Having returned to the UK and adjusted to the time zone change I've been reflecting on what I found there.
I was amazed by the the lack of a world view on the TV programmes; you would never know that a world outside of the USA existed. As to the TV programmes, it was impossible to watch them, adverts every 4 minutes or so killed the flow of any dramatic script.
I realised that whilst I was there, I never saw a supermarket except the ubiquitous 7-11. If you wanted to buy groceries where would you go? I'm sure there must have been a Wal-Mart or similar around but I just did not see them in spite of travelling around in a car quite a bit. Perhaps we should be more thankful for Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and the rest.
Without NFL and Baseball I have no idea how the TV schedules would be filled, they would need to import some documentaries from elsewhere in the world.
New Hampshire and Massachusetts were lovely places to visit and I can imagine there is much more to see than I managed in the short time I was there.
I was still glad to get home though.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Thursday, 29 September 2011
I've been away...
Visiting the gold old US of A.
It's been an interesting experience and it's the first time I've been to the East coast (rather than the west coast).
Observations so far?
USA immigration is still a grim experience now with the added pain of having your finger prints scanned (to be shared with who knows what organisations).
Most people (not including immigration unfortunately) seem genuinely very nice and friendly.
Even in a relatively prosperous city like Boston, there are lots of rough-sleepers, people begging and many closed shops. (It's down to the area of the city, it does vary)
The weather has been unseasonably warm and the trees in New Hampshire have yet to turn to their glorious range of autumn colours.
The TV news in the USA is mostly very poor. Sport is huge but coverage of foreign events or even major domestic issues is almost non-existent.
Most food portions in cafes or restaurants are still way too big for sensible eating.
Service is really not as good as it's cracked up to be, even Americans I have spoken to, think standards have slipped in the last 10 years.
We did ask a police man for directions and he told us what we needed to know. So there are some good ones out there.
Still a few days to go but so far it's been a good trip
It's been an interesting experience and it's the first time I've been to the East coast (rather than the west coast).
Observations so far?
USA immigration is still a grim experience now with the added pain of having your finger prints scanned (to be shared with who knows what organisations).
Most people (not including immigration unfortunately) seem genuinely very nice and friendly.
Even in a relatively prosperous city like Boston, there are lots of rough-sleepers, people begging and many closed shops. (It's down to the area of the city, it does vary)
The weather has been unseasonably warm and the trees in New Hampshire have yet to turn to their glorious range of autumn colours.
The TV news in the USA is mostly very poor. Sport is huge but coverage of foreign events or even major domestic issues is almost non-existent.
Most food portions in cafes or restaurants are still way too big for sensible eating.
Service is really not as good as it's cracked up to be, even Americans I have spoken to, think standards have slipped in the last 10 years.
We did ask a police man for directions and he told us what we needed to know. So there are some good ones out there.
Still a few days to go but so far it's been a good trip
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Does newer = better
Progress...
It's supposed to always be useful and good; a marker of a developing civilisation.
Progress = Good
Well I wonder if it is really.
Let's look at some mundane example of progress;
Windows 7 'Ribbon' interface, supposedly a vast improvement in ease of use over those old clunky drop down menus from XP, 2000 or even further back in Windows history. Except that even after 6 months of using the interface I still find myself hunting for the right function in Office 10. It's an intuitive use fail.
State education. We used to have a system that made a judgement call about those children more academically gifted and those with more physical rather than intellectual skills. This seemed to work relatively well (obvious errors occur in any system). Some went to University to get degrees in English or the sciences other went to colleges to work on HTEC, BTEC or similar qualifications in anything from mechanical engineering to food preparation.
Now instead of that, we have a state school system where many at 11 years old are unable to read and write but still expect to go to University.
DAB radio. The promise was "a brilliant way to give us more radio stations on the dial with CD quality sound." The fact is, a system that frequently fails to deliver any sound at all and is often much worse than the old FM transmitters it is supposed to replace.
Quit smoking drugs. Hailed as the best way for smokers to stop the habit, they often cause sleepless nights, altered though patterns mood swings and even suicidal thoughts.
In each case above, a worthwhile product or system has 'progressed' to a newer allegedly better way of doing things that is often worse than what went before. Yet each has been promoted as progress.
It's useful to ask who was doing the promotion, because then it is easier to understand why we are so often asked to swallow a lie about the supposed benefits of progress.
Microsoft needs to sell operating systems, this happens most often when you buy a new PC. Yes the new PC will have a faster clock rate and shinier applications but that won't change how fast you type or whether you can watch a video at double speed. An old PC can do these tasks very well but then of course you would not need a new operating system.
State education has become a self serving monster that is at least as much interested in its own status as it is the product it produces. On almost any measure one uses, it fails to deliver for many of the young people who are pushed through the system. If it is so progressive and wonderful why do we have any illiterate 16 year olds?
DAB radio transmits more channels in a narrower spectrum than FM, but if only the Government could switch of the FM stations, they could auction off the spectrum and generate barrow loads of cash for themselves and the 'advisors' who reap the real money rewards.
