haven't seen one of these, the language is a bit harsh, but it is worth sticking with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGH7vBC2nw

Anyway, if you have favourates of your own, let me know.

Luck

Cannock Chase

2010-07-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Cannock to try out the new extension to the "Follow the Dog" route. Not bad. Some nice hills and some very fast track. I am not sure about all of the rock gardens that have suddenly sprung up. However, the Werewolf run is quite fun. Lots of undulating banks. Another thing that they have put in is high banked burms, so tha you can wall of death your way around the trail.

It is a matter of course that I went over the bars twice, but that is what trail centres are about. Unfortunately, I managed to get a couple of scrateches on my new bike. Boo. But it had to happen some time. A bit of model enamel paint and it should be as good as new. I do, however, need to work on my hills and speed. I am still too slow. But overall an enjoyable day.

One interesting thing. I lost my phone while out on the trail. Quite a nice touchscreen. Martyn and Steve rode back over the trails to see if we could find it, but no luck. When I got home, somebody in Coventry had phoned to say that they had found it. Picked it up an hour later. Aren't we mountain bikers a nice bunch?

So overall, I would rate the Chase, other than a few rock reatures. Some people, including the guy who found my phone, struggled with it, but other than that it was worth the petrol. Try it.

http://www.chasetrails.co.uk/xc.php

Luck

Tattoo

2010-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have been watching programs like Miami Ink for some time. Her Grandmother recently died and one of the things that she wanted to get with the inheratence was a tattoo. This is a good way to remember somebody. It doesn't have to be a memorial tattoo or even that persons favourate thing. It just needs to be something that will help you remember the person by. She chose a water dragon.

After months of searching she eventually found the artist who would do her tattoo. The art form has moved on from dancing girl outlines and ships anchors. Now you can get all sorts of art drawn directly onto your skin. These are graphic artists. You can get portraits, cartoons, lettering or abstract designs.

However, if you hire a traditional artist to paint you a picture, if you don't like it you don't have to buy it or if you grow to dislike it, you can take it off of your wall. With tattoos it is different. Once on it is on. So find your artist with care. Look at his work. Look at the stencil. You can cancel at any time. One artist sent a couple to stencils via e-mail. They were not what she wanted.

She found the artist that would give her a one off tattoo, not a picture from a book, but an original designed Japanese water dragon, in the colours that she wants, in the style that she wanted. This meant that, in order to get what she wanted, it would cost a fair amount of money and a trip to London for the day.

Today she got the outline done and the first colour, green. She will go back for a second 2 hr sitting to get it finished. The artist is also thinking of adding flowers. She is very happy with the artwork. The only drawback is that it hurt like hell, but she got cuedos for not screaming, crying, or changing her mind. Anyway, I have posted some of the photos of her back. I is slightly bigger than she thought, but still loves it.

Alex

I Picked Up the New Bike

2010-06-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

A production of epic proportions, years in the making, I have finally picked up my new bike. Well, when I say years, I probably only mean November of last year. However, it felt like years.

The saga started some months again when I came into some money which, due to legal reasons, would take some time to get to me. That said, I started bike hunting straight away. This involved looking in magazines and talking to other riders, notably club members. I eventually arranged a test ride day at Grapham water. For the cost of a single rental bike I arranged a fleet of five bikes to try out. There were prose and cons to each of the bikes that I rode, but the one that gave me a real grin factor was the Anthem X2. So when the money arrived in May and after some hagling on extras, the order was placed with Pitsford cycles.

I dare say that, using Podium Points from an online supplier I could have gotten more googars, but Pitsford is my local bike shop. I know the mechanics and trust them to set up the bike. I get two free services and I still get some extras. I was not disapointed. The only downside was a wait of upto 8 weeks. Great bike, worth the wait. However, I only had to wait for three.

Before picking up the bike I went around to the local DIY store and picked up some pipe cladding. My worry was that the metal of my bike rack would damage the frame and so, gaff tape and craft knife in hand, I set to the pipe cladding and attached it to the bike rack so that at no point would metal grate or bash against metal.

I then went to pick up the bike. I had my daughter for the day, so decided that, rather than just picking up the bike, we would take it for a quick lap of the reserviour with my daughter on her bike. I arrived at Pitsford an got my goodies. They then gave me a comprehensive lesson on how to set up the air shock and forks, as well as the brake adjustment etc. We then set off around the lake to break in my steed.

