It seems the recent rail crash of a Virgin Pendolino train was caused by faulty points. A spreader bar and some bolts were loose, causing the train to derail because the rail lines were not evenly spaced. It is difficult to inspect all the thousands of miles of track for faults like this, so Network Rail has built a £5 million train designed to shoot around the network at high speed making video recordings of the state of the rails and equipment. The inspection train had made a run over these faulty points just two days before the crash and video of the fault was recorded. So why wasn't it picked up and acted upon? Even if a repair could not be effected immediately a temporary speed limit of 20 mph over the affected points would have made it safe to travel. Network Rail tells us that the only way to view this inspection video is to slow it down to "super slow motion" so that faults could be picked up. Thus to view even one day's inspection video would take at least a month. So why did Network Rail bother to build, let alone run, this super train? We are told it is so that investigation of incidents and accidents can be clarified. A little like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted - but having CCTV footage of the horse getting scared and ready to bolt. It would be laughable were it not for the fact that a woman died, others were seriously injured and no one can say when the line will be cleared and repaired and opened again for services.
Nuff said . . .
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Cowboys masquerading as plumbers
Now - I'm not really blaming the plumber. After all, he has a qualification which says he can do the job. He probably thinks he is qualified and he is - in some respects. He can pass exams, he can fit and repair and inspect modern central heating systems.
The problem is that most of us don't have all-singing, all-dancing modern condensing combination boiler systems.
I have an old-fashioned back boiler which heats up to ten radiators and a primatic hot water cylinder.
So an experienced plumber would have taken one look at my cylinder and sussed it out as primatic. Not so the so-called qualified plumber who came to sort out my central heating. He was surprised, not to say confused, that there was no secondary cold water supply tank for the central heating. He looked at the hot water cylinder and stated that it was all wrong and where was the cold water supply coming from for the central heating part of the system. He took his new toy, a power flushing appliance to my heating system. It blasted out lots of nasty, black gooey sludge. This was probably the only positive thing he did. When he re-started the system he seemed surprised that no hot water got through to the radiators. At this point he was still unaware that it was a primatic system.
He set the boiler on its highest setting, opened all the radiator valves and hoped. When very little heat got through to the radiators he expressed surprise, mild annoyance but mainly mystification that it hadn't worked. He then stated that he could not explain and said "Try it for a bit and give me a ring later on, I'm off to watch the Rugby on the TV."
I called him the next day when there was no improvement. He finally came round and that was when he discovered that the cylinder was primatic.
Now I am not an expert but primatic cylinders need a completely different treatment to direct cylinders. The fact that he had not sussed the type of system immediately shows that college learning and City and Guilds qualifications are no substitute for years of experience. With the best will in the world this guy has set himself up as a plumber. He probably even believes he can do the job.
There is nothing better than training on the job with an experienced qualified tradesman. You can learn all the wrinkles that the theorists in the colleges don't even know about let alone teach! Once he had got his paper qualification, our friend should then have gone as a practical trainee with a real plumber to learn about the real world of pipes and heating and joints which don't necessarily occur in the theoretical world of college education.
I wish the guy well in his career. But he can rest assured that he will not get a penny out of me for the "work" he has done on my heating system.
I do not want to be used as a learning curve for a theoretical plumber.
Should he kick up about lack of payment I will post his name, address and telephone number on this site and others so that all the people in my local area will not be caught in his delusion of qualification.
Perhaps it is the job of these colleges to train cowboys . . .
Perhaps I might even give him a Stetson . . . .
The problem is that most of us don't have all-singing, all-dancing modern condensing combination boiler systems.
I have an old-fashioned back boiler which heats up to ten radiators and a primatic hot water cylinder.
