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The Emerson Avenger

The Emerson Avenger is a "memory hole" free blog where censorship is scorned. This blog will "guard the right to know" about any injustices and abuses that corrupt Unitarian Universalism. Posters may speak and argue freely, according to conscience, about any injustices and abuses, or indeed hypocrisy, that they may know about so that the Avenger, in the form of justice and redress, may come surely and swiftly. . . "Slowly, slowly the Avenger comes, but comes surely." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

In 1992 I underwent a profound revelatory experience of God which revealed that the total solar eclipse "Eye of God" is a "Sign in the Heavens" that symbolizes God's divine omniscience. You may read about what Rev. Ray Drennan of the Unitarian Church of Montreal contemptuously dismissed as my "psychotic experience" here: - This revelatory religious experience inspired me to propose an inter-religious celebration of Creation that would take place whenever a total solar eclipse took place over our planet. You may read about what Rev. Ray Drennan and other leading members of the Unitarian Church of Montreal falsely and maliciously labeled as a "cult" here: - I am now an excommunicated Unitarian whose "alternative spiritual practice" includes publicly exposing and denouncing Unitarian*Universalist injustices, abuses, and hypocrisy. The Emerson Avenger blog will serve that purpose for me and hopefully others will share their concerns here. Dee Miller's term DIM Thinking is used frequently and appropriately on this blog. You may read more about what DIM Thinking is here -

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Unintelligent Designer Aurélien Guillory Gets His Proverbial Fifteen Minutes of World Fame - Surveillance Photos From Sunday June 18th

OK I don't really expect U*U hypocrisy or bigotry of various kinds to completely end but these serious problems that clearly exist within contemporary U*Uism must be responsibly acknowleged, addressed and properly dealt with in order to significantly reduce them. . .

A young churchgoer surveys the damage. . . The slogans written in chalk on the sidewalk say CULT IS A FOUR LETTER WORD and U*Us CONDONE HATE SPEECH. The former is a classic picket sign slogan that I have displayed for several years now in protest against the false and malicious labeling of Creation Day as a "cult" by Rev. Ray Drennan and Unitarian Church of Montreal Board Presidents Frank Greene and John Inder. The latter plays off of the fact that former "bad boy" Montreal city councillor Jeremy Searle and various other Montreal Unitarian U*Us have labeled my own picket sign slogans that display words like "cult" and "Solar Temple", in the context of protesting against these damaging slurs, as "hate speech" and "hate crime" in their deeply cynical misguided efforts to criminalize my legitimate protest activities in order to have them censored and suppressed by the Montreal police and Crown prosecution.

Straight Eye For The U*U Guy. . . Interior designer Aurélien Guillory tries to give the exterior Unitarian Church of Montreal a make-over.

In the past Aurélien Guillory and his partner had grabbed my picket signs and had tried to confiscate them, walk away with them, and carry them into the Unitarian Church of Montreal. A couple of times today I was across the street from the Unitarian Church of Montreal taking some pictures of the whole facade of the church to show the row of signs in front of it. I saw Aurélien Guillory, who besides being an "internationally renowned interior decorator", has been a Board member of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, approaching the church from the east with a small group of other people. He quickly noticed that I was not on the sidewalk on front of the "church" and I heard him ask, "Where is Robin?" Knowing what he had done in the past I decided to keep quiet and more-or-less out of sight and watch what would transpire if he thought that I was not around. When he verified that I was not in front of the church he began to gather up my picket signs as he had done in the past. I said nothing and just took pictures of Guillory's vigilante U*U censorship activities.

Another churchgoer, a woman approaching from the west, started to grab my picket signs as well and met Aurélien half-way as it were. As Aurélien began to walk towards that "church" entrance with a stack of my picket signs in his hands I alerted him to my presence and showed him my camera. I warned him that he was committing theft and that I had evidence of his "crime". He responded that he was only "moving" my signs and proceeded to stash the pile that he had purloined behind the row of bushes that line the front of the church property. This is most ironic really in that in their futile efforts to have me and/or my picket signs removed from in front of their alleged "church" various members of the Unitarain Church of Montreal have repeatedly claimed that my picket signs are on church property even though I take care to ensure that they are on municipal property. Perhaps even more ironic however is the slogan that I had chalked on the sidewalk to the east of the "church" that Aurélien Guillory had walked across on his way to confiscate and remove my picket signs -