One of the things about the Anthem is that it is a fast bike. Normally, I could just peddle slower than normal to ride with my daughter. However, the Anthem was having none of it. It wanted to be off racing the lower life forms and shredding single track. I had to dump a lot of gears in order to ride at Hana's speed, but we had a pleasant ride, complete with ice cream and Jelly Babies.

I am going on a Dads ride at Stanwick tommorow, so the Anthem is going to be a bit of an overkill. But who cares. I am looking forward to my ride with James on Tuesday, but I am really looking forward to Wednesdays club ride, when I am going to make some of the faster riders eat my dust. (Evil laugh time.)

For the moment the bike is safely in the kitchen, put away for the night. I had to take a kitchen photo anyway, since it is an MBR tradition. So here you are MBR forum, the White Goods Shot.

Luck

Marin Rough Ride

2010-06-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend saw me taking part in the marin Rough Ride. The clue is in the name. It is a rough ride sponsored by Marin:

http://www.roughride.co.uk/

The distances do not seem too much, since it is only a 45k or 75k on the long (That means 50 miles max). However, it also encompases 7000 ft of climbs. It started at 10 and I finished six hours later. There were great downhill bits, moorland on top of big hills, evil descents, epic climbs, impossible climbs and awsome schenery.

Throughout this ride was well organised. Direction arrows on the course made it impossible to get lost. A good spattering of marshals telling you how far to go, or manning food and water stations. The Territorial Army was also helping out with logistics. There was also the mountain rescue and paramedics on schene. In short it was well organised. There were also photographers snapping at various points throughout the course (hopefully taking pictures of my heroic bits, rather than the ignominius parts where I am pushing up a massive climb). I mean, two miles of 10% climbs, with gravel and roots?

However, at the end of it, when you come around the final corner, cold and wet, running on the last of your researves and you see the tents and the marshals and the finish line, it is the best feeling in the world. The cheap T shirt is equivelent to Olympic Gold, the veggie stew and bread (Or Black pudding stew which I would have tried if it was ready) was the best food in the world, along with the chocky cake and coffe and I now display the rough ride sticker in my car window with pride.

Might try Hell of the North next year. Oh yeah. This is why I love biking.

Luck

Why I ride

2010-05-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have just posted on another blog about an article related to cyclists who were killed by car drivers. Not one, but two or three at once. I find that my answer has caused an emotion in me that is close to meloncholy and so, in order to cheer myself up and to explain why I cycle, I thought I would put down on paper, or screen, why I ride my bike and what I get from cycling. I first wrote this down as a post on Yahoo Answers, but it still encompasses what I do and why I do it:

My muscles burn as I fight to keep the front wheel in control as I slowly power up the hill. It is not easy, since this is no road or even track, but a field boudary that is grassy and uneven. I am standing up in the saddle, resulute in my determination to stay out of the granny ring. It is a struggle and sweat pours down my face in the warm evening heat. But eventually, with the last of my strength seeming to have been sapped from my legs I start to rise over the top and the peddling gets easier. I reamain standing, just to get clear of the top before finally stopping at the summit.

Below me, the fields take on darker hues as the sun becomes an orange ball on the horizon and I take this opportunity to take in the gentle slopes of the valley below me. Contmplatively, I munch Jelly Babies as my breathing returns to normal and I take a long gulp from my hydration pack before examining the map that I have bought with me.

I have never been to this place before. I am exploring possible routes for a run that I am organising for my club. There may be twenty or more riders on my run and I must ensure that, as well as hard climbs, there is an element of fun. I compare the map to the vista before me and decide upon my route.

Replacing the map in my back pocket I start to peddle, quickly shifting into the top gear powering down the bumpy, grassy hill. However, after only a few seconds I no longer need to peddle as gravity takes hold and I am propelled downwards, at high speed as my bike jumps over bumps and the rear wheel jerks beneath me as I stand clear of the saddle and pull myself backwards, abandoning all caution as I commit myself to the descent.

Shortly and all too quickly, the ground levels out and I whoop for joy as I fly past startled walkers and cannon into the woodland that was only an outline on the map. Reluctantly, I tab the brakes as I skip and bounce over roots, bringing the bike back to a more managable speed, pitting my whits and skill against this new, unpredictable terrain.

Quickly and again, all too soon, this new thrill is over and I am catapulted out onto a quiet, paved track and I start to power up the slope as I look forward to the next challenge.

