tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66728836597464568802024-03-05T12:52:19.013-08:00Ration The FutureJudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-22585754481988392432020-07-24T15:55:00.001-07:002020-07-24T15:55:36.877-07:00Looking forward to a brighter future<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently I met with a friend in Melbourne, Derbyshire. It
is a beautiful market town and we met by the church and walked past Melbourne
Hall and The Pool then followed the footpath signs across fields and through
woods on a lovely walk, ending up back in Melbourne a few hours later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDsDpWMWebGk9u-bUyb1SqA7DwEW79ok-8LGKsKIdvhXQ7uF6NsLQjcKMiJ7hS_BsMx9Y1y0fa0xNjI9EtF-gqZZjHct7mcd89pZTkItfSlS_tecDWoNFBG17PdosrcWXMtPzYyTqzt4/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDsDpWMWebGk9u-bUyb1SqA7DwEW79ok-8LGKsKIdvhXQ7uF6NsLQjcKMiJ7hS_BsMx9Y1y0fa0xNjI9EtF-gqZZjHct7mcd89pZTkItfSlS_tecDWoNFBG17PdosrcWXMtPzYyTqzt4/s320/IMG_1472.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pool Melbourne</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a fabulous time, chatting all the way. It was 7<sup>th</sup>
July 2020 and the coronavirus lockdown was starting to lift, but everyone was
still being cautious. It was such a joy to be out with a friend again enjoying
the English summer at its peak. Did I mention it was raining?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqirVn6pgP2sU1lxF3qc35oaB4zAw7hDrqLLnzqMLubGZ2xc4CsazH8vwzNIfOodmMXlDFF6iHiGbZJ7lWIstXAmkqhj32fA8jW1oUlPf7ocy380c9cafEUq5gh_PT0QGUrK1D4OV8L2M/s1600/IMG_1463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqirVn6pgP2sU1lxF3qc35oaB4zAw7hDrqLLnzqMLubGZ2xc4CsazH8vwzNIfOodmMXlDFF6iHiGbZJ7lWIstXAmkqhj32fA8jW1oUlPf7ocy380c9cafEUq5gh_PT0QGUrK1D4OV8L2M/s320/IMG_1463.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Melbourne Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">By the time we had returned to Melbourne we were
soaked and hungry, but the pubs and cafes were still closed. We bought some
sandwiches and tea from a bakery and sheltered from the rain under the
marketplace pavilion. ‘Pavilion’ is maybe not the best description but I am at
a loss. There were 4 benches facing outwards from the stone centre, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne,_Derbyshire" target="_blank">the marketcross built in 1889</a>, </span>and a roof over us held up by wooden posts on each
corner. We enjoyed sitting in the dry and watching the cars passing by, with a
hot drink and some deep discussions, oblivious to the constant downpour.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ-5S0wqEmPTmILR9eByt7MgFhqLKfktSwE0umQU5q9khEAyVwktplLe_WX-6Q6baBPjX4z3_UIhDvUQi0kpliJomA3ENIr1Fm11sERO1vWFalt5aZF2sqXGuaL3ZopW2QvR5U4HLa7I/s1600/IMG_1474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ-5S0wqEmPTmILR9eByt7MgFhqLKfktSwE0umQU5q9khEAyVwktplLe_WX-6Q6baBPjX4z3_UIhDvUQi0kpliJomA3ENIr1Fm11sERO1vWFalt5aZF2sqXGuaL3ZopW2QvR5U4HLa7I/s320/IMG_1474.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The market cross</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My friend told me about Professor Jem Bendell
and ‘<a href="https://jembendell.com/2020/07/02/why-do-modern-humans-oppress-and-destroy-life-on-earth-and-what-to-do-about-it/#more-2014" target="_blank">Deep Adaptation</a>’. </span>Bendell promotes the idea that we are already too far
along the climate change route to prevent societal collapse, and that we should
focus on enjoying the important things in life for the remaining years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It doesn’t resonate with me. Rapid globalisation
has created some big issues for the planet and I think most people recognise
that in the core of their being without spending too much time on the
over-whelming evidence supporting it, when they could be focusing on the solutions. I just don’t accept the ‘we are doomed’
conclusion, which isn’t new and has been pushed for the last 30 years or more. Plus define 'doomed', because it could be anywhere on a scale from a financial recession to extinction, and the most probable outcomes are somewhere between the two. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is plenty of evidence that indicates doom isn't upon us which I will touch on. I also feel
that nothing positive will emerge from that kind of despair. People need hope
and there is genuinely a lot to be hopeful for, though I may struggle to get it
all in one post, so maybe this is the start of a new series of posts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I read a few of Bendell’s blog posts and watched a couple
of youtube videos. I was surprised that one of the proposals was that people
concerned about climate change go through a stage of despair followed by a
stage of prepping for collapse. I have been through those stages, but I always
felt this was a complete anomaly in the UK. Even my friend sitting with me in
the rain, who has supported the climate change movement for at least the last
15 years that I have known her, has not experienced that and we know no one
else who has. If you have then please do get in touch either in response to
this post or by private message to me. For me the stage after prepping is a
deep understanding and knowing that there is a lot of hope and optimism for the
future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is no disputing that there are some climate facts
behind Bendell’s work, however I feel there are also some simplifications and a
denial of progress and human nature, which skew his conclusion of collapse. There
is a big difference between fact and theory or projections. Even with regard to
facts they can look different dependent on what side of them you come from
(your natural bias) and of course they can change with time. For instance the
World population is a fact, but the figure changes daily. What I am saying is
that nothing is fact and everything is in flux and in particular anything
predicated on human behaviours and reactions. Experts struggle to predict next
week’s weather, so looking further in the future is unreliable. Anything can
happen today that could change everything tomorrow… and it frequently does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">What I didn’t like about this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAZJtFZZYmM" target="_blank">Deep Adaptation video</a> on youtube </span>is the comment below it that states:</span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(249 , 249 , 249); color: #030303; font-family: inherit;">A<i>s Dr. Bendell notes, there will be a tendency to want to reject his conclusions in Deep Adaptation since to accept them is so life changing in its repercussions.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p>Y</o:p>ou may also want to dismiss Deep Adaptation because you
simply disagree with their conclusions, but with this sentence Bendell has
dismissed every argument against his theory as coming from someone ‘in denial’.
In addition he talks about the middle classes in his posts, and maybe he means
that middle class society is collapsing and if it is hurray, because I am all
for a classless society. However it does seem to overlook that it is the
working class who are the collective power behind change (as well as being the
least burden on the climate) and that there is a lot missing from this research
if large parts of the population are overlooked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My friend took from Bendell that collapse is inevitable,
so stop worrying and spend the remaining years on things that have meaning for
you. The perception being that Collapse means an end of life/ mass extinction
event, rather than an end of a way of life such as a breakdown of current
societal norms. Collapse represents fear, and just the word pulls the mind into
a fear-driven frenzy where logic and reason jump ship and denial seems like a
viable option. So let’s replace ‘Collapse’ with ‘Change’. There will be
changes, there has to be changes in our society and history shows that there
always have been changes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tobacco smoke is a killer, and in order to persuade
people to quit smoking every packet has a disturbing image of the damage it has
inflicted on some smokers. It looks pretty scary and if I were a smoker I would
think that I was damned to die of some horrible lung disease or cancer before
too long. The emphasis on the worst case scenario is aimed at scaring people
into changing their smoking habit. For some people it makes the future look
hopeless, so they may as well continue to enjoy smoking as they will be dead
soon anyway. And yet we all know of someone who smoked until they were 80 with
no sign of ill affect at all. How can that be? Maybe that future is not written
in stone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are focusing on the worst case scenario for a smoker.
That’s what we are doing with climate change too. This may scare us into
changing our lifestyles or putting legislation in place and on the whole it has
had that effect. However it can also cause people to become paralysed by fear
or believe any efforts are futile. But there are other ways for positive change
to come about and it is far better that we enjoy and embrace those changes because then
they will be changes that are here to last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was given a book for Christmas “The Uninhabitable Earth
– A story of the future” by David Wallace-Wells. It’s a shocking title but drew
me in with the promise of an envisioned future. I only made it to page 44 and
the weight of all the depressing, boring facts and figures that were being
driven down to make you feel the full weight of hopelessness was enough. So I
skipped to the back to see what the bright future might look like, but it was
pretty much more of the same. Now if you have more stamina than me and have read
this book in its entirety then please do enlighten me about the good parts that
I have missed, or even shout up just to let me know you have not died of
despair. I am a solutions person. I wanted to find someone who could envision
the future for us and see the solutions - what is the use banging on about the
same old stuff?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wallace-Wells message is the equivalent of the stark
image of lung cancer on a cigarette pack, I guess I have grown numb to it. Whereas the solutions such as banning
smoking from public spaces worked just as well but without the fear factor. Providing
solutions for people is a lot more empowering than just painting a bleak
picture and leaving them paralysed. Obviously the fear factor is better for
selling books…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I don’t deny that there is evidence that looks pretty
bleak for the planet, but that evidence has been around for years. The
Uninhabitable Earth has been compared to the Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
published in 1962 and there has not been a silence regarding environmental
damage in the years in between. I remember the mistake of bringing study
material, Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Update, with me on holiday in 2006 and
I sure felt the despair that Bendell talks about then!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 30 year update was written in 2004 and the data used
was from the years preceding that, and, well, things change. I think we only
have to look at the growing proportion of renewables in the electricity grid in
the UK to see that things change. Or the consistent tightening of energy
efficiency targets in Building Regulations. Or the energy efficiency labels for
cars, homes and white goods, with the commitments to phase out petrol cars
completely. Standards are consistently being raised and maybe progress has
started slow, but momentum is growing. The growth in
globalisation completely over-shadowed the gains made until recently, and now there
are more and more positive reports emerging. It’s clear that our perceptions
and understandings of where we are need to change constantly and be open to the
improvements we see, not just the devastation being caused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">There is definitely a delayed response in the updated facts being interpreted, understood and then disseminated and grasped by the wider community. Population growth is a good example of that and I would urge anyone who hasn’t yet seen the fantastic explanation by the late Hans Rosling back in 2013 <a href="http://rationthefuture.blogspot.com/2013/11/population-growth.html" target="_blank">to watch it</a>. </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Even though the facts and figures have moved on already and there was more good news about <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/494782-world-population-shrink-radical-shift/" target="_blank">population growth slowing</a> further in the news this week. </span>The message is clear that population is still increasing, but it is no longer accelerating. The continuing growth is down to the increase in life expectancy of people already alive, and is no longer due to birth rate which has dropped considerably (see below).</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJw1DZfOint872Sur-9VKpkU91VveA8yWE0iL8VLlzq2yDXr_t4MtWE6gclMCWKEOtzTuprtEP6sN47xcAfRbxgPTdfEI-YH9uyMGbuVYDcGuAH8aIGhfXWGT1jnhfwS_lGQ6ze387KY/s1600/Fertility+rate+decreasing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="898" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJw1DZfOint872Sur-9VKpkU91VveA8yWE0iL8VLlzq2yDXr_t4MtWE6gclMCWKEOtzTuprtEP6sN47xcAfRbxgPTdfEI-YH9uyMGbuVYDcGuAH8aIGhfXWGT1jnhfwS_lGQ6ze387KY/s400/Fertility+rate+decreasing.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">World fertility rates (births per woman), <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?end=2018&start=1960&view=chart" target="_blank">The World Bank</a>, </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Birth rate is a clear area where the actual changes have
to be taken by individuals. Yes education and access to contraception are vital
to enable that, but couples have chosen to move away from the large families of
their parents and grandparents. Who would have thought it was possible to
change that on a global scale?</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The coronavirus pandemic predictions were bleak in the UK. Maybe they needed to be to prod our slow and bumbling government into action. However the</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-path-speci/special-report-johnson-listened-to-his-scientists-about-coronavirus-but-they-were-slow-to-sound-the-alarm-idUSKBN21P1VF" target="_blank">250,000 – 510,000 deaths predicted for the UK</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">on the 16th March by Neil Ferguson's Imperial College team were based on the worst case scenario. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">That worst case scenario may have been fairly accurate
based on the information available at the time and the assumptions made. Those
assumptions can make an enormous difference. That’s why there will be several
scenarios run for different assumptions. The worst case is the do nothing
scenario, the best case is that all infections are tracked and everything is under
control, which was equally as unlikely in the UK as the worst case, however not
totally impossible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is the same with the impacts of climate change, there
is a range of ‘likely’ outcomes based on how much or little action is taken to
reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impact. My concern is that human
nature seems to be misunderstood in modelling and some of the positive changes
happening now are overlooked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of the constructs which govern our society and
dictate the actions of the majority are beliefs, traditions or habits. For
instance families were large because they were for our ancestors and our
neighbours, because there was and still is a belief perpetuated by religion
that contraception is bad and because people weren’t educated on the choices
they had or choices weren’t widely available. The barriers that needed to be
broken weren’t physical (although it all came down to a physical barrier at the
basic level <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back to coronavirus, the decision of when to lockdown and
how far to go, was a human one that made a significant difference on the
overall impact of the virus. If you were calculating this based on monetary costs
alone then you would not expect a lockdown to be implemented, because the
economic risk was enormous and the probability of stopping the virus spreading
seemed slim. Those most at risk were the weak and frail members, not the
productive worker members of society. Boris Johnson certainly preferred the do
nothing approach to start with, talking about ‘herd immunity’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However this was out of kilter with the rest of human
nature, which is to protect and care for loved ones. Many companies had already
started to voluntarily shut down offices and ask their staff to work from home
a few weeks prior to the government instigated lockdown. The pressure for the
government to act on behalf of society was immense and of course they had to go
with it. So who would you say made the decision in the end? Was it the
politicians or was it forced by public opinion? Where does the power really
lie?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whilst there are some people who did not stick to the
lockdown rules, the vast majority did. The vast majority have tried to take
care of themselves, their loved ones and their community by following
government advice, however confusing and pointless some of it seemed at times.
This human effect has made a difference. This community response has shifted
the outcome away from the worst case prediction. The power of this human
response and its influence on decision-makers was under-rated. Similarly Bendell
and others mistakenly believe that the natural instinct for humans is to
protect only themselves at all costs, but it never has been. We are social
animals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I read The 5 Stages of Collapse by Dmitry Orlov he
discussed a tribe that had lost this community instinct to protect others. It
was most disturbing to read of parents with no regard for their off-spring and
the extreme conditions that had brought this shift in culture about. It is an
anomaly that is so alien to our current culture. I can understand that writing
in the age of Brexit the feeling of division and disdain for others was at its
peak. However the lockdown has brought a blossoming of communities, just as
social interaction and national pride were buoyant during the 2012 Olympics and
Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. We can choose whether we foster and promote
feelings of despair, isolation and fear of others OR encourage community spirit
and camaraderie. I know which I prefer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another very positive change for the future is the new
generation. My climate change fear years were during a time when the Baby
Boomers were the dominant decision makers, with their focus on growth. Now 20 years
later it is my generation that are taking up the reigns and the focus has moved more to sustainability and there has been a shift in gear.
In 20 years’ time the decisions will be made by a new generation who have lived through lockdown, protested
for Black Lives Matter and get their news from social media, rather than
mainstream media. Growth at all costs will no longer be on the agenda. I
could argue that we are already there, as for most of the world growth has
been demoted and saving lives has become far more important when faced with a pandemic. Money is bailing
out people and businesses not financial intuitions – that’s an incredible shift away from
austerity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of the solutions we need to transition to a low carbon
sustainable lifestyle are already available. Many are underway and building up momentum.
Just like the shift seen in population growth, individual change is not only
possible but is in motion. Your choices have made it so. As shown with lockdown, the people have immense power to instigate the changes needed and are
already surging ahead of government legislation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the next few posts I will
write you that positive future that I know to be true, with examples of low
carbon successes.</span><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span></div>
Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-75251892448275127712020-06-07T07:54:00.000-07:002020-06-07T07:54:37.018-07:00The 4 day week<br />
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The whole world is protesting against racism in the wake
of the death of George Floyd. You may think from my last post, that I am
skirting around the subject and you are probably right. I empathise completely
and I deplore violence and racism. But as my son points out, I have almost
definitely said things that could be construed as racist in my life. For that I
am sorry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But this blog is always about action and moving forward.