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The withdrawal of Mr. Edgar’s membership from the Unitarian Church of Montreal was not motivated by his religious beliefs, but by his disruptive and aggressive behaviour towards the members of this congregation. His inappropriate behaviour has continued for more than ten years. Seven years ago he was brought before a Disruptive Behaviour Committee, where over the next three years attempts were made to have him moderate his unacceptable behaviours. He would agree to proposed solutions and then go on as before. He was repeatedly warned that failure to comply with what he had agreed to do would result in serious consequences. Over this period, he was suspended from participation in Church life for six months. Unfortunately, upon his return his behaviour worsened , and he was suspended for an additional year. Again when he returned, his inappropriate behaviour continued. Finally in November 1999, at a meeting of the full congregation, during which he spoke on his own behalf, a congregational vote was taken and his membership was revoked. This decade long process, during which sincere attempts were made by the congregation to negotiate a solution, ended when it became clear that he had no intention of ceasing his disruptive and aggressive behaviours. It should be noted that Reverend Ray Drennan did apologise, in person, on more than one occasion. However, this did not meet with Mr Edgar’s satisfaction. Mr. Edgar has redressed his grievances to whomever he has saw fit, be it the UUA, CUC, etc., and his complaint to the Quebec Human Rights Commission in 2002 was summarily dismissed as being without merit. Mr Edgar continues to picket the church in the futile belief that the Church will act. Reverend Drennan is no longer the minister as he left to follow his own life’s journey; and the church has simply moved on.

Thursday, June 22, 2006 2:50:00 pm
Blogger The Emerson Avenger said...

More U*U institutional denial that I have thoroughly discredited and rebutted over a dozen times now. . .

Thursday, June 22, 2006 2:55:00 pm
Blogger The Emerson Avenger said...

Well actually, to be more accurate, I just very thoroughly rebutted this fine example of complicit U*U misinformation and institutional denial once way back in January soon after it was first posted as a comment, but Anonymous U*U just keeps on reposting it verbatim again and again ad nauseum. Here is a link to my point-by-point rebuttal of Anonymous U*U's lame attempt at U*U "damage control", U*U disinformation and U*U "spin". . .

Friday, June 23, 2006 9:42:00 pm

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Sunday, 23 August 2015

My make up saviours

Its summer time and here in the U.K it's pretty humid and clammy I'm not saying that's a terrible thing but it is when it comes to your make up. I like to wear quite a heavy coverage foundation I've always been that way its probably an insecurity thing but hey ho. Every year I have the same problem of when its really hot and clammy my make up just evaporates. This year I decided to do something about that because it can b quite frustrating when I've put alot of time and effort into my make up that morning to see most of it gone by 12 o clock. The product that's really helped with this is The Body Shop Vitamin C Instant Glow Enhancer. I'd originally bought it to brighten my skin so that I could achieve a more dewy finish to my make up without having to change foundations. But I've found that this product also works as a pretty good primer.

I think because this product is extremely hydrating and it has vitamin c in it I think it goes into your pores and helps your skin rather than clogging them up with silicon like some primers do. The Body Shop Vitamin C Instant Glow Enhancer is a gorgeous creamy consistency that smells of orange and has an orange tint too which I think is a little colour correcting as I have alot of redness around my cheeks and I feel this is made a little more even base to work upon. this product also brightens up your skin so much as when you apply it you achieve an instant glow. This for me was the original selling point and I'm so glad I picked it up as when you use this with a foundation with a dewy finish its definitely the perfect summer base.

So by using the Vitamin C Instant Glow Enhancer I've created that perfect glowing base I do still have one or two problem pore areas that  still wanted to cover up so I used the Body Shop Instablur Primer which completely does the trick. I have quite visible pores on the sides of my nose and on my cheeks towards the centre of my face so I really like to blot those out so that my make up sits correctly. To do this I use a tiny amount of the product on those areas and it creates a perfectly smooth base that really evens up the texture of my skin ready to be built upon. I definitely want to pick up more products from the vitamin c range at the body shop as I think just by using this has helped my skin so much I bet the rest of the range will do wonders.

Have you guys tried either of these products?  Do u recommend something else from that range please let me know :-)
Emer X

Thursday, 20 August 2015

Naked Smoky Looks

As a little follow up to the post earlier in the week talking about the gorgeous naked smoky palette, I thought I'd just show you guys how I've been wearing some of the my favourite shades.

Firstly let me just say since having this palette I have used thirteen and Combust constantly. The two work perfectly together to highlight and to create a transition between the brow bone and whichever beautiful eye shadow you choose to use. I use Combust in my crease and then take it slightly up to my brow bone and I am obsessed with how much dimension and extra shading it gives to the finished look. Which is what I have done on all three of these looks.

As I said I've been starting every look with Thirteen and Combust so I applied those two on the brow bone and crease. Then I took Whiskey and used that shade in my crease and then into my outer corners and lower lash line. Then I used Radar in the centre of my lid and blend that into Whisky. Finally I took Dirtysweet in my inner corners and lower lash line and blended them all together.