Luck

The Times

2010-05-16T13:37:00.001-07:00

The Times has been doing the rounds on the cycling forums this week, following their TV advert offering 30% off of bikes with Evans cycles. So I bought the Times on Saturday. There is a lot of junk in the paper, with various lifestyle sections and general blurb. However, there was a nice little booklet on cycling, and there was the Evans voucher. My heart sank when I read the "On selected bikes" bit, but I went along to Evans for a look.

Most of the bikes are on 30% for a reason, they can's sell them. However, I was quite interested in the Lapierre X Control 310, knocked down from £1800 to £1300. Tempting, but the only fault I can find is that it has a home brand rear shock. Otherwise, well kitted bike.

Anyway, I am looking at this bike and giving it serious consideration. There will be a different selection on Monday, so I will see what takes my fancy.

Anyway, I decide to read the other blurb and come across a few interesting articles. The first shows the best places to cycle in the UK:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/active/article7125801.ece

Some of my local runs are on there, including Pitsford Cycles and the Brampton Valley Way, as well as Rutland Water. Easy runs, but fun for the family.

The other thing that I found interesting is the new craze for retro style clothing on bikes. Apparently, there is a craze to dress like a 1920s cyclist, complete with woolly jersey leather cycling shoes and tweed knee lengths. Some people go for the complete tweed look and have a three piece suite. It is not just the blokes. Many women are now dressing for style and riding vintage bikes, you know, the sort of things that Mary Poppins would have felt at home on, complete with wicker basket and long skirt. Rather than sports drinks, a Thermos of tea can be found in the bottle cage. They even have clubs:

http://www.tweed.cc/

http://www.londonsinglespeed.org.uk/the-tweed-cycling-club

These are not people who are speed merchants. They amble from tea house to work, with a sandwich stop on the way. For the complete retro cyclist, rather than a Parshley or old Peugeot, you can even get penny farthings (Not the massive ones, but with modest four foot wheels).

Anyway, it appears that they also have large outings called Tweed Runs. Although they have only done runs in London, with respectable turn outs of 400 or so, they are planning runs for San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo and Durango, Colorado.

It should be interesting to see what happens.

Luck

New Bike

2010-05-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have been drooling over a new bike for ages and I am within a hairs breadth of getting it. I have been looking for about 4 or so months and I am nearly ready to part with the cash. Bike buying is a very drawn out event, but it needs to be. I am going to spend a fortune of this beasty. I am going to spend many hours in the saddle and I want it to do lots of specific things for my riding.

I have just been onto Yahoo Answers again. There are questions like, what size bike should I buy or is this the right bike for me? How should I know? I can tell you how to size the bike and a bit about set up, but as for knowing if this is the bike you should be riding?

It is a sad fact that many people buy bikes without actually thinking about it or finding out a bit about the model or style. If they are buying a car or a motorcycle, then there will be a fair amount of discussion, looking through magazines, talking to freinds and test drives. But a bike is just something you sling your leg over and turn the crank on.

There is a thread on MBR going on at the moment about a commuter bike that one of the readers found chained up outside an office. By the amount of rust on the chain and gears, this has been left outside and not ridden much. The concern was that this was £1000 worth of Specialized hardtail mountain bike. The problem is that it has no chance of getting anywhere near XC. But this is what people do. It is the equivelent of the Chelsea Tractor. A 4x4 driven by people in afluent London addresses who will never take it off road. This mountain bike is the same, an expensive fashion statement that will never be ridden properly.

The other day a colleage was sharing her thoughts on buying bikes for the unemployed so that they could commute to work without having to rely on the bus. She seemed quite pleased that she was contemplating spending a lot, in order to get a good quality bike for them £100. I didn't tell her how much I will be spending on mine.

The point is that, when I was looking at my next bike, I put a lot of thought into it. What sort of riding do I want to do? What do I want the bike to be able to do? How much is weight, travel an issue?

To answer these questions I poured through magazines, talked to all of my local bike shops and then arranged a test day, where I could just turn up and ride several bikes (5). I then went away and reflected on the ride, read some more reviews and looked at the spec sheets, but by that stage I already knew. The bike that I would be spending the next few thousand miles getting aquainted with and exploreing it's finer points, was the Giant Anthem X2.

But I suppose that, although I put a lot of work into my choice of bike, people still order bikes from supermarkets without even sitting on them. They spend a fortune of a machine that is just going to spend it's life left in the garden or chained up at work, half a mile away. What a waste.