So an experienced plumber would have taken one look at my cylinder and sussed it out as primatic. Not so the so-called qualified plumber who came to sort out my central heating. He was surprised, not to say confused, that there was no secondary cold water supply tank for the central heating. He looked at the hot water cylinder and stated that it was all wrong and where was the cold water supply coming from for the central heating part of the system. He took his new toy, a power flushing appliance to my heating system. It blasted out lots of nasty, black gooey sludge. This was probably the only positive thing he did. When he re-started the system he seemed surprised that no hot water got through to the radiators. At this point he was still unaware that it was a primatic system.
He set the boiler on its highest setting, opened all the radiator valves and hoped. When very little heat got through to the radiators he expressed surprise, mild annoyance but mainly mystification that it hadn't worked. He then stated that he could not explain and said "Try it for a bit and give me a ring later on, I'm off to watch the Rugby on the TV."
I called him the next day when there was no improvement. He finally came round and that was when he discovered that the cylinder was primatic.
Now I am not an expert but primatic cylinders need a completely different treatment to direct cylinders. The fact that he had not sussed the type of system immediately shows that college learning and City and Guilds qualifications are no substitute for years of experience. With the best will in the world this guy has set himself up as a plumber. He probably even believes he can do the job.
There is nothing better than training on the job with an experienced qualified tradesman. You can learn all the wrinkles that the theorists in the colleges don't even know about let alone teach! Once he had got his paper qualification, our friend should then have gone as a practical trainee with a real plumber to learn about the real world of pipes and heating and joints which don't necessarily occur in the theoretical world of college education.
I wish the guy well in his career. But he can rest assured that he will not get a penny out of me for the "work" he has done on my heating system.
I do not want to be used as a learning curve for a theoretical plumber.
Should he kick up about lack of payment I will post his name, address and telephone number on this site and others so that all the people in my local area will not be caught in his delusion of qualification.
Perhaps it is the job of these colleges to train cowboys . . .
Perhaps I might even give him a Stetson . . . .
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Keep on Truckin'
Well, at last I've got my new amplifier! I picked it up from my son's flat in Birmingham after the eBay seller kindly delivered it to him (it was advertised as "pick up only" and the seller kindly took it to Andi's place because Andi doesn't drive). I got it for a song - thanks Mark - and I was worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations.
I shouldn't have worried.
There is something about a spring reverb unit that sets my soul on fire. This amp - a Custom Sound Trucker - has such a reverb. Pure heaven! Ecstacy! It is not massive, just 45 watts RMS, but it's more than big enough to use at home and I dare say it could hold its own in a small gig venue. Needless to say I have now damaged the tendons in my left hand by playing my new guitar through this amp all day!
I will persevere. I will practise again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day and the next . . .
The amp isn't perfect - it's probably more than 20 years old - but it's probably the best amp I have ever owned.
There's only one thing to say - I'm gonna KEEP ON TRUCKIN'
I shouldn't have worried.
There is something about a spring reverb unit that sets my soul on fire. This amp - a Custom Sound Trucker - has such a reverb. Pure heaven! Ecstacy! It is not massive, just 45 watts RMS, but it's more than big enough to use at home and I dare say it could hold its own in a small gig venue. Needless to say I have now damaged the tendons in my left hand by playing my new guitar through this amp all day!
I will persevere. I will practise again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day and the next . . .
The amp isn't perfect - it's probably more than 20 years old - but it's probably the best amp I have ever owned.
There's only one thing to say - I'm gonna KEEP ON TRUCKIN'
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Great Break
Ros and I have just returned from a great break touring the North Midlands and South Yorkshire. We started on Sunday by visiting Ros's sister, Diana and her husband Peter in Edgmond, Shropshire. We stayed overnight and caught up their news. Then we took a leisurely drive across Staffordshire into Derbyshire where we toured parts of the Peak District National Park, stopping for a while in Bakewell. Bakewell is most famous for its Bakewell tarts. I was very sad to discover that the tarts in question were baked confections - not the saucily-dressed, over-painted ladies I had hoped to see! Never mind, we had a great time exploring the area and then, by a series of expert navigation from my wife and a little gut-instinct from me we arrived, via a planned look at a local reservoir, in Sheffield to visit Debbie.