 For some reason I can't stop using Password it's such a unique shade, so I started with password in my crease and outer corner. Then I took Slanted on my lid and lower lash line and I also put Thirteen in my inner corner and then put more Armor on top of that. Then to darken up the corners I used Black Market obviously blending everything together as I go.

Firstly I used Password which is a really nice muted taupe grey, into my crease and then out into the outer corner. I then used Dagger on the centre of my lid and towards the inner corner. Then I took Thirteen again and used a little bit in my inner corner. By doing this I create a highlight while also lightening up the little bit of Dagger that I had already put it.

With all of these looks I finished with my Soap and Glory Supercat Eyeliner and my Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara as I feel a eye look is not complete without a feline flick. How have you guys been using this palette what are your favourite shades?

Emer X

Monday, 17 August 2015

I totally get it now

So this is just a short post to show you guys how God damn happy I am. Some may call it a little sad but you know what I don't care.
I have long awaited the day when I can wake up in the morning and say hey I'm gonna put my mac on. I know this may sound silly but I work really hard for my money and now I own some.make up that is of a high level I feel like it's money well spent and a serious investment for me.
I picked up two items the first being Velvet Teddy lipstick not only because I've been brainwashed into thinking that I need it by every YouTuber and blogger but also because I wanted that perfect nude pinky brown to be part of my collection. The other item is the burgundy times 9 pallete that is just gorgeous and has the perfect amount of Matt and shimmer shades that makes it the perfect pallete for any look. Also I really wanted some new shades into my collection so these burgundys and coppers are perfect for that cause.
So yeah hyper active ranting over and I hope you guys understand my ramblings, please make sure you follow me for a full on review of these products.
B-) emer x

Sunday, 16 August 2015

Urban Decay Smoky Palette

I've been so excited about the launch of this palette for quite some time, as you guys may of guessed by now I really love a smokey eye so this palette just makes sense for me to purchase, and since that day I've not touched any other eye shadow. This product really has everything you need to create any smokey eye look you want.

Firstly let just take a minute to appreciate the very practical but beautiful packaging. The palette has this gorgeous watercolour smoke design all over the hard casing of the palette. Inside of that there is a mirror inside that's the same length of the palette which comes in really handy when your using the palette on the go. Just from the packaging alone you really feel like you've got a great high quality product and you know that the eye shadows inside are going to be just .

Inside there are 12 eye shadows to choose from with the perfect mix of shimmer, satin and matt the possibilities are endless.
These 12 shades include
 ¦ High ¦ Dirtysweet ¦ Radar ¦ Armor ¦
¦ Slanted ¦ Dagger ¦ Black Market ¦ Smolder ¦
¦ Password ¦ Whiskey ¦ Combust ¦ Thirteen ¦

 I really like how much the colours vary with this palette as there are some really pretty highlight shades, champagnes and golds going to blues purples and greys. For me this is great as it's really pushed me out of my comfort zone of using black constantly and I've been able to build up the different colours more to create a more interesting look with alot more depth.

I have found that using Thirteen first as a highlight on my brow bone then using Combust in the crease and then slightly into where I just put thirteen it creates a perfect transition for the dark smokey shades. I really love the final result by doing this you don't get a start stop line where the dark shade finishes and your highlight begins. Instead you'r left with a perfectly blended eye that transitions perfectly shade to shade without any harsh lines. Because of this gorgeous effect they give I love these two and I feel I'l be touching pan very quickly with Combust in the not so distant future.

 As far as the actual colours are concerned my favourites have been Smolder, Dagger and Password. I've mainly been using Password in the crease after Combust and then taking either Smolder or dagger onto my lid and lower lash line this creates a really pretty smokey look with some really nice interest by using different colours.

I have been so impressed with the pigmentation of these beautiful shades as this is my first Urban Decay palette I thought it would be good but I didn't expect them to be this good. You really don;t need a primer with these colours they are perfectly pigmented all by themselves. I would recommend wearing a primer for durability but I personally feel that about any eye shadow as I hate the horrible creased look that tends to                                             develop during a long day at work.

Finally the other great thing about this palette is the brush as its fit for every purpose. the smaller side is slightly domed so that it can fit into smaller parts of your eye such as the inner corner and lower lash line. But aswell as this it also works great on the lid and to create more defined shapes. Then on the other end there is a gorgeous tapered blending brush which works fantastic to give that perfect smokey eye which is exactly what you want to achieve with this palette.

Overall I'm really impressed with this product and it has definitely converted me to Urban Decay. Its a great palette for anyone who loves a smokey eye but I think especially for someone who new to this sort of style as it gives you all the tools you need to create that perfect on point smokey eye.
Have you picked up this palette too ? Are you as in love as I am?