Oh well, rant over.

Luck

FNSS Races

2010-05-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Summer is definitely here. The first of the Friday Night Summer Series has happened. 169 riders turned up to race. Not bad for a local level race.

I rode the route with the club, doing course setting, on the Wednesday. A fun ride for the first half, quite quick. But then the race got into the woods. Imagine this. It is on a hill. It has lots of trees and roots. It has badger holes and rabbit holes. There is loose shingle going down and a swampy bit to ride up. The trees are close packed with low branch. You then have some killer climbs, gullies, logs etc. It is not paved, but loose earth and grass. Oh yeah.

So I fell off twice. But consider this environment with 169 nutters pounding around the course at full tilt and you get the idea. Damn fun. This isn't the only venue though.

The Friday Night Summer Series is the brain child of my local bike shop, or more to the point, Niel at George Halls. It takes in various sites around Northants, Leicester shire and Bucks (MK). The races last about an hour and are a fun, mud filled romp that test skill, endurance and your will to keep going.

Here is the link:

http://fnssmtb.com/

If the riders thought that this one was hard, the new course at Bulwick Estates are said to be even steeper and even harder. Yum Although booking on line closes six days before the race, you can still turn up and ride, cash in hand. It only costs a tenner.

The point is that normally racing is viewed as the preserve of elite international athletes who chase sponsorship and glory. The reality is that glory, or more usually the fun of getting out and giving it a go is open to anybody who just wants a good night out on their bike. No works teams, no uba athletes. Just people with bikes who want to get down and dirty.

Enjoy.

I nearly killed a couple of cyclists today.

2010-01-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

I was driving home from work tonight. I drive on country roads and that means lots of twisty bits and no street lights. It even had patchy fog, which meant that my speed was down and my lights were dipped.

Suddenly there is a dark shape in the road ahead of me and I slam on the brakes. There is a slight muddy surface and, with the damp, my tyres lose traction and I skidd towards the dark shapes. I am just making up my mind to hit the shapes, rather than heroically plough into the oncoming car on the other side of the road, when the tyres bite and I manage to stop.

The shapes are two cyclists on jump bikes (BMX), wearing black hoodies that are pulled up because it is cold. No lights. No reflectors.

I pull past them, role the window down and bib.

"Sorry mate" they say.

"Don't appologise, just fix your bloody lights".

If I had room for two bikes and cyclists in the back I would have given them a lift. But that is not the point.

The other night I replied to someone on answers who was whining about lights because he was afraid that they were gay and he would get the micky taken out of him.

ROADKILL!!!!!

So can we, as cyclists do something to prevent these pillocks from ending up as a statistic. Perhaps a mass night ride from various city centers or similar. I don't know, but even if we don't promote the idea of lights, we should help to keep them off of the unlit country roads.

Luck

Bike Size

2010-01-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

One of the most common question to appear on Yahoo Answers Cycling section is "What size bike should I buy?"

I will pop my stock answer here for general information.

The frame size varies depending upon the style of bike you have. A mountain bike will have a higher ground clearance than a road or comfort bike and so a 19" mountain bike frame would fit me. But a 19" road bike frame would be too small.

As a general rule. Stand over the frame with your feet 12" apart. The top tube should be between 2"-4" from your family jewels. If your assets are any nearer to the top tube you will do yourself an injury if you have to dismount quickly.

Using a wall for support, rotate the crank so that the peddle is at its lowest point. Adjust the saddle height so that your leg is locked out when your heal is on the peddle. In this way your leg should be slightly bent when riding on the balls of your feet.

The saddle should be about 1' from the frame, give or take. This will give you a bit of flex, offering a little suspension. If the saddle is so high that you do not have at least 1.5" of seat post in the frame, or the seat post is beyond the safety mark, then the frame is too small for you. If the saddle is down on its lowest point or just above, the frame is too big for you.

If the frame is too big for you, then you will find yourself stretched out accross the frame, rather than sitting comfortably.

When buying a bike, try and attend a test weekend, or at least get to rent the bike you are interested in or even ride it around the car park. It might look like a dream bike, but if you don't like what you are sitting on, chances are that you will not grow into it. Bikes can be very expensive, so even if all of the magazine critics love/hate it, it is you that has to ride the bike and the final decision is up to you. If it isn't comfortable, don't buy it.

Female/Male geometry is different. In comparison to men, women have short bodies and long legs. This means that if a woman rides a male bike that fits her legs, she will be stretched out over the frame because the length is designed with a mans longer body in mind. Bear this in mind when selecting a bike.