Quit smoking drugs mostly fail to deliver on their promise. However if you medicalise a condition, a trusted member of the community (your Doctor) will help the drug companies to get the Government to pay for your 'illness'. Hypnosis, and other counselling methods have no side effect and work more effectively. They are not however promoted by a drug company.
So before you say that progress is always good (sometimes it really is good) I ask you to think about where the money is going and then realise who is really benefiting from this so called progress.
It's supposed to always be useful and good; a marker of a developing civilisation.
Progress = Good
Well I wonder if it is really.
Let's look at some mundane example of progress;
Windows 7 'Ribbon' interface, supposedly a vast improvement in ease of use over those old clunky drop down menus from XP, 2000 or even further back in Windows history. Except that even after 6 months of using the interface I still find myself hunting for the right function in Office 10. It's an intuitive use fail.
State education. We used to have a system that made a judgement call about those children more academically gifted and those with more physical rather than intellectual skills. This seemed to work relatively well (obvious errors occur in any system). Some went to University to get degrees in English or the sciences other went to colleges to work on HTEC, BTEC or similar qualifications in anything from mechanical engineering to food preparation.
Now instead of that, we have a state school system where many at 11 years old are unable to read and write but still expect to go to University.
DAB radio. The promise was "a brilliant way to give us more radio stations on the dial with CD quality sound." The fact is, a system that frequently fails to deliver any sound at all and is often much worse than the old FM transmitters it is supposed to replace.
Quit smoking drugs. Hailed as the best way for smokers to stop the habit, they often cause sleepless nights, altered though patterns mood swings and even suicidal thoughts.
In each case above, a worthwhile product or system has 'progressed' to a newer allegedly better way of doing things that is often worse than what went before. Yet each has been promoted as progress.
It's useful to ask who was doing the promotion, because then it is easier to understand why we are so often asked to swallow a lie about the supposed benefits of progress.
Microsoft needs to sell operating systems, this happens most often when you buy a new PC. Yes the new PC will have a faster clock rate and shinier applications but that won't change how fast you type or whether you can watch a video at double speed. An old PC can do these tasks very well but then of course you would not need a new operating system.
State education has become a self serving monster that is at least as much interested in its own status as it is the product it produces. On almost any measure one uses, it fails to deliver for many of the young people who are pushed through the system. If it is so progressive and wonderful why do we have any illiterate 16 year olds?
DAB radio transmits more channels in a narrower spectrum than FM, but if only the Government could switch of the FM stations, they could auction off the spectrum and generate barrow loads of cash for themselves and the 'advisors' who reap the real money rewards.
Quit smoking drugs mostly fail to deliver on their promise. However if you medicalise a condition, a trusted member of the community (your Doctor) will help the drug companies to get the Government to pay for your 'illness'. Hypnosis, and other counselling methods have no side effect and work more effectively. They are not however promoted by a drug company.
So before you say that progress is always good (sometimes it really is good) I ask you to think about where the money is going and then realise who is really benefiting from this so called progress.
Monday, 29 August 2011
People say sheep are stupid...
They eat when hungry, sleep when tired and drink when thirsty.
If we did the same their would be no obesity in the western world.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Saturday, 6 August 2011
How ever dark it seems the sun will break through
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Apologies for the lack of posts, I'm on holiday
We all need a break to recharge sometimes and I'm taking one right now.
Normal service will be resumed next week.
Normal service will be resumed next week.
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Change the direction of your thinking for better results
Sometimes I need to flow chart a process. I usually use a piece of Microsoft software called Visio. It allows you to drag and drop decision boxes and process steps, connect them with dynamic arrow style connectors and you finish up with a nice flow chart. Start at the top of the page and work your way down, boxes, loops, decisions, connectors; job done.
But not yesterday.
I started a flow chart three times following the pattern, each time I struggled to get the logic right. The chart seemed over complex and just plain looked wrong. Frustration was the outcome.
I sat down again with pen and paper and instead of working from top to bottom of the page, I turned the paper landscape style and worked left to right. Aha! It works! Within 10 minutes I had simplified and refined the chart. I then used this as the model for a computer generated one.
And I began to wonder why it had been so much easier to work from left to right rather than from top to bottom.
In flow chart terms the direction made no difference but it really was so much easier that I wondered why this might be.
Perhaps it is because we read from left to right but I wonder if our notion of a timeline has something to do with this too. Timeline is an NLP term and it can be used therapeutically to shift difficult problems or gain a different perspective on them.
Try an experiment with me. Close your eyes and imagine or remember a happy scene from some time in your far past. Still with your eyes closed point to that event in space where you imagine it to be. Is is to your left or right? Is it in front of you or behind you? Is it above or below your eyeline?
Remember that place. Now think about an event that will be in your future. It could be your retirement, Christmas or something else of significance. Point to where that event is in space just like before.
Now compare those two locations; many people will have an imaginary timeline between those two events that runs from left to right ie the older event to your left, the newer to your right. Relatively fewer people will have the timeline running from right to left and fewer yet (in my experience) will have the past event behind them and the future event directly ahead of them.
My time line runs left to right, so in a process it would be natural for me to think, left to right. Perhaps this explains why it was so much easier for me to get some clarity on my flowchart when I literally changed the direction of my thinking.