Its about finding solutions and taking small steps and promoting big ones. I
know that I don’t have any of the answers. I see the protests and I don’t know
where the solutions lie and how the change can come about. I am hoping to get a
guest post from someone I trust to deal with this subject better than I can.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the meanwhile I saw part of an interview with Russell
Brand and Professor Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham
City University. They were saying that part of the underlying problem is that
there is a surplus of workers.</div>
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The idea was always that manual work would be automated and robots would become the cheap labour of the future, in order to make life easier for
people. For example if machines can do the hard part of mining, then less people need to
risk life and limb underground. It sounds like a good idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The intention was that people would then need to work
less, would have more leisure time and could do more creative roles, but this is where it has all fallen
down. Automation has been used to reduce the need for manual labour and the resulting surplus of workers has decreased wages for low skilled jobs. This has just led to widespread poverty. As
the interview above has pointed out, this disproportionately affects Black and
Minority communities the most.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We need a 4 day week. I am not the first to think or
say this by a long shot. Apparently British economist <a href="https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/keynes/1930/our-grandchildren.htm" target="_blank">John Maynard Keynes predicted back in the 1930</a>s that a century later the average work week would be
just 15 hours (Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren, John Maynard Keynes, 1930).<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is a lot to be said for a 4 day week, not least
that it should create 25% more jobs. The video below highlights more of the
benefits, such as less illness and more family time.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wItHPicsbDU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wItHPicsbDU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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The benefits of a 4 day week don’t really materialise
until the change is made by the majority. It also has to come hand in hand with
a rise in the minimum wage. It seems to me like the highest earners in society are
holding the purse strings too tightly to allow that to happen without a fair
bit of persuasion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Reading further through Keynes predictions, he sees a time
when the pursuit of wealth over everything else will end. (I have included another extract from the same source below) I hope in this aspect
he is right and that within the next 10 years (100 years since his prediction)
it becomes a reality. Then at least we may have a more level playing field to
deal with the issues of racial equality.<o:p> </o:p> </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There are changes in other spheres too which we must expect
to come. When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social
importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals. We shall be able
to rid ourselves of many of the pseudo-moral principles which have hag-ridden
us for two hundred years, by which we have exalted some of the most distasteful
of human qualities into the position of the highest virtues. We shall be able
to afford to dare to assess the money-motive at its true value. The love of
money as a possession – as distinguished from the love of money as a means to
the enjoyments and realities of life – will be recognised for what it is, a
somewhat disgusting morbidity, one of those semi-criminal, semi-pathological
propensities which one hands over with a shudder to the specialists in mental
disease. All kinds of social customs and economic practices, affecting the
distribution of wealth and of economic rewards and penalties, which we now
maintain at all costs, however distasteful and unjust they may be in
themselves, because they are tremendously useful in promoting the accumulation
of capital, we shall then be free, at last, to discard.</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Of course there will still be many people with intense,
unsatisfied purposiveness who will blindly pursue wealth – unless they can find
some plausible substitute. But the rest of us will no longer be under any
obligation to applaud and encourage them. For we shall inquire more curiously
than is safe to-day into the true character of this “purposiveness” with which
in varying degrees Nature has endowed almost all of us. For purposiveness means
that we are more concerned with the remote future results of our actions than
with their own quality or their immediate effects on our own environment. </span></i></blockquote>
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<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-10109315362875684762020-06-05T02:06:00.000-07:002020-06-05T02:06:37.118-07:00Women in Engineering - A new start?<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2WdyL0BTCMlb3cChhnW8KY2s13HG8xG-i54tznDILqkBDsMQ5CH_gXOoT5cPqctv8bKJj7d9cri52uwu-chlqMlxuWiF7Acy-agMHxVHkM2AXMhdQZ6umENSMqscVUFp4oD-mGF49QU/s1600/business_closing_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="632" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2WdyL0BTCMlb3cChhnW8KY2s13HG8xG-i54tznDILqkBDsMQ5CH_gXOoT5cPqctv8bKJj7d9cri52uwu-chlqMlxuWiF7Acy-agMHxVHkM2AXMhdQZ6umENSMqscVUFp4oD-mGF49QU/s320/business_closing_sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The company I work for is being shut down, and I am
waiting to hear whether there is a position available for me within the parent
company, or if I will be made redundant. There will be plenty of you out there
who have experienced or are experiencing the same situation right now.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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I am grateful, because it was a lovely company to work
for and they were very good to me. I felt able to express my views and enjoyed
working with the rest of the team. It had a good balance of trust and respect,
even though we were frequently under pressure to deliver projects. However the
journey of life continues onward to new opportunities and experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am announcing my news to everyone quickly because the
standard response is “Oh I’m sorry you are redundant”, “How dreadful”, “That’s tough
because it will be impossible to find a job right now”. All these negative
responses I have put in a box and sealed shut, so they can’t poison my thoughts
or decisions. Will I ever meet anyone who says “Wow that’s exciting!”, “You are
free to discover a new adventure”, “There are so many options, what will you
choose to do next?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hmmm….what will I choose to do next?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have spent the last 2 months on Furlough, which means
being paid 80% of my wages to stay at home and not work. If it wasn’t for the current
circumstances this would have been bliss. I have enjoyed getting the garden and
house back in order after a year of it being virtually untouched. Having time
to meditate, cycle and enjoy the sunshine and my family. I have even had time
to watch some interesting series like Chernobyl, The Durrells and Afterlife.
Life has been rather full on, so time to breathe and reflect has been very
welcome.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNsYELwr_tn3fi7umcME_6OTclYooNIPtMeibYcLPhwcJQhU5TB7QaNsPDgmg-dnF9LFcXz-IIMuiAueZ9Sg9UEykw5DgLpB_R0mw4yj-cjmrDArNbBfoVzxs6Y3LTI2zQD37_3SLR2I/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNsYELwr_tn3fi7umcME_6OTclYooNIPtMeibYcLPhwcJQhU5TB7QaNsPDgmg-dnF9LFcXz-IIMuiAueZ9Sg9UEykw5DgLpB_R0mw4yj-cjmrDArNbBfoVzxs6Y3LTI2zQD37_3SLR2I/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My garden is coming along nicely</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even so, I know that this is not an option that I am
happy doing long term. I get bored easily and am always happier with a
challenge or mental stimulation. I need to find that balance where I can do
some mentally intense work but still have time for gardening and family in
between. Working from home cuts out hours of commute a week and really
facilitates getting a good work life balance, so will be something I wish to
continue. Having managed so well on 80% of my income, I am also wondering
whether a 4 day week may be a viable option. It is slightly tempting to sell up
and live somewhere by the coast or travel in a campervan, but my youngest
daughter still has one more year at school, so those dreams will have to wait
for now. Which means I am looking for a new job locally.</div>
<br />
I am an engineer and a woman. The UK has one of the worst rates in Europe for employing women engineers. Women make up 51% of the population, yet less than 10% of engineering professionals are women according to the<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="https://www.wes.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-01/Women%20in%20Engineering%20Statistics%20-%20January%202018%20-%20created%20by%20Sarah%20Peers_0.pdf" target="_blank">Statistics on Women In Engineering (WES, Jan 2018</a>) </span>as shown in their graph below. This is the lowest in Europe, whereas Latvia, Bulgaria
and Cyprus lead with nearly 30%.<br />
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<br />
<img alt="" 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" /><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In my current workplace 4 out of 9 technical staff are
women and it made for a good mix. In other engineering roles I was always the
only one. The chances of finding new work for a company with any other female
engineers is fairly slim. That red band at the bottom of the graph above is
spread rather thinly. What is the problem with that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What this large blue expanse translates to in the
workplace is that you don’t fit in. You have to fight to get your views heard,
and you are last on the list to be asked what you think about any issue. You
will be overlooked for key projects where there is an opportunity to shine,
even when you are the only volunteer stepping forward. And if you can’t shine
it’s a hard slog to progress up the ladder. You will never be the “blue-eyed
boy” on a fast track for promotion. It is far more likely that you will earn
less than your colleagues for doing the same work and be regularly overlooked
despite your competence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
20 years ago as the only female engineering manager in a
team of 70 engineers that was me. The most memorable incident was in a meeting
with the Operations Manager, Principal Engineer, and all the other engineering
managers. Earlier in the day, I had inducted some contractors that were working
for Pat the Site Services Manager, because he was busy. Now they had finished their
work and needed their permits signing off before they could leave. I saw them
through the glass walled meeting room as they walked past a few times trying to find Pat. Pat
was often in the bowels of the factory where no phone signal would ever find
him. I ducked down in my seat to try and avoid being seen, but they spotted me.
They tapped on the door and then stuck a head round. The Operations Manager
stopped mid-flow. “We just need Pat’s secretary to sign off our permits
please”. The rest of the room cracked up with hysterical laughter, as I jumped
up and tried to escape whilst glowering my worst scowl at these bloody
contractors. Only the Operations Manager wasn't laughing. “She is not a
secretary, she is one of our engineering managers!”, he managed to get out
before I had reached the door, grabbed the contractors and marched off down the
corridor. As if a secretary would be able to sign off safety permits! Duh! But
to them it was a natural assumption that any woman was there to do admin, as
they had never met a female engineer before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And it is from these little assumptions, casual remarks
and minor actions that inequality grows into a problem. It is parents that tell
their friends that their daughter is a scientist because it sounds better than
an engineer. It is the apprentices who are taught and influenced by male
engineers, so any prejudices are perpetuated. It is the free calendars of
half-naked women, sent as a ‘perk’ from the supplier, that hang in the
engineering stores and engineers workshop – because only engineers aka men ever
enter these areas. There is nothing that makes your position more uncomfortable
than standing in front of the storeman to discuss delivery dates for essential
parts, with the engineers behind discussing their favourite features from the
latest pinup. (Well apart from a boss who stares at your breasts while he talks
to you.) Why would this be fit for any workplace when your mind should be on
work? It does not build respect for the female workforce. And for that matter
it doesn’t build respect for male engineers either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
20 years later and you would hope the situation has
changed, but really it hasn’t. Progress is as flat as the red band in the above
graph. There is an equal opportunities policy now, but it just states the
obvious – that you shouldn’t treat people differently because of gender, race,
disability, age, sexual orientation etc. In my view it does little to stop
discrimination, especially as most discrimination is subtle, underlying or
hidden. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For instance how do women engineers know what the
equivalent male engineer is earning? It’s not general knowledge and I have
asked male colleagues previously and none of them will reveal their salary. So
statistically we know men are being paid more but on an individual basis how do
you prove it? If it is kept hidden then how will it ever be addressed? Maybe
all women engineers should raise a grievance about their pay without any
evidence, because pure probability says they would have a case? It may not be
very palatable but what are the options to resolve this without some transparency?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even the sexy calendars – if there are no women engineers
in the workshop to see and question this practice will anyone else make a fuss?
Apparently not, because I know in some places this still goes on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And if you feel like you have been overlooked for a
project, or you get given all the less technical jobs, such as going to the
Continuous Improvement meetings, investigating grievances, or overseeing the
work experience kids, then it is really hard to pinpoint that as
discrimination. These little things then get you side-lined – it looks like you
are not really technical, not a real engineer because you never do any of the
technical stuff. Can you see how this leads down a slippery slope that means
you get overlooked for promotion?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If engineering courses are all taught by men, classes are
full of boys and you would be the only girl, you have to have a lot of
determination and confidence to continue with engineering. And very few girls
have the role model of a mum, aunt or grandmother engineer. Very little has
changed in 20 years and the only way it will is with gender quotas or specific
schemes aimed at bringing women into the industry. Retaining them with equal
pay, good promotion opportunities, flexible hours, respect, and valuing their
contribution needs to happen now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
<a href="https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/uk-sex-and-power-index-reveals-men-dominate-in-every-sector" target="_blank">Fawcett Society produced the Sex and Power Index</a> </span>which reveals that men dominate in every sector in the UK,
not just engineering.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> The Index reveals that women make up just: </span></i><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> ·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">6% of FTSE 100 CEOs<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">16.7% Supreme Court Justices<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">17.6% of national newspaper editors<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">26% of cabinet ministers<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #666666;">32% of MPs</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></blockquote>
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If the positions of power are dominated by men then you
would think it would be up to them to change things. That’s not how change
normally comes about though, because they are fairly happy or even oblivious to
the status quo. Its women who need to re-write the script, by being aware and
challenging situations. Its women who need to shine a light on their
experiences. It’s the men they work with who can become more alert to the
issues and support women in engineering roles. Sometimes it is hard for people
to see that it is all the little things – like calling you “love”, that add to
the full picture. By raising awareness in a non-confrontational way when
something is unacceptable we can hopefully change attitudes. What do you think?<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is tiresome still facing the same prejudices 20 years
down the road. I am asking myself if I can be bothered with working as an
engineer still. But then if not me, with the experience to work through these
issues and the strength to try and change them, then who? The new generation
have a high expectation of being treated fairly, and being recruited and
promoted on their merit, as they should. Let’s not let them down.</div>
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Women make up 51% of the UK population - we are the majority! If we can't be a loud enough voice for equality and change for women, then how much harder is it for minority groups to be heard?</div>
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-40740931499617360792020-05-23T14:56:00.003-07:002020-06-04T14:56:13.834-07:00Land stewards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This post was written back in February 2017 as a follow on to <a href="http://rationthefuture.blogspot.com/2017/02/next-stopprime-minister.html#comment-form" target="_blank">Next Stop ... Prime Minister</a>, but remained in my drafts as I couldn't find the last few photos I wanted to include. It followed a theme of providing alternative options to deal with some of the problems we face. Even though so much has changed since then with Brexit and now Covid-19, I think it is still relevant now. Let me know what you think.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remarkable beauty of an old slate quarry</td></tr>
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After my 4th child was born, I made the commitment that I didn't want to work long hours in a stressful career anymore, for a company that just churned out products as cheaply as possible. I wanted to have an interesting, fulfilling and meaningful career, which was completely flexible around my family and allowed me to spend more quality time with them, when I chose to. Securing a future for all our children, by acting to prevent catastrophic climate change, felt like a worthwhile goal, so I signed onto a masters course, to arm me with the knowledge to go out into the world and battle greenhouse gas emissions.<br />
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The University of East London (UEL) had teamed up with the <a href="http://www.cat.org.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Centre for Alternative Technology</a> (CAT) to provide the perfect hands on course for me. For each module you spent a week living at CAT, having lectures and practicals all day, often until late in the evening, then the rest of the month was spent at home preparing essays and presentations before the next module.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old stone building with a green sedum roof and sunken garden at CAT.</td></tr>
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At this point I need to describe CAT. It started out life with a small community transforming an old slate quarry on a very wet hillside into a beautiful, organic, sustainable, off-grid home. 30 years on the focus had shifted to being an educational facility promoting a low impact lifestyle, powered by micro-hydro turbines, wind turbines, solar panels and biomass. The award winning cafe on site served vegetarian food, a lot of which was grown intensively on site, and included an abundance of seasonal vegetables, herbs and flowers. The traditional thick stone-walled buildings, that had served the quarry many years before, were renovated to make them more efficient, but also opened up to bring in lots of natural daylight, improving the feel of the indoor spaces. Additional buildings demonstrated different techniques of timber and straw bale construction, but my favourite was the shop. The beautiful rammed earth walls, with their striated texture felt so warm and grounded, and designed with natural light flooding through the rooflights, it was a peaceful and calming space. Even more so because it was packed with hundreds of amazing and inspiring books that you wouldn't see anywhere else! (CAT publish their own books) The weeks were always so full that there barely seemed enough time for really enjoying this space.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rammed earth walls and large roof lights for natural light in CAT's shop</td></tr>
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With no mobile signal and very poor internet, we spent the week cut off from the outside world. I remember the shock of many arriving to find themselves with quite basic shared accommodation, completely cut off without news, TV, processed food or meat, in the constant downpour of cold, deepest, darkest Wales. A few jumped back in their cars and drove straight back home. But there was delicious hot food waiting for us and as we all sat on long benches full of strangers, from the most varied backgrounds you could imagine, aged from 18 to 70. Yet it was noisier than a playground full of primary school children. Everyone was immediately drawn into deep conversations with their neighbours, because suddenly you were surrounded by people who share your passion and dreams for a better world and are eager to learn more, yet have a lot they can teach you. These conversations only stopped whilst we listened attentively to the absorbing lectures, or when overcome by sleep in the early hours of the morning.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The strawbale lecture theatre, surrounded by welcoming open spaces.</td></tr>
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After just one week I was filled with the confidence that we can do so much.... I can do so much. The negativity of climate change was blown away, by the knowledge that so much has already been demonstrated and achieved. I felt it wasn't good enough to just try and save energy as a job, but I needed to try and incorporate sustainability into every aspect of my life. Its funny that it all seemed such a big challenge then, like how could I ever grow my own food with a small garden and 4 young kids, yet I started growing just a few tomatoes in pots, then some peas and beans, and now I have an allotment full of vegetables.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eco-cabins at CAT</td></tr>
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I was really inspired to leave our cramped, 1980's "noddy house", devoid of character and not designed to support a sustainable lifestyle. I wanted to design and build a home for ourselves. Not just a home, but a lifelong home, designed to be flexible to our needs at every stage of ours and our children's lives, whatever changes befell us. Internal walls would not be structural and would be constructed in panels to allow the spaces to be re-arranged as easily as changing the decor. The doors would be wide and spaces would be clean and flowing to enable wheelchairs or baby walkers to access all areas. Walls would be super-insulated and glazing would maximise solar gain in winter, so it could keep us warm and sheltered even in the event of severe poverty. There would be a garden to give freedom for children to play, and that was sufficient to produce food when times were hard. Materials would be local and sustainable, so that maintenance involved digging up some clay to patch up the walls or replacing timbers. And when the world moved on and our home no longer met the needs of future generations, then the roof could be removed and the house would be washed away by rain or slowly decompose, so that a few years later little more than a weedy mound would show where our home had once stood.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrhviWFfyMBOulfzRs_LQxmPa3NIywBAQikClcyipV7V-376C1uD1nXzZrWp5W2wPbMp1zS5RC7k_MQxmKZKVzpmDIiw_9YatIKDfIhsfh60CAHzEc0Xqx1aFQIoZSdmNwBE9xUoaK-o/s1600/DSCF1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrhviWFfyMBOulfzRs_LQxmPa3NIywBAQikClcyipV7V-376C1uD1nXzZrWp5W2wPbMp1zS5RC7k_MQxmKZKVzpmDIiw_9YatIKDfIhsfh60CAHzEc0Xqx1aFQIoZSdmNwBE9xUoaK-o/s320/DSCF1165.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eco-cabins at CAT</td></tr>
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It would be nice to place all the blame for not achieving this dream on the planning system, one that allows low impact buildings when they are intended to be used as holiday homes, but makes it extremely difficult to build something similar as a home to be lived in. Or place blame on the predominance of large house builders, who buy up the land and smother it with ugly developments of roads, drives and brick buildings, that concrete over nature and just leave handkerchief-sized lawns, with no space for trees or wildlife or craftsmanship and beauty. But if I am honest, and I do try to be, it is scary to step out of the comfort, security and conformity of that noddy house, and into unfamiliar territory filled with self-doubt, with a family in tow. So here I remain stuck until my courage and resolve return.</div>
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And so, in a very long-winded way, I come to addressing the comment from Rory on my last post regarding the lack of affordable housing in the UK, and the first step of my solution would be Land Stewards.</div>
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The Native American people have a belief system that we don't and can't own the land. In the millions of years that the earth has heaved and turned, we are but a passing whim. How can we own the land when our time here is so short and who owned it before us to say that we are now the owners? The earth had no borders before we evolved and will not after us, these are figments of our own invention, rules and constrictions that we have made for ourselves that form our own chains. </div>
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Ownership has allowed the rentier class to develop. Most people earn a living working each day, providing goods or services, such as nurses, plumbers and factory workers. The money they earn is constricted by the hours they have available to work. The rentier class earn money by owning things, whether land or property or money, their income comes from loaning them out and charging a fee for it. So we pay them to live in their property or for the use of their money, not for the work that they do. Their earnings are not relative to the work they put in, but are more dependent on how desperately people need a place to live.</div>
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I would like councils to be able to apportion 1 acre plots of land to people who wish to be Land Stewards. As a Land Steward you are responsible for looking after that land in a sustainable manner and are entitled to use of the land for as long as you continue to do so, but you do not own the land. When you die your partner or children can apply to be the Land Steward in your place, or the land can be returned to the council to be re-allocated to another person. You would be entitled to build one dwelling and outhouses on the land as long as they are low impact, so that they can either be wheeled away or left to melt back into the landscape when you leave, with no long term damage to the land. No concrete would be allowed, not even for foundations, so drives would need to be gravel or wood chip or just tracks. Do you see where I am going with this?</div>
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If you offered a homeless person, or anyone, the right to their own piece of land, there is the potential that with support and hard work that they could make a life for themselves. Land gives people the opportunity to grow or raise some food for themselves and to build a shelter, but also the opportunity to learn new skills in the process. It encourages creativity and craftsmanship and re-skilling. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but that's fine. If all people get a basic income <a href="http://rationthefuture.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/next-stopprime-minister.html" target="_blank">as discussed here</a> and there are more flats and properties becoming available in the cities due to the surge in working from home, then there will already be a boost to city accommodation and reduction in demand should help affordability too. Then a shift for some people back to the countryside, and becoming self-builders or using local tradesmen, would enable a boost to rural communities. </div>
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In addition the housing that Land Stewards build could not be tied to a mortgage, a loan of money from the rentier class, because there is no land ownership as a security to back it. This would mean that most stewards would have to build truly 'affordable' homes, using local materials or recycling. It would give people a chance to have shelter without the need to be on the property ladder. If people can build something special for themselves, then the demand for noddy houses would diminish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Sandy Lodge, Sea Palling, Norfolk - Holiday chalet in the dunes ..." height="225" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4bc7-jWNbx0/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individual beach house</td></tr>
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If you are wondering what this kind of affordable house building would look like, then walk along many of the beach roads in the UK. There are wooden beach houses, temporary holiday dwellings, often unique and individual and beautiful, even if sometimes in a shabby rundown sort of way. Or walk along the river bank and there are similar properties.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another beach house in Norfolk</td></tr>
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The landscapes that were painted by Constable showed small cottages dotting the landscape made of local materials with their thatched roofs. It is the surviving quirky, individual dwellings that we love, that makes a scene picturesque, something that our housing estates will never be. Let us give people back the opportunity to build beautiful homes and celebrate the diversity that will come from it. Lets do something that reduces peoples burden to the rentier class. Lets promote living sustainably from the land without damaging it for future generations<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-11093051144456238722020-05-07T04:50:00.000-07:002020-05-07T04:50:37.124-07:00Changes after lockdown<br />
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As governments are starting to lift lockdown, or are at
least asking about it here in the UK, lots of people are wondering what this
new reality will look like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t think anyone is expecting everyone to go back to
the normal commute and book a mini-break in Venice as soon as lockdown is
lifted. Yes, there may be some businesses that don’t open again. Almost all
companies will have taken this opportunity to re-evaluate staffing levels and
possibly made some employees redundant to “streamline” going forward. Some may
have made a business decision to close the office and work from home
permanently, or move to online sales, to reduce overheads and give them a
competitive advantage. I think most of us would expect to see a quieter city
centre and more closed shops when we emerge from our isolation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Looking beyond the local impact what could happen on a
global scale? If you have been reading past the coronavirus headlines, you will
see that <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/486405-us-crude-turns-negative-again/" target="_blank">oil prices dropped into negative figures</a> for the first time ever. I was left scratching my head – people were willing to
pay $37 to take a barrel of oil off their hands? <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is down to storage capacity – it is full. So even at
rock bottom prices no one can squeeze any more in their storage until
consumption starts to pick up. There were apparently more fully laden oil
tankers at sea than there has ever been before and with few customers they had
nowhere to dock. Most countries have agreed to production cuts, but at those
prices facilities will be closing due to bankruptcies if they haven’t been
mothballed. Production won’t ramp back up until the price increases to a level
that is profitable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If that doesn’t ring the financial meltdown alarm bells,
then Germany announcing a recession that will take 8 years to come out of
should. Firstly because all countries are cautious about announcing the full
extent of their financial problems and secondly Germany was not one of the most
Covid-19 infected countries in Europe, with only 87 deaths per million people
compared to over 400 for Italy and UK ( taken from <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/</a>
on 7/5/20).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then you have to look at what the US are doing – I know it’s
a mixture of horrifying and farcical watching the words fall out of President
Trump’s mouth, but as the dominant global player it’s important. <o:p></o:p></div>
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War Games. The last few weeks there has been more
antagonism with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-52348099" target="_blank">Iran in the Gulf</a>,
they have encroached into <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/487178-china-expels-us-warship/" target="_blank">China’s territory</a> in the South China Sea,
and they are carrying out <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/487857-barents-sea-destroyers-provocation/" target="_blank">naval drills with the UK on Russia’s doorstep</a>.