Luck

Ketterings Delusions of Grandure

2009-12-31T13:22:00.001-08:00

Kettering is a market town in the East Midlands. It is not far from Corby. The problem is not so much with the town, as with it's council. Kettering is in financial trouble. The town centre has lost many of it shops due to the recession. There are about 40 shops that are now empty. It is also lacking any of the big names that you would expect for a town of this size. It has a M&S and a McD. But other than that it has mobile phone shops, estate agents and pound shops. Nothing really to attract shoppers.

Corby, which is only 5 or so miles from Kettering has a newly referbished shopping centre. It has cheep town centre parking (40p per hour max) and a good mix of shops. Wellingborough, which is just south doesn't charge for parking, but has a thrithing market, like Corby.

So what is the problem? Surely the council has reacted to the downturn in the economy in order to help the shop owners and attract custom into the town? Nope. They spent a couple of million referbishing the old market area, well away from the town centre (which is where the four or five stalls that constitute its pittiful market now gongregate) into an open area with a water feature, so that people can see shows and events there. It is, in fact, an unoficial skate board park. My daughter loves it.

When the recession first hit the council stated that they would help the businesses in any way it could, but would not reduce the business rates. Bearing in mind that Kettering charges it's business the same rates as those asked for the center of Cambridge. Now Cambridge is an old city with a large population and, more importantly it is strongly on the tourist map. Kettering isn't. There is no reason to visit Kettering, other than for the weekly shop. There is little of historical interest and few shops. The shopping centre is a small affair, with the usual shops. WH Smiths, TK Max, Poundland.

Now bearing in mind how feeble the shops are, you would expect the town council to offer an incentive for people to visit, like low parking charges. No. The council car park charges 90p per hour. So the local alternatives charge 40p, nothing, or in Market Harborough 20p per hour. Kettering charges 90p per hour. Now for an extra 10p per hour I can use the Sainsburys car park, close to the shoping centre, for two and a half hours.

£1 per hour is a high rate, but it is what you pay for the centre of Milton Keynes. Not in the car parks at the back, but smack bang in the middle of the shopping centre, right next to the police station and within a stones throw of the second set of Concrete Cows. £1 per hour will park you in the middle of a decent town centre, like Nuneaton, which has thiving market place, with over 50 stalls, as well as a well presented pedestrianised shopping zone. £1 will allow you to park in a city centre for an hour in most midlands locations. I have parked in a large, three story shopping centre with large stores in Stoke on Trent for £1 per hour. I would even pay £1 for Northampton.

So here is the problem. As a business, you can set up in a small midlands town, with competitors close at hand in the forms of Corby, Wellingborough, Market Harborough and Northampton, or you can set up shop in Cambridge, with better parsing trade and tourists just looking to spend money. As a shopper, I can either spend 90p parking for an hour in Kettering and struggle with the poor selection of shops to fill that hour, or I can spend, at most, 40p for a thriving town centre with lots of interesting shops. Hmmm. What should I do?

Now it could be that the council has drawn up a demand curve and is actually profit maximising or, more realistically, it has spent money thrivolously on clocks and open spaces that do nothing to attract more people (The newly developed area is well away from the main shops and does not see many visitors because of this) and have now got to pay for these expensive items at the cost of the shop owners and shoppers.

Yeah Kettering Council.

Healthcare

2009-12-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

I was reading an American Blog the other day and the subject of Obamas free healthcare scheme came up. This was a medical site. The general concensus was something along the lines of, why should they give away their services for free? If they did so, then they wouldn't be appreciated etc. Funny, I thought that the subject of worrying about payment before treating a person was covered in the hypocratic oath.

Apart from feeling that I was reading the posts of Victorian sergions who viewed that the poor were poor by choice, because they were lazy or lacked some spark that seperated them from the hard working middle classes, it got me thinking. America can not afford to build a national health system. The money to do so is currently floating around the Gulf ensuring that America has a viable foreign policy.

But what is a governments actual responsibility for it's people? Especially if that government represents the West? Also, what should our government do to ensure that a general level of healthcare is open to all. The privatisation of the medical system is not viable. Many Americans, even those who are earning enough money to have a comfortable life are under insured. Those who do not have medical insurance are treated in mercy hospitals. This may mean that they are not taken to the nearest hospital, but the nearest hospital that deals with the poor.