Debbie was one of our bridesmaids more than 30 years ago and neither of us have seen her since the day we got married. She was instantly recognisable and it was lovely to see her and her family. We chatted for hours and she produced one of the best home-made lasagnes I have ever tasted! I was really jealous of her daughter Sarah, who has recently been given a Fender guitar on which to learn - not just any old guitar but a brand-new Fender! I harken back to the days when I bought my first guitar. It was a piece of orange box with some strings on which I bought for 10 shillings (that's 50p or about $1 for you youngsters!). I painted it bright scarlet because that was the "in" colour for guitars in those days and it helped both me and my friend Derek to learn the rudiments of the guitar.
On the Tuesday, having stopped in a Travelodge and been pleasantly surprised by the basic but comfortable room there, we travelled to Leeds to see Ros's brother Malcolm. We all went to Roundhay in Leeds and had a superb meal in the Roundhay Fox pub - recommended by all of us for good food at reasonable prices with good service. Across the road from the pub is Tropical World. This is a series of greenhouses joined in expert ways to give you a tour of various tropical scenarios. Plants, birds, butterflies, fish and other animals. A genuine attempt at a small-scale Eden Project which - especially for the modest entry fee of only £3 - was extremely entertaining and educational. Bristol should take a leaf out of their book, especially as their own version - Wildscreen - is due to close. Bristol's trouble was they tried to be too technological. Lots of interactive screens, not enough actual specimens and extortionately high prices.
A walk in Roundhay Park, a beautiful area of green in the middle of Leeds, and back to Malcolm's flat for tea and biscuits rounded off a beautiful day.
Back to the Travelodge for a good sleep and then today another exploratory drive through the Peak District National Park. We stopped in Glossop for breakfast in the Glossop Cafeteria. Reasonable English breakfast for me of sausages, bacon, egg, beans and toast. Ros had sausage and egg in "barm cake" - which turned out to be what I would call a bap and others might just call a round bread roll. Washed down with a good mug of tea, it did the job!
The final destination was Birmingham to visit our son Andi. He has just split with (now ex-fiancee) Steph and was putting on a brave face for us. It seems the split is amicable enough but it can't be easy for either of them when Steph and he have to share the same bed while she looks for somewhere else to live. I imagine it must be fairly strained at the moment. Andi cooked us a good pasta dish which was more than adequate for our needs. He chatted to Ros a lot. I was in a semi-doze because I had done all the driving over the last few days and knew I still had 100 miles to drive home tonight. Andi has serious exams towards his degree in less than a fortnight and is practising his trombone like mad for these at the moment. He seems to be bearing up and I know he will do his absolute best.
All in all a great break. Now back home I have a new toy to play with. I bid on and won a guitar amplifier. I had only bid on it because the seller was in Birmingham and it was a "pick-up only" item. I told Andi I was bidding and he said he'd pick it up for me. As it was I won the amp for a bargain price and the seller even delivered it to Andi's flat for me. Thanks very much Mark - I've sent you glowing feedback! So now I have this monster sitting in my music room waiting for me to try it out tomorrow!
Perhaps I should distribute ear-defenders to my neighbours first . . .
Debbie was one of our bridesmaids more than 30 years ago and neither of us have seen her since the day we got married. She was instantly recognisable and it was lovely to see her and her family. We chatted for hours and she produced one of the best home-made lasagnes I have ever tasted! I was really jealous of her daughter Sarah, who has recently been given a Fender guitar on which to learn - not just any old guitar but a brand-new Fender! I harken back to the days when I bought my first guitar. It was a piece of orange box with some strings on which I bought for 10 shillings (that's 50p or about $1 for you youngsters!). I painted it bright scarlet because that was the "in" colour for guitars in those days and it helped both me and my friend Derek to learn the rudiments of the guitar.