Plus they have continued <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-52568475" target="_blank">meddling in Venezuela</a> which has the biggest oil
reserves in the World. These provocations aren't really new, but interesting to see there has been no pause during the pandemic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Historically <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/is-war-a-solution-to-global-recession/articleshow/3897164.cms" target="_blank">wars have been seen to follow recession</a>.
Given that just the announcement of “tensions” from the US normally results in
a boost to oil prices, a new war would have the added bonus of boosting GDP and
providing plentiful contracts for re-building to US contractors, after the unfortunate
country has been plundered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There’s never much public support for war without a trigger.
There needs to be a catalyst for governments to “react” to. Remember how slowly
and ineffectually the UK government responded to the threat of Covid-19? Or how
it took 3 days to comment after the Grenfell Tower disaster? This is normal,
government is a ponderous beast to manoeuvre. When the response is fast and they
immediately know conclusively who is to blame before the dust has settled and an
investigation has even begun, then strap yourself in to be taken for a ride.
This is where observing reports from different media outlets helps. When the
media have been fed a story from government, they all describe it with the same
wording and there is little variation from the national channels.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m just saying that overseas development and military
hardware are likely growth industries, and that it’s not a good time for your potentially
unemployed kids to sign up for military service.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
High unemployment doesn’t necessarily mean there are no
jobs around. Even in lockdown there is an increase in demand for delivery
drivers and businesses supplying bikes and table tennis tables have been booming.
Amazon is thriving, and as much as I avoid them and try to buy local, I can’t
see this declining anytime soon. Unless we take action like France – to fine
them for every non-emergency supply delivery that they make until they have
ensured their workers are being protected from Covid-19. What we really need is
a fairer tax system that taxes all turnover made in the UK, rather than a
complicated tax on “profits” with lots of official loopholes, so that Amazon
pay the same percentage of tax as all the small businesses they are wiping out
( I touched on this in my last very old post).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the UK we may also see the trend of declining
manufacturing industries reverse as we start to manufacture more essential
goods at home. This is because countries will always protect supplies for their
own citizens first. Plus transport of cargo has become more complicated, with
borders more protected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Flexible working and 4 day weeks may be more in demand,
as people reassess their priorities after lockdown. If you can survive on 80%
of your wages when you have time for cooking from scratch and no commute costs,
then why not carry on with a more relaxed way of living? Part time working also
provides more flexibility for businesses to have 20% of their labour hours in
reserve if work starts slowly, so they are prepared if it ramps up again. This
way they are retaining more of their trained staff with a broader expertise
base, rather than opting for layoffs and then a recruitment drive once things
pick up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If the trend for homeworking continues then we could see
the demand for properties in London decrease with more people choosing to live
further afield. Whilst new office developments may slow, there could be
bargains around for companies who can re-purpose them for higher value domestic
units. Renting out hot-desking and meeting facilities could be a new growth
area, to cater for companies with no main office space. I can imagine this gap
being filled by Universities who may find online courses have become more
popular for overseas students.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Once news outlets run out of Covid-19 drama, they will
return to the normal fear-mongering about increases in crime due to the unemployed
masses, so security products will be as popular as ever. I would like to hope
that the new community spirit lasts and there are increases in the voluntary
sector. The vacancies in the NHS may even get filled, as NHS workers are now getting the respect they deserve and there will be plenty of pressure from the public for more investment and fair pay rises. We can probably expect lots more from Extinction Rebellion too, as this
pandemic has proved that the way to get change is to force a reaction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I would love to hear about your experiences. What are
your thoughts for the changes we are likely to see over the coming year?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-41067684420333897452017-02-23T02:12:00.000-08:002017-02-23T02:12:46.293-08:00Next stop....Prime Minister!The whole Minister of Energy post must have gone to my head, because really I do think the country would be better off with engineers running the country rather than politicians.<br />
<br />
Engineers are trained as problem solvers. Something is broken and needs fixing you call an engineer. Need to find a way to manufacture a new product, then an engineer can turn your ideas into reality. Building a new fancy glass office block, then it is the engineers that turn it into something safe and habitable. It is the whole mindset of thinking through problems from all angles and finding an actual solution, not just talking about it.<br />
<br />
So lets pull away the safety nets and move aside the politicians, and see what kind of manifesto we can come up with that solves our problems rather than skating over the issues or making them worse.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f4KbJLpu7yo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4KbJLpu7yo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Having recently watched the brilliant film "I, Daniel Blake", a moving portrayal of the workings of our benefits system and the struggles of those for whom it should be a lifeline, this has to be the place to start. The words of Daniel Blake describe the current benefits system pretty well.<br />
<br />
"<i>It's a monumental farce isn't it. Looking for non-existent jobs and all it does is humiliate me."</i><br />
<br />
<b>1. Provide a basic income to all residents of the UK.</b><br />
<br />
It seems vital to me to value every single person, whether they are rich or poor, working or unemployed, young or old, sick or healthy and just provide a security net for everyone. I don't want to walk round town and see homeless sitting in the doorways, neither do I want children to be hungry or the elderly to be cold. These are all signs of a failed system. Isn't this what the welfare system is supposed to be eliminate? But it does it in the most complicated and degrading way possible, and many people seem to be falling through the net.<br />
<br />
How simple would it be if everyone was entitled to £100 a week, £200 to cover rent too. (I am just using rough figures here) Everyone could understand that - one figure for every man woman and child. Cutting out the bureaucracy will make huge savings and reduce time and worry for those involved. I am talking about scrapping tax credits, housing benefit, child benefit, disability living allowance, income support, incapacity benefit, jobseekers allowance and council tax benefit to name just a few. The saving in paper alone would be incredible, let alone the man hours wasted on form filling.<br />
<br />
Job centres would become skills centres, and everyone would have a choice whether to live on a basic income and have the freedom of time to raise kids, grow vegetables, study, paint masterpieces, or to get a job. The jobs then would have to pay more than the minimum wage and treat the workers with respect otherwise no one would want to do them. I am fairly convinced that most people would still choose the job option, but the key here is choice and respect.<br />
<br />
This <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/13/should-we-scrap-benefits-and-pay-everyone-100-a-week-whether-they-work-or-not" target="_blank">is not a new idea</a>, but one that the Green Party promote and has already been trialed around the world, including in parts of the Netherlands and US, with generally positive results for peoples health.<br />
<br />
Of course it would also require a simplification of the tax system too. Our current system allows big corporations such as Amazon to dodge tax through legal loopholes. The ethical consumer has a l<a href="http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalcampaigns/taxjusticecampaign/taxavoidancerankings.aspx" target="_blank">ong list of other companies</a> that play the same games. Clearly our tax system is way too over-complicated and, as far as the job of making sure taxation is fair, it is clearly broken.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Tax income not profit</b><br />
<br />
Is this so obvious that I am missing something? Workers pay income tax in the UK - that is currently a basic rate of 20% of the money they earn. There is no option to reduce your declared income by taking out your running costs of energy bills, mortgage payments and childcare fees first and just being taxed on what is left (your 'profit'). Yet this is how corporations are charged tax. They generate an income, then employ accountants to discount as much of that income as they can, then transfer the remaining 'profits' to a sister company in a tax haven, so that the actual tax paid is minuscule. According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/09/margaret-hodge-urges-boycott-amazon-uk-tax-starbucks" target="_blank">an article in the guardian</a> Amazon paid only 0.1% tax on their £420 billion revenues in the UK for 2013.<br />
<br />
This is a lot easier to track - that any sales in the UK generate tax in the UK, no matter what tax haven the company is registered in. I would just love to see a tax system that everyone can understand at first glance like this. Even with a tax rate of just 1% of all revenue in the UK - that would still mean companies like Amazon paying 10 times what they currently get away with. Neither do I believe that 1% would be high enough.<br />
<br />
You may say that higher taxes would drive companies like Amazon away, but before they arrived on the scene the same services were provided by hundreds of smaller businesses, from small bookshops to places like Woolworths. Giants like Amazon have changed the shape of our high street whilst depriving our government of taxes. Smaller businesses who pay their taxes (and generally employ more people), need to have a level playing field. Making the tax system a lot simpler would encourage and sustain more start up businesses.<br />
<br />
You may think that we have this tax already in the form of VAT (Value Added Tax) on most of the products we buy. But to my mind the VAT ends up being another tax on the individual when they buy a product. For instance if you buy a new kettle, 20% of what you are paying is VAT, a tax that has been added on top of the original price. If Amazon buy a new kettle for the board room, they get to claim the VAT back, by deducting it from the VAT they have already collected from their own sales. In essence companies don't pay any VAT they only charge VAT - it is just another tax for us mugs at the bottom.<br />
<br />
The list below shows the UK governments income from tax for 2013/14 from the <a href="http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/4001/economics/tax-revenue-sources-in-uk/" target="_blank">Economics Help website</a>.<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 416px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 7350; mso-width-source: userset; width: 151pt;" width="201"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5522; mso-width-source: userset; width: 113pt;" width="151"></col>
<col style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="42" style="height: 31.5pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="42" style="height: 31.5pt; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Type of
tax</i></td>
<td class="xl65" style="border-left: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>Revenue £ million</i></td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; width: 48pt;" width="64"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Income
Tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>156,898</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>32.0%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>NICs</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>107,690</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>22.0%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>VAT</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>104,718</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>21.4%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Corporation
Tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>39,274</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>8.0%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Fuel
duties</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>26,881</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>5.5%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Alcohol
taxes</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>19,986</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>4.1%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Stamp
Duty Land</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>9,273</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>1.9%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Capital
Gains</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>3,908</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.8%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Inheritance
tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>3,402</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.7%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Shares</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>3,108</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.6%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Insurance
premium tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>3,014</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.6%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Air
passenger duty</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>3,013</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.6%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Betting
+ gaming</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>2,098</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.4%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Landfill
Tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>1,189</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.2%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Petroleum
Revenue tax</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>1,118</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.2%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Climate
Change levy</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>1,068</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>0.2%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.0pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Tax
Credits</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>-2,743</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"><i>-0.6%</i></td>
</tr>
<tr height="21" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.75pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="21" style="border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15.75pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 151pt;" width="201"><i>Total
HMRC receipts</i></td>
<td align="right" class="xl68" style="border-left: none; border-top: none; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113pt;" width="151"><i>489,850</i></td>
<td class="xl66" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Top is income tax, paid by individuals based on their earnings. Followed by NICs (National Insurance Contributions), partially taken from the employees earnings and partial paid by the employer based on the employees earnings, but it is essentially a labour tax on individuals wages. Then comes VAT which I have already demonstrated is only paid by individuals and micro businesses that are not VAT registered. So already 75% of tax revenue is gathered from individuals, but then comes Corporation Tax at a paltry 8%. If we can afford to pay all that tax from the wages we receive from these companies, then their income must be vastly more, yet their contribution considerably less.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRVQ3iOr4HV_jRE5EIl9WHPUR3bz-00G207_MA_I3IJERv2a8vSYDiBgSJh4RxjGGKFTKFxkKfgnl98dJ-sz-z6Rq95a0EOzz6iJBeBsAbFE-4LieOnT0ry1oegJ1_uGm1BcxfS-Y-Jo/s1600/Tax+pie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRVQ3iOr4HV_jRE5EIl9WHPUR3bz-00G207_MA_I3IJERv2a8vSYDiBgSJh4RxjGGKFTKFxkKfgnl98dJ-sz-z6Rq95a0EOzz6iJBeBsAbFE-4LieOnT0ry1oegJ1_uGm1BcxfS-Y-Jo/s640/Tax+pie.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The whole tax system currently benefits the big companies over small businesses, at the expense of individuals. I say turn it on its head, so that all businesses pay the same percentage tax, with no discounts or benefits for the companies that can afford the most accountants, or that use tax havens. Are you with me on this one?<br />
<br />
And while we are discussing money I would like to be sure that the finance sector don't continue to abuse their power either....<br />
<br />
<b>3. Remove the power to create money from the banks</b><br />
<br />
This is best explained by <a href="http://positivemoney.org/" target="_blank">Positive Money</a>, who have created a whole series of snippets explaining how money is created by the banks every time we take out a loan and why it is so bad for 90% of the population.<br />
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In essence when your bank approves you a loan or mortgage they type the numbers into their computer, thereby creating the money for your loan from thin air, and then proceed to charge you interest on it for the next 5 - 25 years. It is a genius scheme to make money from nothing, no wonder their profits are so high (although obviously their profits for tax purposes in the UK are abysmal). There is no pot of grannies savings that you are borrowing from, this kind of banking went out the window with the dawn of computers and the removal of the gold standard by Nixon in the 1970's. The only thing holding the whole system up is our belief, which is probably why they are constantly measuring 'consumer confidence'.<br />
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Imagine if that money creation potential is taken away from the banks and given to the government. The money could be created to build hospitals and clean energy systems, providing jobs and improving services. The trouble is governments don't tend to think long term either, so an independent group is needed, that isn't under the influence of bankers or politicians, and this is what Positive Money propose.<br />
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Lets have money creation controlled by an independent group, not the banks, who's only motive is increasing their profits. They really aren't interested in whether the economy is stable, that the austerity measures are hurting the very fabric of society or that people are overwhelmed with mountains of debt. The money created can then be used to fund services and infrastructure, rather than to create investment and housing bubbles.<br />
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Phew! Just 3 policies that would deal with some of the fundamental issues underlying the fabric of society. Please let me know if you can see any flaws or have some more policies to propose to deal with some of the big issues that the politicians skirt over or ignore. Debate, discussion and differing opinions is very welcome, though personal insults won't make it through my approval.<br />
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Please take from this that there is hope. It is possible to defeat the life-sucking 'dementors' of poverty, austerity, greed, inequality, homelessness, debt and environmental destruction, and the solutions really aren't that drastic or impossible to imagine.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-64972353597562712972017-02-09T14:14:00.001-08:002017-02-09T14:14:53.921-08:00Plastic wasteIt was distressing to read the story of a <a href="https://www.rt.com/viral/376194-30-plastic-bags-whale-carcass/" target="_blank">whale that kept stranding</a> on a beach in Norway and had to be put down. It's intestines were blocked with over 30 plastic bags, many from the UK.<br />
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It is devastating how little respect we have shown for the ecosystems that support life and the other creatures who share our planet. I am as guilty as anyone of enjoying this convenient disposable lifestyle. Just because I put some things into the recycle bin, it still doesn't make my waste Ok.<br />
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So immediately I signed a <a href="https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/bottle-deposit?source=fb&subsource=20170119ocfb01&utm_source=gpeace&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=20170119ocfb01" target="_blank">petition</a> or two, but this really isn't going to cut the mustard if we want to prevent a whole pod of whales dying from our plastic rubbish. And it isn't just whales. <a href="https://www.sas.org.uk/issues/marine-litter/" target="_blank">Surfers Against Sewage</a> state that <br />
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<i><b>Over 100,000 marine mammals and over 1 million seabirds die every year from ingestion of and entanglement in marine litter.</b></i><br />
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So I went to the supermarket with my bundle of canvas bags for my shopping, and marvelled at some of the beautiful shopping bags people were using since the 5p charge for carrier bags took effect. This has definitely been a positive change, but it was delayed for far too long. Several European countries had taken action more than 10 years earlier, <a href="http://www.bigfatbags.co.uk/bans-taxes-charges-plastic-bags/" target="_blank">Ireland being one of the first</a>. 90% of consumers in Ireland switched to reusable bags back in 2002, so their waters would be much safer for marine life..... if it wasn't for England 'sharing' their plastic waste. Whoever pollutes the sea, creates a problem for everyone.<br />
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At the checkout I was offered a free carrier bag to pack my already plastic wrapped meat products in. I have been accepting these bags recently, because it is virtually my only source of bags and I use them as bin liners. I really don't want to start buying bin liners, so now the question is can I manage without any? Would it really be so bad to tip all my rubbish loose into the big black wheelie bin? Or can I reduce my non-recyclable rubbish down to virtually nothing? I don't think either of those are practical at present, but maybe I can find some kind of paper bin liner alternative?<br />
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I had automatically used a small clear plastic bag on my broccoli - now I know I can cut those bags out. My home grown produce travels home in my wicker basket packaging free, except for salad leaves which I put in plastic bags that I wash and reuse repeatedly. This is a good motivator to grow even more veg myself this year. A year ago I was buying the rest of my fruit and veg from the market early on a Saturday morning. Some of the stalls use traditional brown paper bags for cherries or apples, and even if they have plastic bags you can ask not to use one and bring canvas bags instead. I have other activities on a Saturday morning now, but I need to find another suitable time to support my local market.<br />
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I have grown a new and unsustainable habit. I drive my kids to clubs and to save petrol travelling back and forth, I wait in the McDonalds round the corner. Bear in mind that it is winter and my parked car is cold and dark, so the one cup of tea, that I eke out for over an hour, is just an excuse to sit indoors and use the toilets. The 'cardboard' cups are of course lined with plastic, making them non-recyclable. I have some lovely mugs I can bring, but the frugal side of me likes collecting the stickers on the cups, so that I get a free cup of tea for every 6 cups I buy. I will bring my own mug from now on, or maybe even look for a cozy coffee shop that is open those hours instead.<br />
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Bottled water still occasionally sneaks into our lives, mainly when there is not enough forward planning, but we re-use the empty bottles and once they are in a fairly distressed state they go to the allotment to become cloches or end protectors for support posts. (They aren't any good for storing an excess of home made comfrey tea fertiliser in, as I learnt the hard way. The decomposing comfrey tea forms gases, that caused the bottles to explode all over my shed, smelling unbearable for weeks.)<br />
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Luckily you can ask for free tap water in most restaurants or bars in the UK. We used to have these lovely drinking fountains in every town or village, but sadly they have fallen out of use. You can look up water refill stations near you in the UK using <a href="http://www.tapwater.org/refilling-stations" target="_blank">this handy website</a>. None are listed in Loughborough yet, but there are plenty in London. It was a surprise to find that I can refill my water bottle in Lush for example, who are not a restaurant but sell bath bombs and lotions. It makes me think that there are quite a few places that I can ask for water in future.<br />
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Then there is the food packaging itself.Why can't nuts and lentils be packaged in paper bags like flour is? I have all these lovely jars to keep my food fresh, yet the products still come home from the shop wrapped in plastic, so I am still creating plastic waste. I would be quite happy to bulk buy things like oats in sacks, but my problem is where can I get them from? If I order them online they arrive smothered in bubble wrap. Does anyone have an answer to this?<br />
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On a more positive note, a young inventor Boyan Slat has a designed a way to c<a href="http://brightvibes.com/411/en/solving-the-worlds-oceanic-plastic-pollution-problem" target="_blank">ollect the plastic at sea</a> and recycle it. It is great that the young people can find ways out of the mess we have created for them, but I feel there is too much at stake to rely on this alone to save our oceans from all our plastic waste.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-3502986726227408622016-12-17T13:58:00.000-08:002016-12-17T13:58:27.483-08:00If I were Minister of EnergyWith a post title like this, it is probably worth pointing out that Theresa May scrapped the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change" target="_blank">Department Of Energy and Climate Change</a> in July and it became the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy" target="_blank">Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy</a>.<br />
