I heard on the news today that Councils are to be given the power to control the number of betting shops on the High Street. Probably good news but I wonder how relevant this is in today's world.
Is anything being done to control on-line gambling? Every evening there are constant advertisements promoting bingo and casino sites offering top-ups if you sign up and deposit so much.
I've never gambled on-line. I don't gamble full stop. Never even bought a lottery ticket. But I have spent hours playing games either on-line or on my computer and I know how addictive they can be. I don't know how much it costs to play a game of bingo on-line, but I bet it doesn't take very long and you are soon tempted to play again, and again and again.
How many people are sitting in front of their computers for far too long every day hoping for that jackpot?The prizes sound fantastic, but do the players realise how many other people are playing? One advert said there was a large pot and everyone would win - yeah, probably a couple of quid at the most by the time that pot was divided down to all the players.
Once again, technology has shot ahead of legislation. Technology means you can take your casino with you everywhere you go. You don't even have to wait until you get home before you start playing. Is this good? If nothing else there should be restrictions on the number of advertisements that are put out on television.
Has anyone done an investigation into the habits of on-line gamblers to see if this IS getting to be a problem? Maybe I'm being too pessimistic. Maybe players know when to stop. Maybe people are not running up huge bills to pay for the nightly fix of bingo or casino games on their computers, tablets or phones. I certainly hope not, but I fear these sites are going to be a far bigger problem than gaming machines in betting offices. Let's face it, you have to GO somewhere to get to a betting office. If you have the technology you could lose a fortune right in your own front room.
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Saturday, 29 March 2014
Burgeoning Profits = Burgeoning Waitslines
It’s official, as a nation we are
getting fatter and being overweight is becoming the norm.
The government is now thinking
about taxing sugar in processed food. They seem to be missing the point. The
truth is there is too much food available.
Since the provision of food has
become big business run by huge nationwide firms instead of small shops providing
for the local community, profits have become the main factor. It’s no longer a
matter of each shopkeeper making a living, it’s big business that needs to make
enough money to employ staff, maintain huge shops and make profits for their
shareholders.
I hate it when older people say
‘when I was a kid…’ but when I was a kid shopping for food was done on a daily
basis. And that’s not because my mum didn’t work, she did. And shops were shut
by six pm at the latest. Frozen food consisted of peas and fish fingers. Shop
bought cake was a treat.
These days there is more food on
offer than can ever be eaten. And we are constantly under pressure to go
shopping and buy more. BOGOF offers are not so prevalent these days, but there
are other deals tempting the shopper to buy things they don’t really need. Walk
into any supermarket and you will be confronted with ‘special offers’ which
aren’t always so special. Next time you see a ‘buy two for £x’ check out how
much it would cost to buy the larger size in the first place. You’d be
surprised at how often it is cheaper.
But this blog isn’t about
marketing ploys it’s about eating too much.
Why do people eat too much?
Possibly it starts when Mum tells her kids ‘no pudding if you don’t finish your
dinner.’ Or maybe it’s not refusing that second helping for fear of offending
your host. The more you eat the bigger your stomach gets and the bigger your
stomach gets the more you need to eat to fill it.
Government ministers blame
processed food for people getting heavier. I would take this with a pinch of
salt (another bad thing if you have too much). Many of the people I know who I
would consider overweight would not touch a ready-meal with a barge-pole. They
like cooking. And they like eating what they cook.
Things that were once considered
a treat are now a daily ‘must have.’ Multi packs of crisps and chocolate, every
meal ending with a pudding, something that was once reserved for Sunday only.
I’m not sure if all the TV shows
promoting cooking have a detrimental effect on the nation’s eating habits.
Personally the last time I watched a TV chef was when the Galloping Gourmet was
on. I try to spend the minimum amount of time in the kitchen. Food is to keep
the body going. It’s not a daily gastronomic event.
So how do we start losing those
excess pounds? I’ve never had to try so maybe I don’t really know but the
following ideas seem simple enough.
Smaller portions, served on
smaller plates to convince yourself you are having more than you are.
Avoid second helpings. If there
is food left over save it for tomorrow, or freeze it for another day.
Cut down on the number of courses
at each meal.
Don’t snack between meals.
You may feel hungry for a while, but believe me,
no one is going to die of starvation in this country. Not unless you are
suffering from government welfare cuts but that is a whole different blog.