Try it and see if it can help you too.
But not yesterday.
I started a flow chart three times following the pattern, each time I struggled to get the logic right. The chart seemed over complex and just plain looked wrong. Frustration was the outcome.
I sat down again with pen and paper and instead of working from top to bottom of the page, I turned the paper landscape style and worked left to right. Aha! It works! Within 10 minutes I had simplified and refined the chart. I then used this as the model for a computer generated one.
And I began to wonder why it had been so much easier to work from left to right rather than from top to bottom.
In flow chart terms the direction made no difference but it really was so much easier that I wondered why this might be.
Perhaps it is because we read from left to right but I wonder if our notion of a timeline has something to do with this too. Timeline is an NLP term and it can be used therapeutically to shift difficult problems or gain a different perspective on them.
Try an experiment with me. Close your eyes and imagine or remember a happy scene from some time in your far past. Still with your eyes closed point to that event in space where you imagine it to be. Is is to your left or right? Is it in front of you or behind you? Is it above or below your eyeline?
Remember that place. Now think about an event that will be in your future. It could be your retirement, Christmas or something else of significance. Point to where that event is in space just like before.
Now compare those two locations; many people will have an imaginary timeline between those two events that runs from left to right ie the older event to your left, the newer to your right. Relatively fewer people will have the timeline running from right to left and fewer yet (in my experience) will have the past event behind them and the future event directly ahead of them.
My time line runs left to right, so in a process it would be natural for me to think, left to right. Perhaps this explains why it was so much easier for me to get some clarity on my flowchart when I literally changed the direction of my thinking.
Try it and see if it can help you too.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
A dying fathers rules for a life of fulfilment
You'll find the full article here and it is a tragedy, one that is so common that we almost forget about how tragic it is.
A father is diagnosed with cancer and then spends the last few weeks of his life putting his affairs in order and giving his family the benefit of all he has learnt and wants to pass on to his children.
After his death his wife found a document on his laptop called Rules for finding fulfilment.
Here are his rules.
Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.
Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.
Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.
Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.
Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.
Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.
Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.
Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.
Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.
Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.
Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.
Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.
Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to ...which is why I have chosen them carefully.
Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.
Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.
Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.
Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.
Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.
Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.
Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.
Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.
Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.
Look after your body and it will look after you.
Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!
And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.
I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x
I think there is something here that everyone take take positive guidance from. I know I have.
A father is diagnosed with cancer and then spends the last few weeks of his life putting his affairs in order and giving his family the benefit of all he has learnt and wants to pass on to his children.
After his death his wife found a document on his laptop called Rules for finding fulfilment.
Here are his rules.
Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.
Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.
Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.
Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.
Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.
Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.
Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.
Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.
Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.
Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.
Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.
Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.
Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to ...which is why I have chosen them carefully.
Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.
Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.
Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.
Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.
Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.
Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.
Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.
Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.
Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.
Look after your body and it will look after you.
Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!
And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.
I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x
I think there is something here that everyone take take positive guidance from. I know I have.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
With all the bad news, it's easy to forget...
With all the bad news around at the moment from phone hacking, to the collapse of the Euro, from rising fuel bills to falling wages it's easy to forget the good things that are happening.
Remind yourself that the sun WILL rise tomorrow, that even now apples are ripening in orchards, that babies are being born who are untainted by the troubles of the world.
Remember that the sun will shine and the rail will fall regardless of what happens to stock markets or pension plans and even in the depths of the longest and deepest economic depression for 60 years, people are still donating time, money and goods to charities.
It's easy to fall into a melancholic slump from time to time. it happens to me too, but when you get away from the man-made problems you can see there are so many good things that happen too.
Take a moment to today to find just one thing to enjoy and be thankful for. Honestly, it will help you feel better about the negatives and help you put them in their place.
Remind yourself that the sun WILL rise tomorrow, that even now apples are ripening in orchards, that babies are being born who are untainted by the troubles of the world.
Remember that the sun will shine and the rail will fall regardless of what happens to stock markets or pension plans and even in the depths of the longest and deepest economic depression for 60 years, people are still donating time, money and goods to charities.
It's easy to fall into a melancholic slump from time to time. it happens to me too, but when you get away from the man-made problems you can see there are so many good things that happen too.
Take a moment to today to find just one thing to enjoy and be thankful for. Honestly, it will help you feel better about the negatives and help you put them in their place.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
A phobia is not always a phobia
When a little girl developed a phobia of going to the playground her mum was obviously concerned.
But the crying and the fear was not a phobia at all; it was an undiagnosed brain tumour. This was only realised when the little girl Poppy started bumping into doorways and falling over.
This is as much a lesson for therapists as anyone else. Are you really working on the root cause of a client's issue or could there be a medical angle that somehow got missed?
Read the full story on the Daily Mail web site here.
But the crying and the fear was not a phobia at all; it was an undiagnosed brain tumour. This was only realised when the little girl Poppy started bumping into doorways and falling over.
This is as much a lesson for therapists as anyone else. Are you really working on the root cause of a client's issue or could there be a medical angle that somehow got missed?
Read the full story on the Daily Mail web site here.
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