On the other side of the coin, there is a lot of waste and mismanagement in the NHS. A national provision is still viable. However, throwing money at the problem is not an answer, nor is bringing in more office workers. Unfortunately, the NHS has become like many other public services where it is staffed by many people who have attained rank through long service, or who are earning high wages through the same long service. This is not a bad thing. But when you have people promoted into a middle management area, but no line responsibility, then it gets a bit murky. Many people in the NHS, a recent study found, could not name their line manage. They did not know who they reported to.

So some trimming is in order. However, the purely private system is not viable without some form of provision for everybody. A happy ballance may be achieved, but finding that happy balance is going to prove tricky.

As for the Americans. They have great health provision, as long as it is covered by insurance. Everybody else is in trouble. It is an area that can be made fair and open, but only with direction from the government. There is an old army idea that there are no wrong decisions, as long as the officer in question makes a decision and acts on it. Obama has an idea of updating the US medical establishment. This may prove as difficult as updating the NHS. However, just like Peter the Great, he needs to drag the US medical establishment into the 21st C, kicking and screaming if necessary.

(Waits for backlash from US medical establishment)

Luck

BA Strike

2009-12-17T04:37:00.000-08:00

You have to wonder what world the BA unions are living in. I was listening to one of the union reps ohe radio yesterday and he was saying how the union had done everything that it could to talk to managenment, but that they were going to strike anyway. When the interviewer pointed out some of the responses from the listeners and that nobody in other BA departments were supporting them, his attitute was that, he appreciated their position but. He was equally unsympathetic regarding the economic climate and the fact that his union could finish the company.

From what I understand, this all came about because the airline needed to make staff cuts. BA cabin crew earn around 29K and get a very nice expenses package for staying overseas. Their nearest competitor pays 20K and Virgin pays 14K. Given the economic climate BA has no choice but to cut costs and is doing so in all of it's departments. But the cabin crew don't like it and want to continue as usual. They are prepared to lose their jobs and the whole company in order to prove a point or to keep the standard of living at a level that was generous, even in a good economic climate. The question that they should be asking is who, after such a blatant display of 1970s militant action, is going to hire them once they are unemployed?

Many other industries have had to make difficult choices. Redundancies or wage cuts have affected everybody else. Why does the union at BA assume that it can carry on regardless or that they have any form of public suport?

Becuase the union is so out of touch with the economic realities of their industry and that even the members were not awair of the fact that the union were planning a 12 day campaign, I say that BA should bring on the scabs. Damn the union for endangering so many jobs with their folly.

Luck

Cycle Lights

2009-12-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

OK, Victor Meldrew winge moment.

In case you have not guesed it, I am a keen cyclist. It therefore really bugs me when I see people out riding their bikes without lights.

Last night I was driving home from work along country roads. Now these roads have lots of dips and hidden rises, as well as your usual corners. The edge of the road is quite deteriorated with some serious pot holes, so that you need to see where you are going. Anyway, what do I see? A man riding his bike with a carier bag on the handle bars, no lid and no lights. The roads were pitch black. He couldn't see where he was going and, more to the point, nobody could see him. His only nod to safety was that his bike was fitted with reflectors and that had more to do with legality when the shop assembled the bike.

Lights are not expensive. You can get a pair of LEDs cheaply for about £15. They will flash on and off, front and rear, and give everybody a fighting chance of seeing you. You can get a nice, viable front light for about £30 - £40, or even a reasonable rechargable for little more than this. Ideal for road work. Why the hell don't they? Do they think that, because it is a bike it doesn't count?

The one that really gets me is that at 8 or 9 O clock you will see children out with their mates on bikes. They wear dark clothing, often with hoods, ride dark bikes etc. And the worst thing is, that the parents who sent them out in that condition, who don't have a clue where they are anyway, complain when you run them over.

I think that we need to promote cycling, which is becoming more popular. But I also think that we need to do more to make it safe. When was the last time that a cop pulled someone over for not having any lights? Why are schools so apathetic when it comes to cycle safety?

A scheme runs in the UK where, through schools or individuals, you can get a £40 cycle helmet for your child, a high vis jacket and reflective stickers, for £10. My partner approached my daughters school about this and, rather than leaping at it with both hands, they asked what was in it for them. Ummm, live children.