Monday, 27 January 2014
The Human Cost of Cutting Benefits
I hear on the news and see reports about the numbers of
people who are no longer on benefits of one kind or another, cutting the
welfare budget. There has recently been a TV show which went out to give the
impression that all benefit claimants are the lowest of the low and should not
be helped. This is not the case by any means.
I would like to say to the leaders of all parties in the House of Commons “Wake up to reality. Go out and get a ‘proper’ job and see what it is really like when you can’t find one.”
I was staggered to hear that half the welfare money goes on paying pensions. So whenever you hear the figures quoted in future remember this. Even though the pension age is being changed, due to the improvement in health this is going to increase even more as the years roll by. I’m looking forward to maybe twenty years of being a pensioner unless I get run down by a bus. As these are very few and far between in the village where I live I think I can avoid that.
So that is half the welfare budget that cannot be cut and likely to increase because no one would deny pensioners an increase.
There has ALWAYS been a portion of claimants on benefits who do not truly deserve them. I can remember campaigns to catch benefit cheats way back in the 70s. But the vast majority of claimants are genuine, their is real and it seems to be these honest people who lose out. Jobs have been disappearing from all sectors of society. There has been a decline in heavy industry and mining; computers are taking over in many government departments, cutting the number of staff needed. I must say that this does seem to be more efficient, tax and VAT are worked out instantly for those who need such things, getting a tax disc for your car can be done at an hour to suit you. Staff are still needed to deal with queries and a new set of skills are needed for dealing with software. But what is happening to the people who used to work in these jobs?
Over the last few years honest, hard-working people have lost their jobs because of the recession. People who have always paid their way have had to claim benefits, maybe for the first time in their lives. Many people who want to work full time can only find part-time work, still having to claim top-up benefits to help them make ends meet.
The bedroom tax hasn’t helped either. The aim of this tax was to free up larger properties for the people who need them. I would love to know the number of cases where this has happened and also the number of cases where people have gone into debt to pay this simply because there are no smaller properties available for rent and they have no alternative to staying where they are whether they want to or not.
There has been a clamp down on people claiming disability living allowance. The latest claim form makes it virtually impossible for anyone to qualify for this. “Can you bend down and pick up a large, empty, cardboard box?” “Can you raise your hand to your breast pocket?” “Can you walk the length of two buses?” I know people who can do all these things but they are still suffering in other ways which prevent them from working; if they could find an employer who would have them. These people are being taken off the register and left with NO income whatsoever.
The government claims that the number of people claiming benefits has fallen, that those seeking job seekers allowance has fallen; but it does not show that those in work has increased by the same amount. It does not reveal that more and more food banks are opening throughout the country to help feed those who cannot afford to buy food for themselves and their families. It does not know the numbers of people who are too proud to go to these and are depending on friends and family to survive; or the numbers of people who are selling their possessions so that they can buy food.
The latest initiative to be announced is to make sure all claimants have decent literacy skills by offering training. Good idea. But what about all the highly qualified and skilled people who are still looking for a job? The graduates, the trained nurses who have been cut from cash-strapped hospitals.? The unemployed job-centre and benefits staff who have been replaced by companies on contracts from the government to reduced numbers and get paid by results? The postal workers who are being sacked because they don't drive? And next in line - the probation service whose skilled, qualified officers with years of experience and years of training, are to be replaced by people who have completed a short few weeks course?
And this is happening in Britain. A supposedly caring and compassionate country. Our politicians should be ashamed of themselves. Stop the distraction tactics of blaming immigrants for burdening our welfare and help the citizens who need the help.
I would like to say to the leaders of all parties in the House of Commons “Wake up to reality. Go out and get a ‘proper’ job and see what it is really like when you can’t find one.”
I was staggered to hear that half the welfare money goes on paying pensions. So whenever you hear the figures quoted in future remember this. Even though the pension age is being changed, due to the improvement in health this is going to increase even more as the years roll by. I’m looking forward to maybe twenty years of being a pensioner unless I get run down by a bus. As these are very few and far between in the village where I live I think I can avoid that.
So that is half the welfare budget that cannot be cut and likely to increase because no one would deny pensioners an increase.
There has ALWAYS been a portion of claimants on benefits who do not truly deserve them. I can remember campaigns to catch benefit cheats way back in the 70s. But the vast majority of claimants are genuine, their is real and it seems to be these honest people who lose out. Jobs have been disappearing from all sectors of society. There has been a decline in heavy industry and mining; computers are taking over in many government departments, cutting the number of staff needed. I must say that this does seem to be more efficient, tax and VAT are worked out instantly for those who need such things, getting a tax disc for your car can be done at an hour to suit you. Staff are still needed to deal with queries and a new set of skills are needed for dealing with software. But what is happening to the people who used to work in these jobs?