On the Tuesday, having stopped in a Travelodge and been pleasantly surprised by the basic but comfortable room there, we travelled to Leeds to see Ros's brother Malcolm. We all went to Roundhay in Leeds and had a superb meal in the Roundhay Fox pub - recommended by all of us for good food at reasonable prices with good service. Across the road from the pub is Tropical World. This is a series of greenhouses joined in expert ways to give you a tour of various tropical scenarios. Plants, birds, butterflies, fish and other animals. A genuine attempt at a small-scale Eden Project which - especially for the modest entry fee of only £3 - was extremely entertaining and educational. Bristol should take a leaf out of their book, especially as their own version - Wildscreen - is due to close. Bristol's trouble was they tried to be too technological. Lots of interactive screens, not enough actual specimens and extortionately high prices.
A walk in Roundhay Park, a beautiful area of green in the middle of Leeds, and back to Malcolm's flat for tea and biscuits rounded off a beautiful day.
Back to the Travelodge for a good sleep and then today another exploratory drive through the Peak District National Park. We stopped in Glossop for breakfast in the Glossop Cafeteria. Reasonable English breakfast for me of sausages, bacon, egg, beans and toast. Ros had sausage and egg in "barm cake" - which turned out to be what I would call a bap and others might just call a round bread roll. Washed down with a good mug of tea, it did the job!
The final destination was Birmingham to visit our son Andi. He has just split with (now ex-fiancee) Steph and was putting on a brave face for us. It seems the split is amicable enough but it can't be easy for either of them when Steph and he have to share the same bed while she looks for somewhere else to live. I imagine it must be fairly strained at the moment. Andi cooked us a good pasta dish which was more than adequate for our needs. He chatted to Ros a lot. I was in a semi-doze because I had done all the driving over the last few days and knew I still had 100 miles to drive home tonight. Andi has serious exams towards his degree in less than a fortnight and is practising his trombone like mad for these at the moment. He seems to be bearing up and I know he will do his absolute best.
All in all a great break. Now back home I have a new toy to play with. I bid on and won a guitar amplifier. I had only bid on it because the seller was in Birmingham and it was a "pick-up only" item. I told Andi I was bidding and he said he'd pick it up for me. As it was I won the amp for a bargain price and the seller even delivered it to Andi's flat for me. Thanks very much Mark - I've sent you glowing feedback! So now I have this monster sitting in my music room waiting for me to try it out tomorrow!
Perhaps I should distribute ear-defenders to my neighbours first . . .
Friday, February 16, 2007
Secret Police
We are to have a new system of local taxation in England. Local taxes - known as "council tax" will be assessed according to the value of your property. Thus the more your house is worth the more you pay. All very commendable, you may think. But what about the old widow who has lived in the same house all her life? It's big enough to raise the family of five who have all now fled the nest. Hubby died leaving her very little in the way of pension. The house, because of its size, is worth lots of money and - although it's perhaps too big for her now - she is loathe to move. She is old and frail and the trauma of looking for, viewing, buying and moving to a different house is just too much for her. Besides which, she has so many happy memories of the loving family and husband with whom she shared the house that she is wants to live out the rest of her life there and wishes to die in a place in which she has had so much happiness.
So she will be taxed accordingly and - although she is one person using the services of the local government she will have to pay the taxes as if there were six people living in the house. Furthermore if she improves the house, perhaps to make it easier for her to remain there, she will increase the value of the house and thus increase her taxes. New central heating will increase the value of her house. A modern bathroom with perhaps an easy-access bath to help her in her old age will again increase the value. All of the things which would help her have a comfortable old age will go against her when it comes to paying this tax.
She will not be able to hide any of these improvements. There will be a team of inspectors - already being dubbed the "Council Tax Police" who will have an absolute right to enter your home and assess its value. You will not have the right to refuse entry and if you try you will be fined up to £500 for each day their inspection is delayed.
"Hey guys, I've got an idea for some easy money. Let's make ourselves some bogus identity cards and go and inspect some old pensioners homes. We can suss the joint to see what they have that's worth stealing and we might even be able to fleece them for some bogus fines if they show signs of objecting!"