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Just read that new department title again......slowly.......it is FOR business and energy. And the energy that they are FOR is more energy consumption to profit the Big Six energy suppliers, along with Fracking. Not FOR the energy efficiency measures that reduce consumption and fuel poverty, or make our industry more efficient and competitive. Climate Change has been completely dropped from the title, along with any pretence that this government gives a damn about reducing carbon emissions.<br />
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<i>"The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) works to make sure the UK has secure, clean, affordable energy supplies and promote international action to mitigate climate change."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>The old mission statement replaced with.....<br />
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<i>"The department brings together responsibilities for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation, energy, and climate change."</i><br />
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So there is no Minister for Energy and Climate Change in the UK, but if there was one, that was not tied in to business and industry growth targets, there really are plenty of things that they could do to reduce carbon emissions.<br />
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One of the cost effective measures to reduce energy would be to send the office workers home. If one person in the office works from home, they will still use energy for their technology at home and in winter some lighting and heating. However they will not be commuting and in summer it is most likely that their home will not have cooling (we don't tend to in UK homes) and the lights wont be on continuously.<br />
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Technology has come so far that we can work anywhere. There is really no need to have a separate 'office' to work in when documents can be stored on the cloud, conversations held on skype or facetime and work carried out on 'pocket-sized' portable devices. Wouldn't you rather work from a park bench or sat on the promenade in summer, than in a stuffy office space?<br />
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Now if all the workers in the office worked from home the benefits increase dramatically. That company may no longer need to lease a building or maybe just a smaller building that contains meeting rooms and hotdesks, but no permanent desk spaces. Instantly there are less corridors and toilets being lit all day, besides the massive saving in cooling and ventilating many of these densely packed office spaces, so a big energy saving.<br />
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Additional carbon savings would be from the reduction in traffic congestion - if you only had to go in to work for a meeting once a week, you would probably avoid first thing Monday morning, right. Traffic congestion is an appalling waste of energy, engines running whilst going nowhere, and a significant contributor to air pollution. Reducing the number of commuters will ease the situation for the people who can't work from home, like nurses, retail workers, police officers and politicians. And of course you could always hold your weekly meeting in your local coffee shop or curry house, which would benefit small businesses outside of the central district.<br />
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There is also a community benefit as it would bring more able-bodied adults back into communities during the day, making them a safer place for the elderly. Not to mention how many hours a week extra you could spend with your family or friends if you are not commuting. There are a whole host of other benefits, such as reductions in absenteeism, improved mental health, better work-life balance etc. but you get my point.<br />
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And if you think that you can't send people home because they won't get any work done, then you are soooo wrong. Trust me on this. I thought that I am getting a bit slow with work and not as efficient as I used to be, after 8 years working from home, but once I stepped back into an office environment I was vindicated. It is far more distracting working with other people. You are obliged to ask them how they are, get distracted by other peoples phone calls, then discuss any query/decision/irritation/success with everyone, just because they are there. At home you get distracted hanging the washing out or walking the dog, but in between you get to concentrate. There is also the incentive that if you finish all your work quickly you are free to relax, instead of watching the clock until home time.<br />
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And if you think you may miss the social aspect, just ask yourself if you have any genuine friends at work? If you do you will stay in touch, but chances are there are a good few people that you would happily not sit next to every day. Do you get up to speak to the people in the office next door or just email them? I rest my case!<br />
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It would be a win for the government because less investment would be needed on infrastructure if the roads are slightly emptier, and reductions in carbon emissions and air pollution would help meet some of our legal reduction targets. They could also see significant savings by sending government workers home. The demand for new office buildings would drop, and government support for converting them to dwellings, would help landlords to re-coup their losses and give a good opportunity to require energy efficiency improvements, along with easing the housing shortage.<br />
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This is really a biggie and is the next logical step given the way technologies are heading. It is the kind of solution the government likes because it doesn't cost them very much, just a bit of change management required. All it needs is some dynamic companies to demonstrate the potential for reducing their overheads or a Minister of Energy to promote the change! Please feel free to nominate me for that role ;-)Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-54095463493776283982016-11-30T02:39:00.000-08:002016-11-30T02:39:45.812-08:00Stand Up Like A MountainClimate change gets so little attention in our news these days. There is such a blanket of opposition that it seems impossible for any positive actions to pierce through. After so many failed or toothless global treaties and a Tory government, that has tightened planning for wind turbines, yet overturned bans on fracking, it is a pretty demoralising topic.<br />
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The oil companies seem to have the upper hand with the media, but if this year has shown anything, it is that no one believes the media lies any more. People are making decisions on their gut instinct. Ask yourself how you feel about climate change and see if you feel that sense of unease, that sinking feeling in your chest. There lies the truth.<br />
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It seems like such a significant time and such a charged atmosphere, yet into the arena come the Native American Tribes, protectors of the water and mother earth. It is the biggest tribal gathering in 100 years that has come together at Standing Rock to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is passing through their treaty lands close the Sioux reservation and under the Missouri River.<br />
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You can get an idea of the Dakota Access Pipeline compared to the Keystone XL pipeline that got denied <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/dakota-access-pipeline-vs-keystone-xl-pipeline/article31568800/" target="_blank">here</a>. It seems to have had a lot less publicity though. I was also shocked to find that there are an average of 560 'incidents' a year in the US regarding oil spills. So it is not a matter of if there is an oil spill, but more like when.<br />
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I know what you are thinking, it seems so hopeless for this small unarmed group to stand up with prayer against the wealthy oil companies with their political power and militarised police force. But it is really when things look completely hopeless, yet we do it anyway, that there is a chance of success.<br />
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This is the part where David defeats Goliath or Harry Potter thwarts Voldemort. Where Gandhi defeats the British Empire. Or where a small team like Leicester City become champions of the Premier League. So lets support the Water Protectors anyway, even if it may seem a bit hopeless.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/faef253213a38d0f633639283dd0756c6f1b6003/0_25_778_467/778.jpg?w=700&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=b1cde6755c32dcdbe4ceb906c2c1681f" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from The Guardian, 28 Sept 2016 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/28/the-world-passes-400ppm-carbon-dioxide-threshold-permanently</td></tr>
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The carbon emissions have reached that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/28/the-world-passes-400ppm-carbon-dioxide-threshold-permanently" target="_blank">critical point of over 400ppm</a> where we are standing on an edifice with only catastrophic climate disasters ahead of us. Do you want to close your eyes and keep going or stand up and save the world?<br />
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So I will be <a href="https://praywithstandingrock.com/home" target="_blank">praying with Standing Rock on Sunday December 4th at 4pm </a>in the UK. Already I have been asked what good will my prayer do from here. Truthfully I don't know, but I am going to do it anyway and I really hope that you can all join me with this and support the Standing Rock Water Protectors in every way that you can.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-40861099393610007702016-11-02T06:51:00.000-07:002016-11-02T06:51:33.339-07:00Black swan events"<i>Markets brace for 'black swan' impact of US presidential election</i>" was the headline for a business <a href="https://www.rt.com/business/364811-clinton-probe-markets-break-down/" target="_blank">article on RT</a> on Monday.<br />
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A black swan event is supposed to be an unpredictable event, a surprise that changes our current reality, that we were not expecting. A curve ball that comes out of nowhere. An example would be the attack on the twin towers, which caught most of the world by surprise and sparked a huge number of changes, from military action to the curbing of civil liberties.<br />
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When you have an election with just 2 main contenders, the foreseeable outcome is that one of the 2 candidates will win the election - there is nothing unpredictable about that. Unless you are closing your eyes to the possibility that your chosen candidate may not win, in which case you deserve to be in for a shock.<br />
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The financial markets should be prepared for either Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump to win the US elections. If someone else wins, then that would be a black swan. For instance if Bernie Sanders ends up as president, because Hilary is suddenly out of the running, then that would be a black swan event. But Trump winning is a predictable outcome....unless you have rigged the election so that he can't win, which would then make it a black swan if he won.<br />
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Reading between the lines the financial markets are warning of trouble, whoever wins the election. You can count on them blaming the presidential election for causing instability, whichever candidate wins.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-52234477780554738822016-10-31T02:00:00.000-07:002016-10-31T02:00:08.004-07:00War - the most stupidest crazy thing everThis year my son was in the school production of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVqY6kfspNM#t=776.036641" target="_blank">Oh What a Lovely War</a>!". It was chosen to commemorate the former boys from the school who lost their lives in WWI, including the son of the headmaster at the time. <br />
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I remember watching this film when I was at school and thinking that war is the most stupidest, crazy thing ever. If you just watch a few minutes of the play, take a look at the young performers and know that, if they had been born 100 years earlier, many of them would have been old enough to serve at the front line, before the war was over. How scary is that?<br />
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My history knowledge is shockingly bad, but I still know there were several lessons to come out of WWI. One of those was that everyone expected the war to be 'over by summer', and yet it dragged on for 4 years. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the same - all 'over by the summer' in theory, but the reality was completely different.<br />
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The release of the Chilcott Report this summer was great news for those like me, who were furious that Tony Blair led the UK to invade Iraq. The BBC have a summary of the main points <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36721645" target="_blank">here</a>, the first 3 of which are below.<br />
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<li class="story-body__list-item"><em>The UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before all peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort</em></li>
<li class="story-body__list-item"><em>Military action might have been necessary later, but in March 2003, it said, there was no imminent threat from the then Iraq leader Saddam Hussein, the strategy of containment could have been adapted and continued for some time and the majority of the Security Council supported continuing UN inspections and monitoring</em></li>
<li class="story-body__list-item"><em>On 28 July 2002, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair assured US President George W Bush he would be with him "whatever". But in the letter, he pointed out that a US coalition for military action would need: Progress on the Middle East peace process, UN authority and a shift in public opinion in the UK, Europe, and among Arab leaders</em></li>
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I felt this all along, did you? That we invaded Iraq because Tony Blair wanted to be best buddies with George Bush, with souped up 'intelligence' and undermining the UN security council's decision. Many people could see this, which is why there was the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2765041.stm" target="_blank">biggest protest in UK history</a>, but frustratingly it didn't have an impact. What would have had an impact? Tony Blair made the commitment to go to war in July 2002, would anything have been able to stop him?<br />
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As much as I would like to see Tony Blair face justice, he is the least of our worries now. The lies, finger-pointing and propaganda are all churning again, have you noticed? Same posturing and misinformation, just a different target.<br />
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In an interview with the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07gz2f1/hardtalk-ben-hodges-commanding-general-united-states-army-europe" target="_blank">BBC on Hardtalk 20th June 2016</a>, General Ben Hodges, the head of the US Army in Europe, said that since "...Russia invaded Ukraine..." they are now a threat, and the NATO drills that were being held in Poland, shown in the programme, were staged against the "Red" enemy.<br />
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Russia invaded Ukraine ???!!! Have I missed something?<br />
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The invasion of Iraq was pretty obvious, it was talked about beforehand and announced as such. The media filmed the allied air force bombing Iraq, then we saw the tanks roll in, and the regular army invade and overthrow the government. It would be difficult to describe it as anything other than an invasion. But in Ukraine....... there were protests and a coup, which led to President Yanukovych fleeing, and further internal divisions and fighting.<br />
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I can't imagine that Ukraine's closest neighbours could just sit back and watch without having some hand in helping their favoured side, but that is not the same as sending in the airforce to bomb key infrastructure, and rolling up in a convoy of tanks. There wasn't even a definitive sign of uniformed Russian troops 'invading' and the Russian government, though acknowledging that civilians were in Ukraine aiding the rebels, vehemently denied sending any troops to the country. Once the <a href="http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/reports" target="_blank">OSCE was in place monitoring</a> the situation, they pretty much backed this up, finding no evidence of Russian troops or weapons crossing the border.<br />
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I am pretty sure that the media would have reported on a Russian invasion, as they did seem to enjoy pointing the finger at Russia, by using words such as 'Russian-backed seperatists' and 'Russian aggression'. Maybe I just missed it, but just like the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' in Iraq, the evidence of an invasion seems a bit thin on the ground. Finding a handful of Russians in Ukraine bearing arms cannot be called an 'invasion'. There are a handful of Brits that have joined IS, but that doesn't implicate the whole country as terrorists. Please feel free to dispute this and share any links that show the contrary, because a Russian invasion is a pretty serious event, and if we are drilling NATO soldiers for WWIII with Russia, based on the 'invasion' of Ukraine, then I would like to be totally convinced.<br />
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What about Crimea? To me this provides even less evidence of an invasion. Imagine for instance that England decided to invade Ireland. "Over my dead body!" cry my Irish followers and they are right, it would - literally - entail a massacre of the Irish before they would concede to becoming part of England. Then there would still be strife from resistance fighters, suicide bombers and the like.<br />
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So I really don't understand how Russia can 'invade' Crimea with no bloodshed, uprising or resistance, and within days persuade <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_status_referendum,_2014#Official_results" target="_blank">80% of all registered voters</a> to vote to become part of Russia supposedly against their will, then to live happily without any signs of a counter insurgency. Unless of course it wasn't an invasion, and the people of Crimea, who are made up of 60% Russians anyway, requested that they get taken back under Russia's wing to protect them from the instability, fascism and violence that the media was displaying in mainland Ukraine.<br />
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Making up an invasion, with a few dodgy satellite images, photos of soldiers in unmarked uniforms that are claimed to be the enemy but could be from either side, weapons manufactured by the enemy but used by all sides, and US Generals calling it an invasion, really isn't enough proof for me.<br />
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And a war against Russia is one that would definitely not be 'over by summer'. Unlike Iraq who had their military destroyed in the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14546763" target="_blank">1991 Gulf War</a>, and had severe economic sanctions in place for years after, Russia has a strong military force and plenty of WMD which Europe is well within range of. Plus <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/362195-china-russia-support-un-syria/" target="_blank">China has announced</a> that they support Russia's actions. <br />
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Russia's military might has been demonstrated in Syria. The US started the bombing campaign in <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/335711-rt-syrian-war-timeline/" target="_blank">September 2014</a> (with no UN approval or any go ahead from the Syrian government - yes I am intimating <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11116792/Are-the-US-led-air-strikes-in-Syria-legal-and-what-does-it-mean-if-they-are-not.html" target="_blank">another illegal war</a>) and IS continued to grow in numbers and area controlled. It was only after September 2015, when the Russians announced they had been asked for support from the legitimate Syrian government, and commenced a mission against IS, that IS has been retreating and is now reduced to only 25% of their former size. Notice how the media is a lot quieter about IS now?<br />
<br />
Of course instead of saying "Good job old chaps" we have painted Putin as the bad guy and accused them of bombing civilians and of humanitarian atrocities. See how easily we can forget that IS were beheading, torturing, raping and enslaving the Syrian population. This is the same IS that was formed as a direct consequence of the Iraq invasion, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/intelligence-files-support-claims-iraq-invasion-helped-spawn-isis" target="_blank">documents from the Chilcott report</a> and the recent <a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/363329-jack-straw-iraq-decisions/" target="_blank">admission of the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw</a>.<br />
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I can understand if you have missed all this going on, when the farce of the US presidential election is far more entertaining and worrisome. I mean which of the 2 main candidates is least likely to start a war? Hacked-off Hilary, who has openly blamed Russia for all the leaked emails and supported all the previous invasions, or Tantrum Trump, who seems to offend people every time he opens his mouth and displays a temperamental and unpredictable nature. I wouldn't want that choice.<br />
<br />
Just don't assume when your politicians talk of countering Russian aggression by sending more of our young men and women to be stationed on their doorstep, that they have your best interests at heart. Question everything and look for 2 sources of evidence. Because we are all losers in the stupid crazy war game.<br />
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-47125339035471998062016-10-10T15:33:00.000-07:002016-10-10T15:33:03.242-07:00Debt
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">read a statistic this week that I won't forget in a
hurry. </span><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/361769-global-debt-imf-record-high/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The world is $152 trillion in debt</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As kids we are taught that banks are places where people
keep their savings<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the bank then
lends that money out to people who want to borrow money. If money is based on
gold or silver then this idea works. The amount of gold available doesn't
change much. A little more is mined each year but the total amount of gold on
the planet is finite. This means that the banks would only have money (gold) to
lend to people, if they had deposits from people who have savings or excess
gold.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paper money has no physical limits. It literally grows on
trees. We can chop down more trees, make more paper and print more money. But
the government has put in strict controls to limit who can print money and how
much is printed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are no controls at all over digital money. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Digital money represents 97% of the money supply
according to </span><a href="http://positivemoney.org/videos/introduction/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">positive money</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> (who have lots of simple videos to help people
understand how money really works). The banks create digital money by typing
the numbers into a computer every time a loan is made, then they charge
interest on it. No wonder bankers get such big bonuses and have no concern
about gambling millions on stock markets and currency speculation, because they
can just create more money at the tap of a key. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you are still struggling to believe this, then ask
yourself how the world can be $152 trillion in debt otherwise? Where did all
this money come from to lend to people, businesses and countries?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">How are we going to pay back all this debt? Create more
money of course. But the banks charge interest on all the money they create so
in effect you need more money than has been created to be able to repay the
debt and interest. The debt can only continue to grow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you are personally in debt, which most people in the
UK are if they have been to university or have a mortgage, there is a certain
amount of stigma and guilt attached to it, along with pressure to pay it back. Partly
this comes from the general feeling that we have borrowed someone else's
savings, when in reality this money is created by the banks from thin air (not
requiring savings or even trees to grow it). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is important to understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE for
everyone to pay back that debt in the current system, because of the interest
attached, which means there will always be more money owed than money created. Not
unless we change the system so that money creation is controlled and created
without any interest attached. Until then people are debt slaves, working all
their lives in the hope of paying off their debts so that they can enjoy their
old age. Just know that when you pay off your debts they are just getting
passed on to the next generation of debt slaves and their burden will always be
heavier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Please don’t get stressed or beat yourself up if you are
in debt. Money in its current form is a trap and even most countries with all
their financial advisors are in debt. See how fast the UK’s debt is growing
<a href="http://www.nationaldebtclock.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>. That is currently equivalent to £48,000 for every tax payer, with an
average salary of £27,000, which may put your personal debt into proportion.