Over the last few years honest, hard-working people have lost their jobs because of the recession. People who have always paid their way have had to claim benefits, maybe for the first time in their lives. Many people who want to work full time can only find part-time work, still having to claim top-up benefits to help them make ends meet.
The bedroom tax hasn’t helped either. The aim of this tax was to free up larger properties for the people who need them. I would love to know the number of cases where this has happened and also the number of cases where people have gone into debt to pay this simply because there are no smaller properties available for rent and they have no alternative to staying where they are whether they want to or not.
There has been a clamp down on people claiming disability living allowance. The latest claim form makes it virtually impossible for anyone to qualify for this. “Can you bend down and pick up a large, empty, cardboard box?” “Can you raise your hand to your breast pocket?” “Can you walk the length of two buses?” I know people who can do all these things but they are still suffering in other ways which prevent them from working; if they could find an employer who would have them. These people are being taken off the register and left with NO income whatsoever.
The government claims that the number of people claiming benefits has fallen, that those seeking job seekers allowance has fallen; but it does not show that those in work has increased by the same amount. It does not reveal that more and more food banks are opening throughout the country to help feed those who cannot afford to buy food for themselves and their families. It does not know the numbers of people who are too proud to go to these and are depending on friends and family to survive; or the numbers of people who are selling their possessions so that they can buy food.
The latest initiative to be announced is to make sure all claimants have decent literacy skills by offering training. Good idea. But what about all the highly qualified and skilled people who are still looking for a job? The graduates, the trained nurses who have been cut from cash-strapped hospitals.? The unemployed job-centre and benefits staff who have been replaced by companies on contracts from the government to reduced numbers and get paid by results? The postal workers who are being sacked because they don't drive? And next in line - the probation service whose skilled, qualified officers with years of experience and years of training, are to be replaced by people who have completed a short few weeks course?
And this is happening in Britain. A supposedly caring and compassionate country. Our politicians should be ashamed of themselves. Stop the distraction tactics of blaming immigrants for burdening our welfare and help the citizens who need the help.
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Got the Hump Again
No, I'm not feeling miserable, I've just got back from town in my little car and feel really glad I haven't got a bad back or something after tackling all the road humps on the way.
I've always been dubious about the effectiveness of these traffic calming devices and I suppose they do work to some extent, but last weekend I had the luxury of driving around in a newer, sturdier car than my normal little Smart and found I hardly had to slow down at all to negotiate the humps I normally crawl over at about 5 MPH. Yes, FIVE MPH. If I go any faster than that I feel like the suspension will collapse and the tyres burst. The trouble with a very short wheel base car is that no sooner have the front wheels mounted the hump then the back follow. I feel like I need a rear window sticker apologising to anyone behind me for slowing down so much but it really is necessary if I want to keep my spine intact and all my teeth.
I try my hardest to stick to speed restrictions. Won't say I always manage but I don't intentionally go out to drive faster than I should. The people who do do that are usually in bigger, faster cars. The sort of cars that can fly over a speed hump at 40 MPH without even noticing there was a hump there.
So what is the point?
My other concern is the state some of these humps get into. Many seem to lose the white arrows that warn you they are there which can be very dangerous when it is dark and wet. If you don't know the road they suddenly appear before you can slow down. As the humps get older the areas around them seem to get more pot holes and general deterioration than other parts of the road. Just lately new types of humps have appeared near me that are just bolted onto the road surface, or at least that is what it looks like. They are narrow so vans and buses can pass over them, but they are quite fierce on a small car. More worryingly, I have seem some that look as though they are starting to come away from the road. AND the middles of some seem to have scratch marks which would indicate some cars are not getting a good clearance over them.
These sort of measures are fine for private drives but it's time they were removed from general use. Regrettably they have been taken up in other countries too. So my search for a hump free route extends even when I go away.
There must be better ways of slowing traffic. More indication of what the speed limit should be, more of the devices that flash at you if you are going too fast or those that tell you what speed you are doing. Give me a speed camera any day over and above a hump. You only get caught on a camera if you are going too fast. Speed humps are only a problem to anyone who drives a small car or motorbike/scooter.
Right, now it's time for me to pick my husband up from town. We will be coming back via the scenic route, the one and only way into town without humps.