Anyway, we need to do more to educate parents and children about cycle safety, even the minimum of lid and lights would be a start. Consider. In order to drive any other vehicle on the road you are legally compelled to take a test. Most people learn to ride on the pavement and stay there. So with no idea of road sence or basic safety, people set out onto the roads. Grrrr.

What are the parents and authorities doing ignoring this?

Luck

Cars in a Hurry

2009-12-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

I cycled over to Harborough tonight. Quite cold, I thinks it is dropping below freezing. Anyway, I am off to the spinning class on country roads and I get overtaken by a lorry. No biggie. I am doing 30 and he is going faster. Fine. Then he slams on the anchors and takes the next junction, only 30' away.

On the way back a Bmer overtakes me, just before a series of parked cars, where he has to stop for oncoming traffic, forcing me to stop. Now if he hadn't done that, I would not have had to stop. Further down the road I had another car driver overtake me, only to slam on the anchors to turn right onto his drive.

I get the feeling that the chase instinct is in action here and that car drivers can not stand to have anything slow in front of them, even when allowing the cyclist to go in front is the most sensible, considerate action, people can not stand the thought that the might be held up, even for a second.

This is similar to other instances that I have seen while out driving. They have to beat the lorry to the roundabout, if in the right hand lane they will have to overtake, even as the two lanes become one and they are not even 1/3 of a car length within sight of clearing the car that they want to get past. So even though they are out of position, the fact that they are in the RH lane gives them the right, or some sort of imperative to force their way to the front.

We are not that long out of the treas after all are we? The technology has advanced, but we still behave as though we are chasing after the wooly mammoth. The end result of this sort of driving is usually that someone end up a casualty. Usually, it is the poor cyclist or other car driver who has got into these guys way.

I think that we need to take a step back and look at what it is that we are actually doing on the roads. Do we need this hassle in our lives? Do we need all of the agression and frayed tempers? The solution is simple. Get on your bikes. It allows you to chill out. It is healthy for you and has a very good carbon footprint.

Another point to consider is this. Harborough is only 8 miles from where I live. It only takes me 30 minutes to cycle. The same car journey takes 20 minutes and I have to pay parking. Do we really need to use cars as often as we do? I think that we have become too posesive of our cars. We instill too much of ourselves into them. But they, along with freezer food diets, are killing us through lack of exercise.

Time to chill out and leave the car in the garage once and a while.

Luck

Winter Riding

2009-12-14T01:08:00.000-08:00

Wow. We have snow on the way. It is time to get out the chunky tyres and look forward to some crisp riding as the white stuff comes in. Last year the A14 was at standstill for about 4 hrs due to the snow. If it happens again this year I am going to get on my mountain bike, complete with a big flask full of tea, bickies and varous snacks, so that I can ride though the stationary traffic and make a fortune selling to the stranded.

Ha Ha Ha (Evil laugh).

Seriously, though. I was watching this program last night about too fat to walk. Morbidly obese people were set the challenge of walking 500 miles accross England. Devon to Edinborough. 50% made it. One was a genuine hit the wall, but the excuses from the others. Oh, I have a bone in my toe. Oh I can't do this because....

If I get that bad over why I shouldn't go out and ride (Oh it looks like rain, oh its a bit cold out), just slap me and tell me to stop winging. Winter riding is great. You get to hone your skills, so that you are able to handle slippy conditions and not panic when your rear end skids out. Your cadence is improved and you end up with a smoother peddling action.

I have been a bit lax on one cycling front though. Cleaning the bike. But thats in keeping with my bikes persona as a SCUD missile (Seldom Cleaned Used Daily). The best way to clean the bike is to ride it through a puddle.

Anyway, back to the winter riding. At this time of year there are going to be lots of reasons why the gym looks warmer and cosier. I have fallen to the temptation of a nice warm spinning class as well. But I will be cycling there (8 miles is a nice warm up).

So now that I have had my rant, I have convinced myself that it is not too cold or wet out there and I am going to hit the winter traffic with renewed vigor.

Luck

MPs

2009-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

I notice that some of the MPs who were found with their fingers firmly in the cookie jar have been allowed back into their positions. What do you have to do to fire these people? If we had made similar claims to our accounts departments we would have been called into the office to explain ourselves. We may even have faced criminal charges.

Our MPs on the other hand have been found to have defrauded the government, claiming expenses for second homes that are neither in central London or their constituencies. Overall, I do not have a problem with the idea of bent MPs. What I find objectionable is that this lot are so useless that they got well and truly caught. That, for no other reason, should proclude them from office.

Luck