So far no one has given us any guarantees about how these inspectors will identify themselves. So the whole operation is open to the fleecing of gullible, law-abiding people. I don't know of a copper-bottomed guarantee that the guy at the door is the genuine article and I am sure we will get many confused and bewildered old people being defrauded on their own doorsteps.
Now to a more recent announcement. England is to get a smoking ban. Smoking will be banned from every public building and workplace on July 1. The only places where it will be legal to smoke will be in the open air or in your own home. I can see the benefits of this and in many ways, even though I'm a smoker, I agree with the general idea of it. But, once again, someone has to come up with a stupid idea that we won't go along with this new law and so - it must be enforced. Plans are afoot to employ clandestine "smoking police" to go into bars, pubs, clubs and work places and check that the law is being upheld. There will be as many as 20,000 of these spies. They will be allowed to secretly video acts of lighting up which could be used in evidence in a court of law. They will be able to apply on-the-spot fines to transgressors. They will also be empowered to fine proprietors if it is seen that they allow such breaches of the law.
How bloody sad.
In Scotland they have had a smoking ban for nearly a year. They already have a squad of 11 "smoking inspectors". In the time the law has been enacted the inspectors have recorded no breaches and imposed no fines.
In Ireland - which has had a similar regulation for some years - there has been no massive outcry nor many cases of the law being flouted.
Why does this government think we will need to be policed?
The control freaks who seem to run this country cry "it is for the public good".
I think it shows a sign of insecurity. Or perhaps it is just a money-making exercise.
The police state is alive and living in England.
So she will be taxed accordingly and - although she is one person using the services of the local government she will have to pay the taxes as if there were six people living in the house. Furthermore if she improves the house, perhaps to make it easier for her to remain there, she will increase the value of the house and thus increase her taxes. New central heating will increase the value of her house. A modern bathroom with perhaps an easy-access bath to help her in her old age will again increase the value. All of the things which would help her have a comfortable old age will go against her when it comes to paying this tax.
She will not be able to hide any of these improvements. There will be a team of inspectors - already being dubbed the "Council Tax Police" who will have an absolute right to enter your home and assess its value. You will not have the right to refuse entry and if you try you will be fined up to £500 for each day their inspection is delayed.
"Hey guys, I've got an idea for some easy money. Let's make ourselves some bogus identity cards and go and inspect some old pensioners homes. We can suss the joint to see what they have that's worth stealing and we might even be able to fleece them for some bogus fines if they show signs of objecting!"
So far no one has given us any guarantees about how these inspectors will identify themselves. So the whole operation is open to the fleecing of gullible, law-abiding people. I don't know of a copper-bottomed guarantee that the guy at the door is the genuine article and I am sure we will get many confused and bewildered old people being defrauded on their own doorsteps.
Now to a more recent announcement. England is to get a smoking ban. Smoking will be banned from every public building and workplace on July 1. The only places where it will be legal to smoke will be in the open air or in your own home. I can see the benefits of this and in many ways, even though I'm a smoker, I agree with the general idea of it. But, once again, someone has to come up with a stupid idea that we won't go along with this new law and so - it must be enforced. Plans are afoot to employ clandestine "smoking police" to go into bars, pubs, clubs and work places and check that the law is being upheld. There will be as many as 20,000 of these spies. They will be allowed to secretly video acts of lighting up which could be used in evidence in a court of law. They will be able to apply on-the-spot fines to transgressors. They will also be empowered to fine proprietors if it is seen that they allow such breaches of the law.
How bloody sad.
In Scotland they have had a smoking ban for nearly a year. They already have a squad of 11 "smoking inspectors". In the time the law has been enacted the inspectors have recorded no breaches and imposed no fines.
In Ireland - which has had a similar regulation for some years - there has been no massive outcry nor many cases of the law being flouted.
Why does this government think we will need to be policed?
The control freaks who seem to run this country cry "it is for the public good".
I think it shows a sign of insecurity. Or perhaps it is just a money-making exercise.
The police state is alive and living in England.
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