Some point soon there will need to be a reset – governments going bankrupt and
wiping the slate clean. (Only we had best hope that we are out of the EU before
then, otherwise they will force the UK to take on more debt, whilst expecting a
‘bail-in’ payment from anyone with savings over £200,000, followed by a sell-off
of all assets, such as ports, monuments, and the NHS, whilst simultaneously
cutting pensions and welfare payments. Just saying!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you want to reduce your personal debt </span><a href="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">TheMoney Saving Expert website</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> can provide helpful tips to help you budget and
save money. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The way I see it is that money no longer represents any
kind of barter or exchange. It is purely used as a tool to create debt to the
banks (debt slavery). On the flip side barter and exchange rates are not linked
to money. Think about it. Anything you want can be bartered or exchanged
without money. Money was originally created to make it easier to collect tax.
The government struggles to tax 20% of the runner beans that I gave my
neighbour or 20% of the jar of jam she gave me in return.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You would be surprised how many exchanges are used every
day. For instance, instead of me paying for a taxi or train, my friend gave my
son a lift when I wasn’t able to, knowing that I will return the favour (or
complete my side of the exchange) for her daughter in the future. If you want
to free yourself from debt then increase your exchange, barter, favours and
gifts with family, friends and neighbours. From grouping together to provide
childcare, carpooling, to couch surfing, hitch-hiking, house swapping and
various other ways of cutting money out of your everyday transactions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Focus on developing new and existing skills such as growing
vegetables, carpentry, playing music, hairdressing or anything that gives you
something to trade with others for the things you need.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This kind of currency promotes trust and respect –
something lost from our banking system.</span></div>
</span>Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-50671359090223191222016-02-09T14:59:00.002-08:002016-02-09T14:59:25.294-08:00Un-seasonal<div abp="946">
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<tr abp="1756"><td abp="1757" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1758" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbePLt8qW-JSmyp8OMdnfT8HACAxywMat5pRiXeYECTQ15_eZGgn9zgDwzePcsSomdi5782Je97TXmsEp4A0xByoxFwDMbZftVR5XgDy6oXX6k2F1asIxaGIoNNfrp1e1uWaeq4zw-fB4/s1600/IMG_1114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1759" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbePLt8qW-JSmyp8OMdnfT8HACAxywMat5pRiXeYECTQ15_eZGgn9zgDwzePcsSomdi5782Je97TXmsEp4A0xByoxFwDMbZftVR5XgDy6oXX6k2F1asIxaGIoNNfrp1e1uWaeq4zw-fB4/s320/IMG_1114.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1760"><td abp="1761" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue sky makes all the difference</td></tr>
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The sky was blue today after yet another storm hit the UK. This was the <a abp="1416" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35531143" target="_blank">9th storm</a> this winter which is more than the average.</div>
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<tr abp="1764"><td abp="1765" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1766" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfb-wnTF4B2H9MdOX8bbJX4-EPSVE7Gej38aOuRk9YBGDCwHjgg7PtaQtHDRkemxsrXggzCh0YlQMvA0-XX5HXcc9cS0Jm-j1R9otApCiF9vgYErs6UInm61jj43H1HVRmlMCq0KB9ko/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1767" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfb-wnTF4B2H9MdOX8bbJX4-EPSVE7Gej38aOuRk9YBGDCwHjgg7PtaQtHDRkemxsrXggzCh0YlQMvA0-XX5HXcc9cS0Jm-j1R9otApCiF9vgYErs6UInm61jj43H1HVRmlMCq0KB9ko/s320/IMG_0230.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1768"><td abp="1769" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain approaching</td></tr>
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Storms in the UK are certainly not international news, no twisters or snowmaggedons. Just rather dull and continuous rain, accompanied by howling winds. There hasn't even been thunder and lightening to add some excitement. Some areas have experienced flooding or downed power lines, yet it is theunusual pattern of weather that makes it news-worthy for me.</div>
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<tr abp="1772"><td abp="1773" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1774" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw42WoxV-HgbmuAdN8lAAj20bOizb0vtbjikpIDqlZsmZ8gVzmVUUUjqwrIS24azKdsuFCsQREPSiAui-j7DUdi7uPNcgAy-CTU8B7c0QNddOxB51kr-ULuucDUeUb0smGae8Oq5lUDs/s1600/IMG_0228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1775" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw42WoxV-HgbmuAdN8lAAj20bOizb0vtbjikpIDqlZsmZ8gVzmVUUUjqwrIS24azKdsuFCsQREPSiAui-j7DUdi7uPNcgAy-CTU8B7c0QNddOxB51kr-ULuucDUeUb0smGae8Oq5lUDs/s320/IMG_0228.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1776"><td abp="1777" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very wet and muddy dog walks</td></tr>
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<div abp="1435">
It is an<a abp="1779" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o" target="_blank"> El Nino </a>year, which has spread a mixed bag of extreme weather across the world. Even so, I can't just shrug it off and expect next year to be 'normal' again. Have we had a 'normal' year in the last decade? A year when rainfall or temperature records haven't been broken?</div>
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<tr abp="1444"><td abp="1445" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1446" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wugXYQFxrQF7aykXnaLiF3aS0sRmuAR_tQFphT9tGA75SZoJyB_ZaFM3-ql31U9Qs5IQAUctmkUq2JGtpHQjDTlb_lXmxOFY9Wb4QuhE9KSdpFjh77Ip-xNH6nhQJcQiLhIOZI_4XWQ/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1447" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wugXYQFxrQF7aykXnaLiF3aS0sRmuAR_tQFphT9tGA75SZoJyB_ZaFM3-ql31U9Qs5IQAUctmkUq2JGtpHQjDTlb_lXmxOFY9Wb4QuhE9KSdpFjh77Ip-xNH6nhQJcQiLhIOZI_4XWQ/s400/IMG_2754.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1448"><td abp="1449" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish rainbows were the only thing coming from this coal-fired power station.</td></tr>
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<div abp="1450">
The climate change predictions for the UK (that I read a good few years ago now), indicated that winters would be milder and wetter, with much less frequency of snow. Summers would also be milder and wetter, except for in the Southeast. This describes 2015 pretty well. Last summer was warm, but can anybody remember a day that was actually hot, like sunbathing-on-the-beach hot? We kept wondering when summer would start. And this winter has been exceptionally mild so far, though very wet and stormy.</div>
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Are we moving to a 'season-less' climate in the UK, with far less definition between spring and summer or autumn and winter? That is not to say that every year will be like that, just that a trend may be emerging. I mean we can't expect to ignore all the danger signs about climate change and not have to face the consequences.</div>
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<tr abp="1783"><td abp="1784" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1785" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNtFSMFVNsOW9YHFABwm8JEBo-KJ-dpI17Pyoepq2f860Cb4fEyKLkuIlk2oi8ejW3GEsyzhjeoPrgW6VMtC4NIMLJ4zPsa3fnsjE_z2oKSilUt8j4subj5fug8VVZDOXZ6P7t6XtzmE/s1600/IMG_2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1786" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNtFSMFVNsOW9YHFABwm8JEBo-KJ-dpI17Pyoepq2f860Cb4fEyKLkuIlk2oi8ejW3GEsyzhjeoPrgW6VMtC4NIMLJ4zPsa3fnsjE_z2oKSilUt8j4subj5fug8VVZDOXZ6P7t6XtzmE/s320/IMG_2829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1787"><td abp="1788" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely traditional stone terraced housing</td></tr>
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<div abp="1461">
The good news is that buildings in the UK are built to withstand this kind of weather, at least most of the dwellings are. The majority of dwellings are built of brick or stone, and feel solid and secure whilst the wind is howling round them. The style is for low-rise, compact and often terraced dwellings. Even hurricane strength winds only result in a few chimney pots being toppled, trees falling and power lines being damaged. Watch the scenes in other areas of the world and whole streets of homes get reduced to matchsticks.</div>
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<tr abp="1791"><td abp="1792" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1793" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepwFwT5n8AmHGeVJwc5NXdvuRtDBQhZDO1fi8YOJ_P44SlbJdz_ffQXoxf1wk-8f2v71KvpAjKjCNrvVdqaLjuxRCbIPHNChxG-ILKx5wIstghCGWp0b18sfFq6xLEUdrHcGoDgoX2aw/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1794" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepwFwT5n8AmHGeVJwc5NXdvuRtDBQhZDO1fi8YOJ_P44SlbJdz_ffQXoxf1wk-8f2v71KvpAjKjCNrvVdqaLjuxRCbIPHNChxG-ILKx5wIstghCGWp0b18sfFq6xLEUdrHcGoDgoX2aw/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1795"><td abp="1796" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old brick built factory still looking amazing</td></tr>
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<div abp="1465">
This is also why we have some of the oldest housing stock - brick houses are expensive and slow to build (compared to timber) and as they last well and are expensive to replace, we keep them. Even more so with stone dwellings. My friend's cottage is over 300 years old, and the thick stone walls would have taken an enormous amount of energy to demolish.</div>
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<tr abp="1799"><td abp="1800" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="1801" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzbg4pXmpeVD_ELtkHD3naZ8xsdNJshOUg3w1Sv0IGrrkzgVilUrPase7yj_rkwAKNq5DTIsj_zLtZ9AM9fdg9nL0x47wHsSL3XDmROpWBy6iR-1yaLRtmr1CX5L05R-7heeJx2KstbA/s1600/IMG_2800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="1802" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzbg4pXmpeVD_ELtkHD3naZ8xsdNJshOUg3w1Sv0IGrrkzgVilUrPase7yj_rkwAKNq5DTIsj_zLtZ9AM9fdg9nL0x47wHsSL3XDmROpWBy6iR-1yaLRtmr1CX5L05R-7heeJx2KstbA/s400/IMG_2800.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="1803"><td abp="1804" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any excuse for more nice photos</td></tr>
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<div abp="1469">
Now I know that old houses get a bad name for not being energy efficient, but that is not entirely true. They tend to be small, so have less volume to heat, and if they are terraced they reduce heat loss by having less external wall area. Houses were built with good natural light in all rooms, before we had electricity and had a cellar and a pantry instead of a fridge or freezer.</div>
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<a abp="1553" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUczBWKvySfAlbsuWMECmoXYWDdBiDcUC9VDJHIk4OxC598qOwiIoB9bcNhRovkVe7JnEzKhemFn7dq7qMSHaljB4yZxi5jCwvGaDUdf2WC9-FcrQVLzyciJiwFmAc1qOYIHjHDZDSnbg/s1600/IMG_1023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1554" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUczBWKvySfAlbsuWMECmoXYWDdBiDcUC9VDJHIk4OxC598qOwiIoB9bcNhRovkVe7JnEzKhemFn7dq7qMSHaljB4yZxi5jCwvGaDUdf2WC9-FcrQVLzyciJiwFmAc1qOYIHjHDZDSnbg/s320/IMG_1023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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That is not to say that older buildings don't feel cold and draughty, but it is worth bearing in mind that a new efficient double-glazed window provides no more insulation than an old solid brick wall. Modern buildings with vast glazed areas are really not a great idea if you wish to reduce your heating bills. You will find that there is more focus on building houses airtight these days, to reduce unwanted draughts, and adding additional insulation to any building will always improve the thermal comfort and efficiency.</div>
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<tr abp="1811"><td abp="1812" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survived since 1483</td></tr>
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Other bloggers have noticed changes in their weather patterns too, sometimes major scary events like the forest fires and drought in Tasmania that <a abp="1626" href="http://alltheblueday.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/jo-and-terrible-horrible-no-good-very.html" target="_blank">Jo mentioned</a>, or even small signs of change such as still picking raspberries in November as <a abp="1682" href="https://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/easy-stew-a-new-area-in-my-garden/" target="_blank">Mrs Thrift noted</a>. I would love to hear of any changes that you may have noticed, wherever you are. It may be plants flowering earlier or areas flooding that have never been flooded before. It all helps to build up a picture of how the climate is changing and prepare us for what might come next.</div>
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-36175724852246355102016-02-02T15:37:00.000-08:002016-02-02T15:37:35.073-08:00Night walk discoveries<div abp="125">
One of the changes with going to work each day, is that I can no longer walk the dog whenever I feel like it. Popping out at lunchtime or in between rain showers has been replaced with a walk after dinner, in the dark, whatever the weather. This seems like a bit of a disadvantage in winter, when it is mainly cold, wet and very muddy.</div>
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<a abp="372" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVP7VLzfkrIy1lbZ1ahLlN5f1aPiwZ5AmAnNUX2xCLEBOtlFFkjEknZpGFSQ0FPjxaS_lT7Amsl_hsa-DM6ds86EH2I_lCOfnkKPGyuKN5GaFVBT57ejMwCOojM8rjXauGo21mJErRgQ/s1600/IMG_0569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="373" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVP7VLzfkrIy1lbZ1ahLlN5f1aPiwZ5AmAnNUX2xCLEBOtlFFkjEknZpGFSQ0FPjxaS_lT7Amsl_hsa-DM6ds86EH2I_lCOfnkKPGyuKN5GaFVBT57ejMwCOojM8rjXauGo21mJErRgQ/s320/IMG_0569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Where daytime walks offer the opportunity for foraging, photos, ball throwing and chatting with other dog walkers, dark evening walks are....well dark....though somehow still very lovely. </div>
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To start with I tried my normal walk through the muddy woods, but slipping and sliding through the mud and tripping over roots that I couldn't see was downright dangerous. I could have taken a torch, but it only lights a short distance and spoils my night vision. After a spectacular fall off a wet slippery stile, I headed for more open spaces, where on a cloudy night or with the moon out, visibility is fair.</div>
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And now the cold crisp evenings are wonderful, and blissfully quiet with all the people tucked up in their cosy warm houses. Even rainy evenings are really not that bad, but the best are when the stars come out.</div>
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<tr abp="357"><td abp="358" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="359" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12LyAh0IBK5VASWlDRQgQerRgeO4x6vY2fCDy1fnZl9wpYEmm6RRy9y6kbwh49rfTbxHj1sY3_Xy2zmsheyyPTzJdhzeKHybbTE5EksqrzF-aLJy2U2QNfyaAXwHPXOYg6C5zh1_34K0/s1600/IMG_2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="360" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12LyAh0IBK5VASWlDRQgQerRgeO4x6vY2fCDy1fnZl9wpYEmm6RRy9y6kbwh49rfTbxHj1sY3_Xy2zmsheyyPTzJdhzeKHybbTE5EksqrzF-aLJy2U2QNfyaAXwHPXOYg6C5zh1_34K0/s320/IMG_2919.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="361"><td abp="362" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bright stars at Orion's belt are easy to spot</td></tr>
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My knowledge of stars is rubbish, but I really wanted to know if what I thought was Orion's belt really was. So I got a stargazing app, and I'm loving it. Yes, if you ever see the silhouette of a woman stood out in the dark staring up at her mobile held above her head - it's me :-) Of course it is easier to just lay in bed and aim it at the ceiling and the app still shows you the stars, but I like standing alone on the hill overlooking all the twinkly lights from the town and feeling like a speck in this vast universe.</div>
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<tr abp="365"><td abp="366" style="text-align: center;"><a abp="367" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVLT7bTIxnTUezczchWi9Wq11maji-kq-tmvVSrYCzxgtGdxY1slYHz8aPsa1ZHUJWDCRxyBcnBMmU4qzGySaNcp1yk40K19Ry4Ies7ICd2E_qLtCZ2Q7iX1hTtFJomlKz5ZWaNJ-4Ow/s1600/IMG_2916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img abp="368" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVLT7bTIxnTUezczchWi9Wq11maji-kq-tmvVSrYCzxgtGdxY1slYHz8aPsa1ZHUJWDCRxyBcnBMmU4qzGySaNcp1yk40K19Ry4Ies7ICd2E_qLtCZ2Q7iX1hTtFJomlKz5ZWaNJ-4Ow/s320/IMG_2916.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr abp="369"><td abp="370" class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could always find the saucepan shape but didn't know it was Ursa Major, the Great Bear</td></tr>
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Another night-walk discovery is that all the trees have dog tags. On a windy night they jingle at you as you walk past. It did take me a while to realise that we were not being followed everywhere by a cat with a bell on its collar.</div>
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I have known for a while that the bigger, older trees, that maybe need protecting have numbered tags, and I am sure this must help to keep track of which tree is which, and find them when they get lost. But all the trees? Right down to the scrawny little things, that are more of a large shrub? Surely not!</div>
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If anyone knows the purpose then please do share it, as I am sure there must be some good intentions somewhere behind this madness? Is someone watching and recording all the trees being wiped out by climate change? Or maybe it is just part of the council's maintenance program? It just seems a waste to me. The time and money spent hammering tags into trees and recording them all, could surely have been better spent on planting new trees, to help our degraded landscape heal.</div>
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Next time you listen to the wind whispering through the trees, don't be surprised to find that they jingle now instead!</div>
Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-87751231051620833992016-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:002016-01-21T14:54:23.019-08:00Almond croissants<div style="border-image: none;">
Yesterday I made almond croissants! Yes the kitchen smelled delicious and I do love the whole anticipation of cooking, especially when it is a bit of an unplanned adventure.</div>
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I popped out to the supermarket at 8pm, and found lots of lovely reduced items, including croissants for 40p. Croissants always remind me of holidays in France, though these would be but a pale comparison of the freshly baked croissants from the boulangerie.<br />
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This summer my cousin had told me how delicious almond croissants were - they are truly divine. To use up leftover croissants, they are filled with frangipane and baked again to make more of a sweet Danish.</div>
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I used a simple frangipane recipe shown below, but it used vanilla essence, whereas I will be using almond essence in future for a stronger almond flavour. This is my first attempt, but next time I will also spread more mixture on top to stop the croissants getting too dark. And maybe a sprinkle of sliced almonds to top them off.</div>
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<i>100g ground almonds</i></div>
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<i>100g butter</i></div>
<i>80g golden caster sugar</i><br />
<i>1 egg</i><br />
<i>1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or almond)</i><br />
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<i>Mix all the ingredients together. Stuff and spread your croissants, then bake them for 18 mins at around 180 deg C. This made enough mixture to generously stuff 4 croissants and would have stretched to 6.</i><br />
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I also bought 3 packets of dill reduced to 10p each. I have hung them in the kitchen to dry out, so that I can chop and store them for sprinkling on salmon. It is nice to feel that I have got a bargain and saved some food from being wasted.<br />
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I should probably mention that I have started a new job and I am back working the 9 to 5 again. 2015 was so busy for my little consultancy, that I had been working days and nights to try and keep up. Now that I am starting to get my evenings back I can enjoy cooking and blogging again.<br />
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I am not sure how things will work out with my allotment. Spring is fast approaching and I have barely started the gardening jobs that were due back in the Autumn! I am not ready to give up on it yet though. I just love that I still have a supply of my home grown potatoes and squash in the garage, and raspberries and runner beans in the freezer. It is so nice to announce at each meal that I have grown the cabbage, or the tomatoes in the sauce.<br />
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What began as a journey to be more green, by eating organic, locally grown food and reducing waste, seemed like hard work from the outset. Yet it has turned out to be rather enjoyable. Food makes me happy. I enjoy growing it, shopping for it, cooking it and sharing the end result with family and friends. I love that I substituted a handful of weeds for parsley in my stuffing at Christmas and no one was the wiser. But most of all I love..... almond Croissants ;-)<br />