I've always been dubious about the effectiveness of these traffic calming devices and I suppose they do work to some extent, but last weekend I had the luxury of driving around in a newer, sturdier car than my normal little Smart and found I hardly had to slow down at all to negotiate the humps I normally crawl over at about 5 MPH. Yes, FIVE MPH. If I go any faster than that I feel like the suspension will collapse and the tyres burst. The trouble with a very short wheel base car is that no sooner have the front wheels mounted the hump then the back follow. I feel like I need a rear window sticker apologising to anyone behind me for slowing down so much but it really is necessary if I want to keep my spine intact and all my teeth.
I try my hardest to stick to speed restrictions. Won't say I always manage but I don't intentionally go out to drive faster than I should. The people who do do that are usually in bigger, faster cars. The sort of cars that can fly over a speed hump at 40 MPH without even noticing there was a hump there.
So what is the point?
My other concern is the state some of these humps get into. Many seem to lose the white arrows that warn you they are there which can be very dangerous when it is dark and wet. If you don't know the road they suddenly appear before you can slow down. As the humps get older the areas around them seem to get more pot holes and general deterioration than other parts of the road. Just lately new types of humps have appeared near me that are just bolted onto the road surface, or at least that is what it looks like. They are narrow so vans and buses can pass over them, but they are quite fierce on a small car. More worryingly, I have seem some that look as though they are starting to come away from the road. AND the middles of some seem to have scratch marks which would indicate some cars are not getting a good clearance over them.
These sort of measures are fine for private drives but it's time they were removed from general use. Regrettably they have been taken up in other countries too. So my search for a hump free route extends even when I go away.
There must be better ways of slowing traffic. More indication of what the speed limit should be, more of the devices that flash at you if you are going too fast or those that tell you what speed you are doing. Give me a speed camera any day over and above a hump. You only get caught on a camera if you are going too fast. Speed humps are only a problem to anyone who drives a small car or motorbike/scooter.
Right, now it's time for me to pick my husband up from town. We will be coming back via the scenic route, the one and only way into town without humps.
Friday, 20 September 2013
Is Internet Reliance Leaving Some People Excluded?
Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the internet. I use it all day, every day. Want to know something - google it. Want to buy something, check the net. Whereas some people will trawl the High Street to look, then buy on line, I'm more likely to look on line and pick up from the shop.
But what about people who don't have internet access? There are some, you know. Not everyone has a Smart phone. They are useless where I live, no signal. Not everyone has a computer. Not everyone can get to a library.
So should organisations, especially government departments, only be accessible through the internet?
An elderly gentleman who lives near me wanted to report a water leak. Not in his own house, fortunately, but he was trying to do what he considered a public duty. But when he tried to telephone he was given a web address to contact. This gentleman is in his eighties, can't hear very well and has no interest in using a computer or the internet.
If you are a business you now have to do all your tax affairs on line.
Apply for a school place - on line.
There is not much you can do these days without using a computer or the internet. Are we increasingly excluding a part of society, the poor, the elderly, anyone who hasn't got a computer?
Should we be surprised that the kids of today put technology high on their wish list when schools are asking for homework to be submitted on line?
But what about people who don't have internet access? There are some, you know. Not everyone has a Smart phone. They are useless where I live, no signal. Not everyone has a computer. Not everyone can get to a library.
So should organisations, especially government departments, only be accessible through the internet?
An elderly gentleman who lives near me wanted to report a water leak. Not in his own house, fortunately, but he was trying to do what he considered a public duty. But when he tried to telephone he was given a web address to contact. This gentleman is in his eighties, can't hear very well and has no interest in using a computer or the internet.
If you are a business you now have to do all your tax affairs on line.
Apply for a school place - on line.
There is not much you can do these days without using a computer or the internet. Are we increasingly excluding a part of society, the poor, the elderly, anyone who hasn't got a computer?
Should we be surprised that the kids of today put technology high on their wish list when schools are asking for homework to be submitted on line?
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Waiting...
I'm waiting at the moment...I feel like I've suddenly become invisible. I know other people have troubles, too. Maybe that's part of my problem, I'm too understanding but meanwhile I'm waiting.
I'm waiting for a CT scan on my jaw to see what the surgeon needs to do about the impacted wisdom tooth that is growing in the wrong direction, then I will be waiting for the operation I know has to follow.
I'm waiting for someone, ANYONE, to explain to me why my books aren't making it across the pond from Barnes and Noble to Nook UK. Two books made it straight away, yippee, but since then the others haven't. Why? I'm waiting.