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What do you love about food?Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-13521944600494967692015-09-12T01:38:00.002-07:002015-09-12T01:41:04.482-07:00Feels like AutumnIt has been very quiet at Ration The Future for 2 months! Sorry to my regular readers. I would love to be disciplined enough to commit to a weekly blog, but that isn't how my life is right now. I have worked long hours on a large project all summer - it feels like I have skipped straight to Autumn. The mornings are cold, evenings are shorter and the bounty of courgettes, cucumbers and beans is tailing off now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Produce from my garden, including chickpeas.</td></tr>
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This week I went to the car boot sale with my eldest daughter, who has just returned from finishing Uni. She was delighted to find several nearly new tops, a dress and a skirt all with labels from her favorite shops. Her little sister liked the dress too and has commandeered it!<br />
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In addition we bought some unopened gift sets with body lotions and shower gels, some from the body shop, which were all small travel size bottles, so very handy.<br />
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I only bought 2 items for me, but I love them both. One was an egg run, that I had seen for £17 in the <a href="http://www.organiccatalogue.com/Seeds/c21/index.html" target="_blank">Organic Gardening Catalogue</a> and had decided it was too expensive for me to buy when a cardboard egg box does the trick for nothing. But when I spotted it at the car boot and the lady only wanted £1....well it seemed like fate.<br />
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I have always kept my eggs in the fridge, but as my fridge is in need of replacing and I am hoping to downsize it, to save money and energy, it is time to keep the eggs out. And don't you love my multi-coloured eggs too? I buy them from a friend each week and love that they are green and white as well as brown :-)<br />
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Then I spotted a purse. Not just any purse, but a <a href="https://www.ness.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ness</a> purse and it was brand new, complete with label for £24.95. Aren't the materials gorgeous? It was mine for just £2.50, so how could I pass that up?<br />
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When my husband and I visited the Isle of Skye for his birthday many years ago, I found a lovely little Ness shop and bought myself a purse. You may think that the lovely tartan material might not be as hard wearing as leather, but it lasted me 5 years! I like that the company is based in Scotland, aims to source materials from the UK where it can, and centers its designs on traditional Scottish tartan. Buying local twice over, so no consumer guilt about this purchase. I haven't decided whether to keep it, as it is a larger design than I normally go for, but it would make a lovely gift if not.<br />
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As well as all the goodies already mentioned, I bought some books and toys for my cousin's children. We spent a total of £15 and made it home with no packaging, not even a carrier bag! Ethical shopping is bliss :-)<br />
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But as Jo at <a href="http://alltheblueday.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/june-and-july-accounting.html" target="_blank">All the blue day</a> has pointed out, a 'one in, one out' policy is required, as buying is only one side of the story.<br />
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We had already had a big clearout of clothes. I gave some to friends, sold some at the car boot sale, donated some to charity and took less sale-able clothes to the '£5 a bag' shop. I felt like I had cleared out so much stuff.......but then my daughter arrived home from Uni with all her cooking utensils, clothes and furnishings and we had to have an even bigger sort out to make some space. this time it was the shoe drawers, coat rack, teddies, craft stuff and kitchen equipment that was under the spotlight.<br />
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It is a great idea to have a clear out and get rid of all the items that are not used regularly, but on the other hand there is an element of being prepared that seems to oppose this idea. For instance I have a stock of old woollen blankets. Some of them get used when we go camping, but most haven't been touched for years. Yet a few years before we moved to Loughborough there was a cold snowy winter where they had a powercut, and many homes had no alternative heating source. So in the interest of preparedness, the blankets are staying.<br />
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It is funny how many things about living lightly on the planet clash. Such as being frugal and supporting local organic producers. Or being prepared for the climate change future we face and living a minimalist lifestyle. Or even just storing all your home-grown produce and trying to reduce disposable plastic bags and containers. How else can I store my fresh lettuce or frozen blackberries? It is all a choice between what means the most to you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely homegrown veg stored for winter....in PLASTIC!!!!</td></tr>
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Well, we have 4 bags for selling at the carboot sale and a couple of boxes of kitchen equipment to donate to refugees. I am just loving how organised and clutter free the house is starting to feel, lets see if I can keep it up :-)Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-38638711465600847152015-07-06T00:00:00.001-07:002015-07-06T00:00:41.109-07:00Keeping cool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a hot week in the UK (at least by our standards) and for most of Europe it seems. I have been out doing energy surveys every day, and despite sweltering and having aching feet from all the walking, I love to see how buildings perform under peak conditions.</div>
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The UK has a relatively mild climate. Being surrounded by sea and benefiting from the warm Gulf Stream, means that our winters and summers are not as extreme as for mainland Europe. This is reflected in the design of our buildings. For instance French buildings traditionally have shutters. These aren't purely decorative, but have a functional purpose, to prevent solar gain. When the sun shines in through the window, it heats the building up like a greenhouse. The shutters on the outside of the house are more effective than blinds, because they stop the sun's rays before they get inside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical French shuttered windows</td></tr>
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Closing the shutters at night and then waking up to throw them open to the daylight is one of the delicious moments of staying in a French house. If you have tried this you will notice that just opening the shutters a slit will still bathe the room in daylight, and often keep most of the hot sun out. The strategy is to use the shutters in the daytime to prevent the suns ray from heating up the house. In addition the shutters can often be closed at night, but with the glass windows inside left open, so that the cooler night air can cool the building down and help to slow down the process of warming during the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCopdBqDTtE1RU_hHplXqB-adRvy5mdpWrsjlLWQmW9BdtyH08u3mtz8zX9qnlOHZ0moWwjzSrAkOvKgDBW0MC9lnHY6EGdoFbUXD_Px_J1XiaXSCZwn18xBBDKsYGxRlj028IlFsyn0/s1600/IMG_1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCopdBqDTtE1RU_hHplXqB-adRvy5mdpWrsjlLWQmW9BdtyH08u3mtz8zX9qnlOHZ0moWwjzSrAkOvKgDBW0MC9lnHY6EGdoFbUXD_Px_J1XiaXSCZwn18xBBDKsYGxRlj028IlFsyn0/s320/IMG_1082.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Traditionally English townhouses were close together, providing a shady walkway</span></td></tr>
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British buildings don't have shutters as a feature, because we don't get a lot of hot days and love it when we do. But it is not pleasant to work or live in a hot building, so here are some strategies that may help to keep buildings cooler and more comfortable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8bAlBtbRqF6p8Y9fCKIhzQo3jAKpunyXtdF89R9VuHh-hhwmzkM21tsUqzJgfUGxk2LwMCSrxBLF4KS6WaJ8yfNjhapHpab22jpUBOXT9z2AYmFazU4uDDOZ4dB5u_DMg5R7VnznbzY/s1600/Thrift+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8bAlBtbRqF6p8Y9fCKIhzQo3jAKpunyXtdF89R9VuHh-hhwmzkM21tsUqzJgfUGxk2LwMCSrxBLF4KS6WaJ8yfNjhapHpab22jpUBOXT9z2AYmFazU4uDDOZ4dB5u_DMg5R7VnznbzY/s320/Thrift+House.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aptly named 'Thrift House' with the curtains drawn</td></tr>
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1. Shut your blinds and curtains during the day to keep out the suns rays. This is especially important for South and West facing windows. If you are worried what your neighbours may think of your curtains being closed all day, then try using net curtains, as they are effective at blocking the sun too. By standing in front of a sunny window with the sun's rays on you, you can feel the difference when the curtains are shut. It won't stop the house warming up, but at least it will be less of a greenhouse. Canopies, overhanging roofs or trees can all be used externally to shade the building in summer too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJWl6IdZm2uIzZYifQyF_sZS6-REHk-I_ozbXN6bbafGYI7MJi1bbeQKo1fJZy_4l5UTCSq4zJ-c9kDyO3mxtL7o-gpY7RCoEwHKWjBUvE878iSxXvsFFkFbm27tHFPDSDhQ3FYa38Wc/s1600/IMG_2111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJWl6IdZm2uIzZYifQyF_sZS6-REHk-I_ozbXN6bbafGYI7MJi1bbeQKo1fJZy_4l5UTCSq4zJ-c9kDyO3mxtL7o-gpY7RCoEwHKWjBUvE878iSxXvsFFkFbm27tHFPDSDhQ3FYa38Wc/s320/IMG_2111.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass greenhouses in central London ;-)</td></tr>
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2. Keep windows closed if the air inside your home feels cooler than the air outside. It is an automatic reflex when you feel hot to open the windows, but if it is the hottest part of the day you could just be bringing in hot air from outside and making things more uncomfortable. Stand in the doorway and check first, because then you can feel whether the air outside is actually cooler or not.<br />
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3. Open your windows at night (if you can without inviting burglars) or early in the morning for an hour or two, to help flush out the warm air and allow the building fabric to cool down again. The bricks, concrete, tiles, fixtures and fittings all retain heat. so often you will find that when the air outside has cooled, the building still feels warm on the inside. You can use the cooler morning air to purge the heat, so that you start the day with a cool building. I throw open the windows at 6:30am, before everyone else is up, and once the stone tiles on my kitchen floor feel cold again, I shut my windows against the rising temperature outside. This helps the house to stay cooler for longer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcxwDWoll3gnFxZyS6cjbcR5k9Np3_jY3ci5lidCslohSqFHIHHUtSndyrVbudjHyHH7L_1VXLHChv-3_N5BIsJcDEPszioZmkC80T5upkE4RzdsMJYUzDQ2xs6C724Tg-ONAEDX8PBU/s1600/Natural+ventilation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcxwDWoll3gnFxZyS6cjbcR5k9Np3_jY3ci5lidCslohSqFHIHHUtSndyrVbudjHyHH7L_1VXLHChv-3_N5BIsJcDEPszioZmkC80T5upkE4RzdsMJYUzDQ2xs6C724Tg-ONAEDX8PBU/s320/Natural+ventilation.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The majority of dwellings in the UK are constructed with brick, stone or concrete and these materials are all good for holding heat or coolth. Lightweight timber constructions tend to heat up a lot quicker and cool down faster too, so you may find that point 3 doesn't help much. You can try incorporating some more heavyweight materials in a lightweight house, by adding stone tiles to floors.<br />
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4. Every appliance that is switched on, from a light to a mobile phone charger, will be kicking out waste heat, into your lovely cool building, so make sure that everything possible is switched off. Fridges and freezers may be keeping the food cool, but in doing so they kick out a lot of heat from the coils at the back, which is adding to the heat in your house. The higher the air temperature the harder they have to work and the more heat is emitted, so try not to open them unnecessarily. You could also try using timers to run dishwashers or breadmakers in the early hours of the morning when it is cooler (unless you have PV panels and want to make use of the solar energy).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landline phone that only works when it is plugged in</td></tr>
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Incidentally, you are also kicking out waste heat energy that is created when you breath or move. Only an average 100W if you are resting but that increases to 250W if you are dancing around. Save the workout or physical housework for the mornings or late evening, when the temperature has dropped, to avoid overheating yourself and your house.<br />
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5. If you get to the point where it is too hot inside and you need to get a breeze going to help cool you down, then remember to get a crossflow of air. This means trying to open windows or rooflights on at least 2 faces of the building, with an open flow between them. Heat tends to rise, so it will gather at high points. Opening a rooflight or upstairs window will allow the hottest air to escape, whilst opening a window on a lower level will draw in cooler air to replace it. I have seen lots of hot offices this week where the office windows are open, but the office door is kept shut for privacy. This means that the air cannot flow across the building, so the occupants don't benefit from getting a breeze from their windows.<br />
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6. Putting a fan near your window can help to draw in fresh air from outside, but if the air outside is hot already then it makes more sense to aim the fan at you. A fan blows air across your body, encouraging the heat to transfer from your hot skin to the marginally cooler air. Hence it makes you feel cooler.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-kCGE9bEWfMZlNdtd7m1Lh6mNFOsd4hSgpMHz7jTFsUO5x592VFlQxEZmeo9XcA6jyefZQNueyGl6JwbDtzhz9HWY2jk2co-vGoI9SVkg-GkDPaqs7Z5B0cY08K1bw1TkYSCOkcySfM/s1600/DSCF1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-kCGE9bEWfMZlNdtd7m1Lh6mNFOsd4hSgpMHz7jTFsUO5x592VFlQxEZmeo9XcA6jyefZQNueyGl6JwbDtzhz9HWY2jk2co-vGoI9SVkg-GkDPaqs7Z5B0cY08K1bw1TkYSCOkcySfM/s320/DSCF1164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees for company</td></tr>
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7. Have you ever noticed that the air around trees feels cooler? This is because they act like an evaporative cooler. Their roots suck moisture from the soil and when the sun shines on the leaves the water evaporates. This process uses heat energy from the surrounding air and works faster on a hotter day, leaving cooler air around the trees. Planting trees and shrubs near windows and in courtyards can help to keep the air around the building cooler (as well as providing some shading). A fountain works in a similar manner and was why they were popular in Roman courtyards.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone house surrounded by trees for shade and cooling</td></tr>
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8. Insulation in lofts and walls helps to protect buildings from the heat, as they are another layer that the heat needs to pass through. Insulation helps to make the building feel more comfortable in the summer and winter, with the added benefit of leading to reduced energy bills.<br />
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9. Hot air rises, so if you are having trouble sleeping in your bedroom upstairs, then camp out on the ground floor or even in the basement if you have one. This will help you stay cool and get a good nights rest.<br />
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10. I heard on the radio today (for the first time) an advertisement for air-conditioning for homes and it made me groan. Air-conditioning is expensive and uses a lot of electricity to provide you with artificial cooling, so please try some of the cheap and easy methods to stay cool first. If you are a 'battery-farmed' office worker, in a large open plan office with only a couple of square metres of space, then the chances are that you will have cooling provided, and on a hot day it will be working flat out. If you can, take this opportunity to request to work from home. The less bodies in the office and computers in use, the less heat is being produced. This will save energy, reduce the load on the air-conditioning and help everyone to stay cooler.<br />
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Remember to always switch air-conditioning off in an empty room and to keep windows shut whilst it is in use, otherwise your expensive chilled air will be escaping. How many of you have walked past an open shop door and felt the rush of cooled air coming from within?<br />
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You may already do all of these things, but hopefully someone may find the odd tip helpful. Hope you have a lovely sunny summer where you are, with a nice cool house to retreat into when it gets too hot :-)Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-73994434683876223512015-06-22T11:58:00.000-07:002015-06-22T11:58:38.831-07:00Allotment progress<div>
This is how the <a href="http://rationthefuture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-allotment.html" target="_blank">allotment</a> has developed this year.<br />
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The plan had been to carry on with <a href="http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/" target="_blank">Charles Dowding's</a> No Dig method, where you add a layer of compost or manure on the soil and let the worms do the work of digging it in for you. In my usual fashion I didn't get round to ordering another delivery of cow manure in the Autumn, and given how long the last batch took to breakdown I decided not to get any this spring. This has worked out for the best, as many of the other plot-holders believe the manure is<a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=477" target="_blank"> contaminated with pesticides</a>. The hormonal weedkiller used on grassland apparently goes through the cows without causing harm, but contaminates the manure. It may be that the manure I had last year was contaminated, which could explain a lot, but I really hope not. I am trying to grow healthy organic produce, so a hidden dose of chemicals is the last thing I want.<br />
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Instead, I have collected some horse manure from my friend Suella, who cares too much about the environment and her horse, than to cover her grazing land with chemicals. It is a peaceful setting, with some friendly conversation, so filling sacks and trugs with manure isn't a job that I mind doing. When I get back to the allotment though, the manure never seems to be enough.<br />
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I have had plenty of lovely compost for my garden from the double compost bin I made <a href="http://rationthefuture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/do-you-have-those-days-when-you-feel.html" target="_blank">last year</a>. I want to construct a compost bin made from pallets at the allotment, but I only managed to scrounge 3 pallets before my big car broke down and I need to find some smaller ones to fit in my smaller car. meanwhile the weeds are taking over!</div>
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I also have a 'dalek' compost bin, but it is full of ants. At the Composting Workshop held at the <a href="https://transitionloughborough.wordpress.com/sub-groups/food-gardens-sub-group/transition-loughborough-community-allotment/" target="_blank">Transition Community Allotment</a> a fortnight ago, I found out that this means that my mix is too dry and can be remedied by adding more greens. It was a very useful workshop even though I couldn't stay for it all. My plot has lots of comfrey now, some a gift from Suella last year, and some I found on the new half when I was clearing all the weeds.</div>
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I followed <a href="https://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/growing-cauliflowers-and-making-comfrey-tea/" target="_blank">Mrs Thrifts recipe</a> and made my first Comfrey Tea to feed my tomato plants. It really stinks, and if you get it on your hands you will need to wash them repeatedly to get rid of the smell. Every time I turned my back the dog was drinking it! Maybe she knows it is full of nutirents.<br />
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We have been eating lettuces and spinach for weeks, and it is so nice not to need to buy any from the supermarket. The spring onions are ready too, but I need to find a way to stop them going limp in the fridge. Any ideas?<br />
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I bought lots of seed potatoes from the <a href="https://transitionloughborough.wordpress.com/2014/10/09/potato-day-orders/" target="_blank">Transition Loughborough Potato Day</a> earlier in the year, and they are looking healthy despite the dog charging through them.<br />
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The grapevine that I pruned very hard has survived. The blackcurrant bush also seems to have relished the hard prune and is covered in berries. Plus the little gooseberry bush hidden under all the weeds has a handful of fruit nearly ripe.<br />
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I have built a couple of frames for netting, which have now been transferred from protecting the garlic and onions to covering the young brassicas. The garlic, gifted by another plot-holder, has been the first casualty this year, as it has <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Profile?PID=226" target="_blank">white rot</a>. Most of the other plot-holders seem to have suffered the same fate, but luckily my onions still seem healthy......for now.</div>