I'm waiting for the software update so that I can use my new super-duper laser printer with my new super-duper Windows tablet. I bought the printer in April, was told that the driver could be downloaded from the manufacturer. It couldn't, it wasn't ready. It should have been ready in July, then August. I'm still waiting for a reply from the company but their website says the software will now be available in September. Do I believe them. Do I heck as like! (I don't have the faintest idea where that last phrase originated but I like it). Luckily I can use the printer with my old laptop, the one Mutley tried to kill by jumping on my lap when the laptop was there. 21 kilos of Staffordshire Bull Terrier with claws didn't go down well with the keyboard!
I'm not very good at waiting. I'm an instant doer. Ask me to do something and you can consider it done. But all in all I'm getting fed-up with waiting for things to happen.
Ok. Moan over, I'll get back to my proper job now.
Watch out for SILENT LOVE, coming soon to an ebook reader near you!
I'm waiting for a CT scan on my jaw to see what the surgeon needs to do about the impacted wisdom tooth that is growing in the wrong direction, then I will be waiting for the operation I know has to follow.
I'm waiting for someone, ANYONE, to explain to me why my books aren't making it across the pond from Barnes and Noble to Nook UK. Two books made it straight away, yippee, but since then the others haven't. Why? I'm waiting.
I'm waiting for the software update so that I can use my new super-duper laser printer with my new super-duper Windows tablet. I bought the printer in April, was told that the driver could be downloaded from the manufacturer. It couldn't, it wasn't ready. It should have been ready in July, then August. I'm still waiting for a reply from the company but their website says the software will now be available in September. Do I believe them. Do I heck as like! (I don't have the faintest idea where that last phrase originated but I like it). Luckily I can use the printer with my old laptop, the one Mutley tried to kill by jumping on my lap when the laptop was there. 21 kilos of Staffordshire Bull Terrier with claws didn't go down well with the keyboard!
I'm not very good at waiting. I'm an instant doer. Ask me to do something and you can consider it done. But all in all I'm getting fed-up with waiting for things to happen.Ok. Moan over, I'll get back to my proper job now.
Watch out for SILENT LOVE, coming soon to an ebook reader near you!
Thursday, 8 August 2013
New Found Delight
I have never been a great buyer of short story anthologies. To me short stories are what you get in magazines, which, as I never buy magazines, I only ever read in waiting rooms and rarely finish because I get called in to see the doctor/dentist, whoever I am waiting to see. The only paperback anthology I've ever bought was A Quiver Full of Arrows, and I'm not sure I read every story.
I have just finished editing an anthology of short stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. I have always liked short stories, don't get me wrong. It just seemed a hassle carrying them about. Ebooks are the perfect medium for this type of story. You no longer have to carry around a clumsy paperback on the off-chance of getting ten minutes to read something. On your ebook reader any number of anthologies can be waiting for the right moment.
I am one of those people who can read four different novels at once and not forget where I am in the story. Strangely once I have finished completely I can't remember the name of the main character but I can remember the story.
But suddenly short stories have my attention. I have several collections on my kindle cloud, books I have bought to support fellow indie authors which I have never opened. My resolution is to download them and enjoy a new story at bedtime. Irish stories from Gerry McCullough, Scottish stories from Brendan Gisby, funny stories from Mike Church and some I have no idea about from Chris Niblock and Michael Brookes to share just a few names.
So make the most of your ereader and get some short stories for that trip in to work when you don't want to have your novel interrupted by the mundane task of every day life.
Happy reading.
I have just finished editing an anthology of short stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. I have always liked short stories, don't get me wrong. It just seemed a hassle carrying them about. Ebooks are the perfect medium for this type of story. You no longer have to carry around a clumsy paperback on the off-chance of getting ten minutes to read something. On your ebook reader any number of anthologies can be waiting for the right moment.
I am one of those people who can read four different novels at once and not forget where I am in the story. Strangely once I have finished completely I can't remember the name of the main character but I can remember the story.
But suddenly short stories have my attention. I have several collections on my kindle cloud, books I have bought to support fellow indie authors which I have never opened. My resolution is to download them and enjoy a new story at bedtime. Irish stories from Gerry McCullough, Scottish stories from Brendan Gisby, funny stories from Mike Church and some I have no idea about from Chris Niblock and Michael Brookes to share just a few names.
So make the most of your ereader and get some short stories for that trip in to work when you don't want to have your novel interrupted by the mundane task of every day life.
Happy reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)