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I have peas growing in my garden at home where I have never needed to net them from the pesky pigeons. Yet at the allotment I risked leaving them unprotected and of course they have been gobbled. Enough have survived for me to have eaten my first peas today.</div>
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My kind neighbour has given me some chickpeas to grow this year. To play things safe I sowed them in 2 separate locations at the allotment and in my garden. The garden ones are doing the best. I can't wait for the soft little pods to grow, though if this cool weather continues I ma not get any.<br />
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I am not sure whether I mentioned that I planted some fruit trees, which were a gift from my parents. After lots of reading I decided on a Nashi pear and a sweet eating apple, along with some blueberry bushes and new raspberry canes.<br />
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The fruit trees both seem to be doing well and had lots of blossom and baby fruit, most of which I have removed. I surrounded them with bark to try to keep the weeds back, but really there is no chance of keeping them down..<br />
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The weeds seem to grow at double the speed that my plants grow so it is a constant battle to keep each area under control once I have cleared it. Plus the areas that I haven't yet managed to clear are now going to seed. I have put out a request on freecycle for chippings as bark is too expensive to cover large areas, but had no response yet. Old carpet is my best weed control for now, until I get on top of things (Will that ever happen?)<br />
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Anyway, most of my seedlings, that covered every windowsill for weeks, are planted out now. Just waiting for some more netting to be delivered so the last of the brassicas can go out protected from pigeons and butterflys. Then I can just sit back and wait for them to grow :-) Well..........apart from the watering, weeding, pinching out shoots, feeding, hoeing, tying and harvesting!<br />
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Happy growing!</div>
Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-31791439026900249622015-06-20T12:36:00.000-07:002015-06-20T12:36:33.034-07:00Frantic springSo I haven't posted anything interesting for a while, because life has just been exhausting and full of breakdowns (but luckily I wasn't one of them!). <br />
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It started with my old faithful car breaking down. It was over 20 years old, with over 200,000 miles on the clock, but we had had it for 12 years and it was the most brilliant car. It didn't look much, but a car that can fit 5 people, dog, camping gear and 3 full size bikes inside it with room to spare is really worth its weight in gold........except when it is broken and will cost it's weight in gold to repair. So we bid it a sad farewell :-(<br />
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It was swiftly followed by my printer, computer, collapsing shelves in the garage and now the perpetually leaking fridge. In the midst of that the dog had fleas, my son completed his bronze Duke of Edinburgh training expedition and final expedition, my youngest daughter had guide camp and was away for a school trip, and my niece and nephew cashed in their Christmas vouchers for me to take them on a camping trip (an awfully tight squeeze without my old faithful car) and a day at Alton Towers (a week before the terrible crash).<br />
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I <strike>wasted</strike> spent 2 weeks second hand car shopping with darling husband, which really is no fun when you have a very constrained budget, and no car will live up to the one you have just lost, so I was no help at all. Then I had 3 days with no computer, followed by 2 weeks with an irritating temporary fix which meant that I couldn't <em>bear</em> to use it. No work, no blogging, no news. I did a lot of digging at the allotment to release my frustration instead. Now the computer is up and running again but there are a few anomalies.....like I couldn't seem to add any pictures to my posts! Sigh!<br />
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Yet, thankfully, here I am on the other side of a frantic spring. Summer is here, the first strawberries are ripe and I have cleared all my windowsills of seedlings (I am not saying that they are all planted yet though). And despite being at the allotment until 10pm for 2 nights this week, and having 2 parents evenings to attend things seem just that little bit calmer..........for now :-)Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-31789163919765525142015-06-11T15:28:00.001-07:002015-06-11T15:28:26.740-07:00The Pigeon Dilemma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm back! Well it seems like I haven't posted much in ages as there just hasn't been a spare minute. Bear's challenge has gone out of the window for another month, although there was some closure on the pigeon front.....<br />
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I had the opportunity to go for a walk in Bramcote Park in Nottingham, which is quite lovely despite the background hum of traffic. I chatted with friendly dog walkers, spotted a few familiar wild foods and was just generally enjoying the evening, when there was a 'plop'. I was walking through some trees and something small had fallen out of one of the trees. I turned round to investigate and found a dead pigeon on the ground with a bundle of soft fluffy feathers beside it. The bundle of fluff was a baby pigeon still clearly alive, but with a cracked beak and it must have literally dropped out of the tree just as I walked past.<br />
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Dilemma. The parent bird had clearly been killed by a cat or fox ( I am thinking cat, because it wasn't eaten whereas a fox would have had it for dinner). The young pigeon's feathers were not mature enough to fly and it would no doubt die without a parent bird, even if the damaged beak recovered. Why did it plop down next to me?<br />
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I could see the nest in the tree and it was too high up for me to reach, but with my heart thumping I grabbed the scared little bird and tried to balance it on a lower branch in the hope it would climb back. Plop!<br />
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Now I stood for several minutes thinking this through. There was absolutely no way I could save this bird or any hope it would survive. I have saved baby blue tits before, but they had fully fledged wings that had got wet in a shower, so lifting them into a hawthorn bush until their wings dried out meant they had a good chance of surviving. This pigeon had none. Plus they are classified as a pest (for good reason) so you are not supposed to rescue them.<br />
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Could I kill it? It was clearly going to die anyway, so a quick bash with a stick would save it from suffering. I still couldn't do it and just walked away. Let nature take its course and no doubt something will come and eat it.....just not me.<br />
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And so the great pigeon question has been answered - roadkill I can just about handle. Killing is something I am still not ready for. It does seem rather pathetic, but I am being honest with myself, which would be fine if I was a vegetarian, and wasn't expecting other people to kill animals for me to eat.<br />
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I have watched some of <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-island-with-bear-grylls/episode-guide" target="_blank">'The Island with Bear Grylls' series 2</a>, where a group of women and a group of men were left to survive on separate desert islands. It was interesting to see the women struggling with the dilemma of killing their adopted pet piglets (episode 6), which they aptly named Sage and Onion. In a situation where you are starving hungry your survival instinct clearly kicks in and they describe not thinking of them as animals anymore, just food. If you think you have the strength for this then you can apply for the next series<a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-island-with-bear-grylls" target="_blank"> here</a>.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-49851806594086663282015-05-06T04:45:00.000-07:002015-05-06T04:47:48.128-07:00I vote for change<div abp="907">
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Tomorrow is election day in the UK. It is funny how quickly it is here and my complete lack of anticipation this time. What is there to be excited about? Will May the 8th be any different from May 6th?</div>
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I started watching <a abp="971" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/russellbrand" target="_blank">The Trews</a> - the news if it were true. I admit that I used to find it extremely uncomfortable to watch Russell Brand, but on his own for 10 minutes he seems a lot calmer and he has been saying the kind of things that I want to hear. I even watched his new film with Michael Winterbottom <a abp="1189" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Geq8dM13k" target="_blank">The Emperors New Clothes</a> that came out recently. It was really hard to track down a cinema to watch it in, so in the end we paid Amazon and watched it at home. (It is all about not supporting big corporations who don't pay tax like....Amazon!) </div>
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Honestly, it is brilliant and well worth watching. Like Russell says, there is nothing in the film that you don't already know, but he puts it across in a way that is powerful, easy to understand and with humour, especially when he drives around in his <a abp="3016" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkdD8pLOWEM" target="_blank">'Shop a Banker' van</a>. (In this meaning 'shop' a banker means to grass them up and turn them in to the police, and mimics the government's campaign after the London riots when they used <a abp="981" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-14515631" target="_blank">'Shop a Looter'</a> vans to try to catch people who had stolen a pair of trainers, rather than bankers who cost the country millions.)</div>
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Well I was coming round to Russell's idea, that "things can change" and his stance on voting was not to vote for anyone because they are all the same and none of them stand for real change. For instance the labour party didn't regulate the banks or prosecute any bankers before they lost the last election and the conservative and liberal democrat coalition hasn't acted to rectify this since. They all support the bankers, they all listen to big corporations and put their interests above working people and they are all for austerity measures.</div>
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I think Russell has lost sight of this recently and has been <a abp="1353" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGBTcIHN0U" target="_blank">charmed by Ed Miliband</a> into advocating voting for his party if you are not in Scotland or Brighton! <a abp="1355" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZm9_uKtyo" target="_blank">The Ed Miliband interview</a> looked like Russell was hypnotised, but for the rest of us it was just Ed Miliband saying the same non-committal political spiel that he used in the TV debates.</div>
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I haven't followed much of the politics, but I watched the <a abp="1072" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/election-2015-32137362" target="_blank">TV debate with 7 candidates</a>, and although we don't usually vote for the same parties, both hubby and I agreed that we would both vote SNP (Scottish National Party) if we could, which of course we can't.... unless we move to Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon had a clear strong message that was anti-austerity, abolishing tuition fees and the bedroom tax - the kind of policies I would really want and expect to see labour supporting. Plus she came across as a strong determined women. There would be no more childish name-calling and bullying in parliament if she was in charge, which I detest from our current prime minister.</div>
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I will NEVER vote for conservative, not because of David Cameron or any of their policies, but because I remember growing up during Margaret Thatcher's government. Neither will I ever vote for labour after Tony Blair took us to war with Iraq based on lies. People seem to have forgotten that the labour party didn't regulate the banks and continued privatisation with underhand PFI schemes. They didn't build more council houses, strengthen the unions, or re-nationalise anything. They are not the same party that Clement Attlee led after the war. They are just slightly more left than the conservatives. (As the <a abp="1411" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPgS7p40ERg" target="_blank">Green party political broadcast</a> points out)</div>
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I read the Liberal Democrats manifesto last time round and it sounded good, so they got my vote. However Nick Clegg completely sold out to the conservatives just to be in a coalition government. There is no point being part of a coalition government if you are not going to stand up for the policies that matter to you. The real joke is that Nick Clegg still thinks that they did. Yes - they have been added to my never-forget-not-to-vote-for-them list! </div>
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I am fairly certain that they will be part of a new government though, because they have shown how weak they are. If I was going to try to make a coalition with another party, I would choose one that will go along with everything I say, and the Liberal Democrats have proved they fit this role perfectly!</div>
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Thinking about coalitions made me wonder whether Russell was onto something in suggesting voting for labour. For English voters we can't vote for the SNP, but if we want to see them as part of a coalition then really the most likely scenario would be if labour won marginally more seats than the conservatives, though not a full majority. Is there any possibility of SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green party forming a coalition? Wouldn't that be amazing?</div>
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I think Russell was wrong to throw his weight behind labour. He apparently had 10 million followers and if he had supported the <a abp="1128" href="https://www.greenparty.org.uk/" target="_blank">Green party</a> or <a abp="1026" href="http://leftunity.org/" target="_blank">Left Unity</a> that could have made a difference and that could have brought these parties onto the playing field, ready for a Syriza style victory at the following election. Even supporting the "don't vote because they are all a bunch of liars" stance is better than suggesting more of the same. So much for wanting a revolution.</div>
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I want a revolution. For the first time I have a local green candidate that I can vote for, called <a abp="1467" href="http://loughborough.greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/12/15/matt-sisson-selected-as-parliamentary-candidate-for-loughborough/" target="_blank">Mark Sissons</a>, who has written <a abp="1523" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Astronaut-Cake-Tomorrow-Matt-Sisson/dp/1907720758" target="_blank">a book that sounds rather interesting</a>. I am voting for the green party, because they are anti-austerity, anti-trident and support environmental policies that may yet mean that the planet is still inhabitable for future generations. I am voting Green for what they stand for and my vote still counts even if the Green party don't win the seat, because my vote is about being true to my feelings and views. I vote for change.</div>
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-62792362376898322352015-04-23T14:33:00.004-07:002015-04-23T14:33:59.130-07:00Tastier Than Bear's 6: Meat on the MenuA lot has been happening the last few weeks, and I have a so much to blog about, yet very little time. I left you all on a cliff-hanger over 2 weeks ago with my quest to kill a pigeon, so it seems only fair that I start with an update on my foraging antics.<br />
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Well................I still haven't killed a pigeon, though I bought Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'The River Cottage Cookbook' (at the carboot sale for 50p) which follows his early antics at River Cottage. He has a whole chapter on Hedgerow, including wild meats, and is informative on preparing pigeon, rabbit, squirrel and ......snails (Hugh and Bear would get on a treat!). So having read more on the subject, I am feeling much more prepared for the pigeon-caught-in-a-net day to arrive.<br />
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But all was not lost on the meat front. Driving along a country lane I spotted some road kill. It was a cock pheasant and looked in very good condition, considering it had been hit by a car. I quickly jumped out and having some compost sacks in the boot, I stuffed the pheasant inside one and drove off full of excitement. This was it - true foraging with my first road kill dinner!<br />
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I was heading to collect horse manure from Suella, who is always very generous at sharing her horses' produce and there was quite a gathering. So I consulted with the wise Suella, Janet and Martha on my road kill and the first question was 'Is it still warm?' Why did that not occur to me? I had managed to bag the carcass without touching it, so I tentatively reached inside and yes it was warm, so very fresh. It was a bit smelly, but as they pointed out 'All living creatures are smelly'. Here it is. <br />
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Note to self: Don't stuff it in a bag next time, lay it flat! Nice how David Cameron is thoughtfully positioned to be consulting with my dead pheasant ;-) <br />
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Hugh doesn't mention pheasant, so I checked out some simple techniques on YouTube for removing feathers and gutting, but they all had shot birds whereas mine was already a bit damaged with guts spilling out. I was quickly losing my nerve, as a pre-packaged chicken doesn't come with the same smell, feathers, feet and undigested corn falling out. So I just dived in and cut out the breasts and quickly discarded the rest. I know it was such a waste, but I was overcome with squeamishness. Bear just rips off the head, feet and wings and skewers it for the fire, but I am not up to that yet (if ever).<br />
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I calmed down once faced with just the 2 pieces of breast and chopped them up for a stir-fry. I then dashed out to the woods (not shops) for some accompaniments - more wild garlic, hogweed shoots and stinging nettles. <br />
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I decided to break the rules and use some olive oil for frying as it is much easier than to keep adding dribbles of water. The hogweed shoots are absolutely delicious fried and were the best tasting part of the meal still. I may have forgotten to mention that I ate them last week on a bed of dandelion leaf salad, and they are so much more delicious fried than steamed.<br />
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The pheasant wasn't gamey (probably because it was too fresh), but rather plain and overcooked. I had thought to cook the breasts whole, so that I could leave them pink in the middle, but this was road kill and overcooked seemed a far safer option, if somewhat less appetising.<br />
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So I have eaten foraged meat and I survived ;-) There may be more meat menus to follow, if I can catch one of those darn pigeons.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-41682426237094669162015-04-06T04:02:00.001-07:002015-04-06T04:02:47.510-07:00Tastier than Bear's 5: Not quite pigeonWell, Bears challenge has gone out of the window last month. Partly because it has been a busy month at the allotment and partly because I have set my sights higher for the next meal. The last meal had basically composed of a salad, and really I wanted to find some more nutritious food for the next meal. So I decided to target 2 new foods.<br />
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The first is pignuts. Not only do these involve a bit more pre-meditation than just pulling a few leaves while I am out walking, because I need tools for digging up the root and permission to dig, but I am having trouble identifying them without digging up the root. There are loads of plants with similar leaves in my woods, but they may also be something nasty like Hemlock, which is somewhat similar. So I need to take a mat and some plant identification books and sit and investigate, which needs the luxury of time and weather.<br />
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The second is pigeons. Yes I am carnivore and though I am not keen on eating bitter wiggly worms like Bear Grylls, I am game for some pigeon. A google search for pigeon brings up some really mouth-watering recipes. The wood pigeons we get in the garden have been grazing on locally grown vegetables, bird seed and other delights from the fields nearby, whereas city birds scavenge on rubbish so may not be a good idea. The problem of course is how to catch one and kill it. Road kill is definitely an appealing option, as I am used to dealing with dead carcasses, rather doing any slaughtering myself, but I have not been in luck.<br />
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Mr Twit used Hugtight Sticky Glue, pasted on the branches of a tree to trap birds for his bird pie. I must admit that it does seem a simple idea, not requiring any skill in the catching, but it is also indiscriminate. We really get some of the fattest pigeons in our garden, so a couple of years back, son and hubby decided to rig a trap. It involved my washing basket, propped on a stick. There was a rope tied to the stick and the other end was held by my son, who was sat in a camouflaged hide a few metres away. It was very entertaining, and as you might imagine totally unsuccessful! The pigeons were far too wily to walk under the basket. It was also somewhat of a relief because I didn't really think that either of them would be happy with killing their victim, and I did not want to be the one to do it.<br />
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So my mind had moved from traps to weapons. Eldest son has offered to shoot them with his bow and arrow, but having such a small garden with a public path along the side, I am scared of stray arrows causing harm. Maybe I could learn to master a slingshot, although I am the most appalling aim, and slow to boot. Look at <a href="http://www.fatelondon.com/products/bark-slingshot?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=1025064032&gclid=CjwKEAjw9PioBRDdpqy0-ofG3DgSJAACe5NEnQOhk5eJ0dx3-_8J4bbWzpVYLMflJKZvbL8Ie1t8IBoCuIPw_wcB" target="_blank">these fancy ones</a> which you can buy with seedball ammunition! At worst I would scare the pigeons off my vegetables, and if I got lucky, dinner would hopefully be dead from the impact.<br />
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But what if the pigeon was just injured and I had to catch it and kill it? There was only one thing for it. I needed help from an expert. The allotment is full of such experts. The netting designed to protect tender plants from the voracious appetite of greedy pigeons, is not always pigeon proof. A couple of times last spring I saw pigeons that had found a hole to get in, then couldn't escape .......the perfect pigeon traps! I have enlisted the help of an allotment friend and the next time a pigeon is trapped she will guide me to catch it and kill it. She seems quite an expert despite being a vegetarian, and has already dispelled my image of breaking it's neck, as apparently it is too easy to pull the head off - yuk! Bashing it over the head is her preferred technique. You really are going to have to stay tuned for a few more weeks to see whether I have the nerve to pull this one off.<br />
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There were several foraging successes this month though, although not a completely foraged meal. The wild garlic leaves are out everywhere now, so I felt no guilt in picking a bag full of leaves and making a batch of wild garlic pesto, following the recipe in the River Cottage Handbook No. 7: Hedgerow by John Wright which is shown below.<br />
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<em>50g Wild garlic leaves</em><br />
<em>30g Pignuts/ cobnuts/ pine nuts, lightly toasted in a pan (I doubled this amount)</em><br />
<em>30g Parmesan cheese grated</em><br />
<em>80ml Olive oil plus extra to cover</em><br />
<em>Salt and pepper to taste</em><br />
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<em>Put in a food processor and blitz, slowly adding the oil. Transfer to a jar and make sure the pesto is covered with olive oil. Keep in fridge for several weeks.</em><br />
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Having not found any pignuts, I roasted some of my remaining cobnut stash, but the resulting pesto was like extremely strong raw garlic. I threw in an equal amount of pine nuts, which balanced out the flavour enough so that I could taste it without burning my mouth. A small spoonful added to pasta sauce is great! Or even as a substitute for garlic butter in garlic bread or very sparingly in a salad dressing.<br />
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I also picked a bag full of nettle tops. I think I suffer with mild arthritis in the joints in my hands and have found that nettle stings seem to help. I run my hands through the nettles until they are stung all over, then quickly rub some chewed up plantain over my hands to stop the stinging. The stings still tingle for up to 24 hours, but after that scrubbing the bathroom or weeding the garden doesn't make my joints ache.<br />
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The nettle tops were so bright and fresh looking. I made them into nettle soup using another River Cottage recipe. It tasted good, though was not thick enough for my liking, so I will add more potato or some swede next time.<br />
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<em>Half a carrier bag of stinging nettle tops</em><br />
<em>50g butter</em><br />
<em>1 large onion peeled and chopped</em><br />
<em>I litre vegetable or chicken stock</em><br />
<em>1 large potato, peeled and cubed (or maybe 2 if you like a thicker soup)</em><br />
<em>1 large carrot, peeled and chopped</em><br />
<em>Salt and pepper to taste</em><br />
<em>2 tbsp. crème fraiche</em><br />
<em>A few drops of extra virgin olive oil</em><br />
<em>A few drops of Tabasco</em><br />
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<em>Melt the butter and cook the onion until soft. Add stock, nettles, potatoes and carrots. Simmer for about 15 mins until potato is soft. puree with a stick blender and season to taste. Spoon into bowls with a teaspoon of crème fresh and drizzle of olive oil and tabasco.</em><br />
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I also picked some hogweed shoots and had them steamed with some chicken risotto. They do resemble asparagus in the texture, though not quite as delicious. Certainly very edible and something I will pick again.<br />
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I am still learning new plants all the time and keeping my eyes peeled for any delicious morsels, but growing vegetables is more productive and has to take priority for me over spring, whilst there is so much to be done.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-88287625388763532072015-03-21T07:03:00.000-07:002015-03-21T07:03:30.774-07:00Gold-plated DECI spent a couple of days recently responding to a government consultation, which will seriously effect the work that I do and could leave me looking for a new job. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-display-energy-certificates-regime-for-public-buildings" target="_blank">Improving the Display Energy Certificates Regime for Public Buildings</a> is a consultation from the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), with the objective to simplify and "reduce the burden of compliance" of energy certificate legislation.<br />
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<a href="http://ecotag.eu/dec.html" target="_blank">Display Energy Certificates</a>, known as DEC, provide an energy rating for public building such as schools and hospitals over a certain size. This A to G rating is based on the actual energy consumption for the building, so if the energy consumption decreases, the rating will improve. For the DEC shown above, the graphs on the right show that the energy rating has improved significantly each year for this building, from a G in 2012 to an E in 2014. <br />
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The DEC need to be displayed in a prominent place, so that if you walk into your local town hall or hospital you can see how much energy they consume compared to the average for that building type. They are a good way of raising awareness, and staff walking past these ratings on a daily basis may become more active in reducing their energy waste.<br />
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At the same time Leicestershire County Council's newsletter dropped through the door and the extent of cuts they are facing over the next few years as a result of austerity measures is horrendous. The cost of DEC is only a very small slice of the budget, but the focus is clearly going to be on keeping essential services going.<br />
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Whatever the responses were to the consultation document, it was already clear that there was a very negative slant towards DEC in the document, referring to them as a 'burden'. DEC have been a large part of my work for the last 7 years, but the picture painted was that they no longer had a future. I was left feeling rather gloomy, that I would inevitably have to find an alternative way to make a living.<br />
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Then some of my old colleagues kicked me back into touch. (Thanks Phil, Nick and Bryony!)<br />
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In 2008 the legislation forced DEC onto reluctant building managers. Gathering all the data needed was a pain the first few years, because in many cases energy wasn't being managed. Where energy was being managed well, the DEC seemed somewhat superfluous. But over the last 7 years building managers have adapted to using DEC as a tool. The DEC is an independent, annual energy review resulting in a visible, clearly understandable, and easily comparable energy rating. It provides useful information to help building managers make decisions on maintenance, justify investment in efficiency projects and target awareness campaigns.<br />
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I know of County Councils who use the DEC energy ratings to help them monitor the energy consumption of their buildings and to target their improvement measures - improvement measures that save them money on energy bills. They want to keep using the DEC as they are a valuable tool.<br />
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Headteachers, who have far more to worry about than tracking their complicated energy bills, can see at a glance how their school performs compared to an average school. And yes - they do check out the DEC rating in other schools that they visit! Displaying the energy rating in reception means that a poor G rating cannot be ignored, and is visible for parents, governors and teachers to see. It is a powerful motivation for making improvements.<br />
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Back in 2009 I compared how the DEC ratings I had produced had changed from the previous year. You can see that in general there was a shift towards the higher A, B and C rated certificates. The graphs above show that even in just one year there was an improvement in energy ratings, which means my clients actually reduced their energy consumption.<br />
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The above DEC is for a leisure centre, where the CHP (combined heat and power unit) was old and the efficiency was deteriorating. The effect of replacing it for a new CHP unit and additional improvements can be seen with the increase in the energy rating for the building from a D to a C. The cost saving was over £20,000 the following year, even after allowing for the effect of weather. What part the DEC played can't really be quantified, but raising the awareness and priority of energy efficiency improvements can have some significant financial benefits.<br />
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DEC aren't a <em>financial</em> burden, they are a money saving tool. Evidence from the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208613/display_energy_certificates.pdf" target="_blank">Department of Energy and Climate Change</a>, shows significant energy efficiency improvements between 2008 and 2012, which outweighs the cost of providing DEC. Shame that CLG, sees DEC as a 'burden' and wants to reduce or eliminate DEC requirements. Many of the proposed changes in the consultation would undermine DEC and make them almost useless as a tool for encouraging energy efficiency. CLG must understand that, yet they continue to push for dismantling them.<br />
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All the options DCLG provide in the consultation (my summary above) are to cut corners, whilst trying to stay just within the boundaries of the mandatory EU Directive. If the intention was to save money rather than reduce the 'burden', there could have been several options for improving the DEC to make an even bigger impact on reducing energy consumption. This would be a win-win for public bodies looking for efficiency savings, and also the government who has a legally binding carbon reduction target to meet. I get the impression this has all been tossed aside in favour of protecting energy company profits instead, as they are the only ones to lose out from further energy efficiency measures.<br />
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Well, if you have been following for a while, you may know that I am not a 'cut and run' type of person. If I can't make a stand and act when it is about DEC, which I am an expert on, then when will I ever make a stand on anything? So......... I have made a decision. I am not waiting for any of these bad outcomes to be enforced by people who are really rather ignorant about energy certificates.<br />
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Saving energy is hard. It is an uphill struggle, with investment seen as the lynch pin. My clients want things that are easy and that work to reduce energy consumption, and for this the current DEC aren't good enough. With some small tweaks, they could be so much better - <strong>Gold-Plated</strong> in fact, but with little to no change to the clients 'burden'.<br />
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For example, the value on the current energy certificates is a carbon ratio, quite meaningless to most people. But in the process of gathering all the energy data, I end up with all the cost data too. Displaying the <strong>cost</strong> of energy consumption as well would help understanding. As in the leisure centre example above, a £20k saving has a much bigger impact on people than seeing a C rating. Equating that cost into something real, like how many nurses or teachers that money could employ if it wasn't spent on energy, would help to hit the message home. For an individual, using the stairs instead of the lift may seem like a tiny insignificant amount of energy in a large hospital, but when that energy is equated into real people and jobs saved (or climate change and lives) it is energy that is well worth saving. <br />
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I can't change the actual DEC certificate, but I can change how it is presented and provide additional information with it. I can't change the legal requirements of DEC, but I can demonstrate the benefits of having them, and encourage voluntary DECs. Already I have clients who have decided to go beyond the minimum requirements. And as an energy assessor I always strive to provide <a href="http://ecotag.eu/commitment.html" target="_blank">more value than the basic energy certificates</a> require, with advice on energy bills and added details for recommendations.<br />
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Working with my regular clients I will be setting up some trials to see what improvements to the DEC give the best results for the least additional burden. My target is that within 3 years, every DEC I produce will be a Gold-Plated. I will also make all the results and Gold-Plated DEC templates freely available for everyone to benefit from. So if you are a disenchanted energy assessor, accreditation body or building manager and want more than CLG are offering, spread the word - Gold-Plated DEC will be coming your way soon!Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672883659746456880.post-67505978827175429252015-03-13T03:34:00.001-07:002015-03-13T03:34:04.261-07:00Tastier than Bear's 4: Allotment weedsI am getting a little behind on my foraging challenge, partly because the weather has improved and I have spent more time at the allotment, throwing a ball for the dog, rather than taking her on walks. I have fixed the shed door, spread my remaining manure, planted fruit trees and bushes, and dug up buckets and buckets of couch grass, mixed in with the threads of old carpet.<br />
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There has also been Transition meetings, including a lovely seed sowing workshop last weekend, led by a very patient and knowledgeable Andy. My youngest daughter said, "How can you do a workshop on sowing seeds - you just get some soil and put them in!" How little she knew! I picked up lots of tips, such as what compost to use and mixing in a little sharp sand for moisture retention. I also had a chance to ask questions about things that had gone wrong for me. And of course it was a very sociable event with home made refreshments too. If you are local you can check out the <a href="https://transitionloughborough.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Transition Loughborough website</a> for upcoming events.<br />
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Then this Sunday was the first car boot sale of the season. I decided to have a stall selling, the idea being that I raise funds to spend in following weeks. It turned out to be a very quiet event, so I didn't do as well as I had hoped. Still I emptied a few bags of outgrown clothes from the garage and made £21. Except that I spent £2 on a new basket, £2 on a wheely trug, 50p on a bag and....50p on something else that I can't remember.<br />
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I also attended my first ever political meeting, as Amelia Womack, deputy leader for the Green Party was speaking locally. There will be a general election in May, and for the first time we will have a member of the green party standing locally. It was an opportunity to hear their policies and ask some important questions, and Amelia was a friendly and easy to follow speaker. She certainly gave me food for thought. And talking of food.......<br />
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It turns out that Couch grass roots are edible. Wish I had known that before I dumped buckets full of them. <br />
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Actually they smell quite sweet, so they should make an interesting basis for a meal. So this weeks theme became allotment weeds. Alongside the couch I collected some red dead nettles again as they were so plentiful and pretty, a few stinging nettles as they needed to be weeded anyway, and the two new flavours of chickweed and hairy bittercress. How does this look for a bagged salad?<br />
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There was groundsel growing in and around the chickweed, so I brought some home to look up and was shocked that some websites described it as a salad plant whilst others said it was seriously toxic. I wasn't going to take a risk, but it just goes to show that it is worth double checking everything before you decide to eat it.<br />
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The chickweed had very pretty, distinctive white flowers, but they had closed up completely by the time I got my camera out. The stem has a single line of hairs down it, which help with the identification. John Wright describes the flavour of chickweed in The River Cottage Handbook No.7: Hedgerow as "<em>...mild and pleasant, not unlike lettuce but with a bit of freshly mown cricket pitch thrown in</em>." I had collected loads, and though it had a nice texture, the cricket pitch flavour was too much for me, so I only used a small handful. <br />
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The hairy bittercress was amazing though. It smelled and tasted just like cress and was not bitter at all. I mixed it in with the chickweed and some raw red dead nettles for the salad, but unfortunately the lovely cress flavour didn't come through. Maybe I need more next time. <br />
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It would definitely work in egg sandwiches. I will be keeping all the hairy bittercress I dig up from now on, or just nibbling it raw in between digging.<br />
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I fried the chopped couch grass roots with the nettles and some of the dead nettles, but I decided to taste them before adding them to my salad. Good job too, because they were really tough, like chewing twigs! The flavour was fine - no bitterness like the dandelion roots, but they were too tough to eat. Luckily I had picked lots of dead nettles, so I chucked the first batch with the couch grass away and fried the rest on their own.<br />
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The fried dead nettles really were the star of the meal and very tasty. The salad was a lovely texture, but raw dead nettles aren't as tasty as the cooked ones, and the chickweed was the overriding flavour. I won't use chickweed again, or else in very small amounts, because I am not so keen on the grassy taste. Still I finished it all off..... well apart from the couch grass. Glad I did throw bucketsful away, because you would have to be very desperate to try eating it.<br />
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Besides this week's meal I wanted to make another batch of dandelion coffee. The first attempt weren't roasted enough and tasted vile. The second attempt I followed guidance from River Cottage no.7 to cook them for 30minutes at 200 degrees C. They were burnt within 10 minutes, maybe because I had chopped them quite small and they were very dry to start with. Half of this batch weren't too burnt and it did make rather a lovely drink. Hopefully the next batch will be perfect again.<br />
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I also found some coltsfoot whilst I was walking round the local reservoir. It is supposed to be a good remedy for coughs, so I will pick a few more to dry next time, because it wil be good to have some remedies in for next winter. I have just dried a bunch of sweet violets on my windowsill too<br />
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Every time I am out, I have brought one or two plants back for identification and tasting, so I am gradually increasing my wild plant knowledge. Where I really think that it will save me money is with herbal teas that I drink regularly, and with herbal remedies. I am gradually increasing my store of little bottles with dried plants, so that I should have enough variety to make more remedies soon. I had better start adding labels too, as I will no doubt forget what each one is! Let me know if you do any foraging or make any wild remedies?Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00371314706811756465noreply@blogger.com0