Emer X

Saturday, 15 August 2015

Prezzo - My favourite Restaurant

Okay lets talk food again, as it really is my next biggest passion next to beauty and fashion. There are alot of different Italian restaurant chains all over the UK and I have to say I really love most of them butt non more than the chain Prezzo.
The first one I checked out purely by chance as we were wondering round the streets of Nottingham trying to find a nice looking pizza place, that's were we found Prezzo. From the first bite I fell in love and since then I've visited there restaurants in Manchester a few times and a couple in London too.

Any chain that I discover I like to work my way around the menu as I am quite an adventurous eater I'll try anything that sounds good. My personal favourites so far has been, Il Carltoni Calzone, Prawn & Lobster VIP pizza and the one that I always go back to is the Spaghetti with King Prawns. Oooh the Spaghetti with King Prawns is just AMAZING firstly the spaghetti is cooked perfectly el dente which adds a gorgeous texture to the meal. Then around six or seven big fat juicy king prawns without any shells or tails just ready to go. Surrounding the pasta and prawns there is the most perfect tomato sauce with chili, red onion, spinach and garlic... what could  be better... what more could you want.

 The thing I love the most aout Prezzo is that the portion sizes are spot on for me. For some people they could be too big but for me if your eating out you want good value for money with the taste and a decent size portion, non of this pretty little fine dining.

Prezzo also Serve Peroni on draft which is always I winner for me but with my Spaghetti and King Prawns I do love a nice glass on Rose as the two compliment each other so well. The glass of Rose also comes in very handy when it comes to desert which for me is either the classic Tiramisu or the gooorgeous Chocolate Orange Slice. That slice is desert perfection, its not too heavy its ever so slightly goey and the flavors are spot on. I just could never contemplate anything else.

Also there's always some sort of offer on 2 for 1 mains, free desert or starter, 20% off oh and if you sign up to there newsletter you get a free £25 bottle of Presecco with your meal in the month of your birthday. So seriously check it out they're literally all over the country I'm kinda glad there isn't one where I live or else I'd be sooo fat and sooo poor.

Have you ever been ? Let me know what your favourite is on the menu :-)
Emer X

Monday, 3 August 2015

Lord & Berry Velluto Slate & Noble

As I've mentioned before I really do love Lord and Berry and I'm constantly looking for something new to try out. I picked up these pretty cool looking eyeliners from my Love Me Beauty Box this month and I'm pretty impressed. The two colours I picked up was Slate which is a really gorgeous medium grey and the other is Noble which is a gorgeous Damson shade which is really different for a eyeliner.

These eyeliners have been designed to be able to use them firstly as a liner but then also as an eyeshadow. This is achievable because on the opposite end you find a brush nib where you can smudge out your eyeliner to create an effortless smokey eye. At first I did find this quite difficult as the eyeliner at first was a little dry so it wasn't as smooth as I'd expected. But after a few uses the liner became alot easier to work with and now I find them to be smooth and creamy. Even though they are creamy the liners set really well, which was a little unexpected as I thought I may of had to set my look with some eyeshadow. Even more unexpectedly I found that the liners lasted all day without even the slightest top up the colour and finish was flawless.

I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to these liners, I really want to play around with a few ideas I've got flying around my head so keep checking back to see what I come up with.

Emer X

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This Blog is Mostly Now Defunct

Thanks for stopping by what used to be a place where I dumped my younger twenty-something thoughts. While I don't feel the need to erase this piece of history from the Interwebs, I also don't really do a lot here anymore. It's also funny. The stuff that used to prompt me to share and write is now distilled into 140-character status updates elsewhere.

If you really want to read this stuff, then I will offer some curation of my favorite bits, below. So have fun browsing - and go easy on some of my more ridiculous posts, usually fits of some strong emotion or another.

-Eulogy/dedication for my grandma (March 07)

-family vacation with my Army Ranger uncle (July 05)

-running my first marathon (Nov 05)

-buying some boots (Feb 05)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

RIP blog, by me.


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...This morning my sister and I put together these fun purses.

I made this one. They go together pretty fast. All you have to do is make 2 squares that are the same size, stitch 3 sides together, make a handle and flower, stitch them on and then you're done.

My sister made this one. Not bad for a 7 year old. We are hoping to sell a few of them. Next I'm going to try to make one like these but out of fabric and see how that turns out.

Have a great day!!!

Holiday Houses

A few weeks ago my siblings and I built and decorated these holiday houses.

This is the front of the house. I like the wreaths on it; and the step up to the door says, "welcome winter". I think this one is my favorite. Our Aunt Missy sure does a good job picking out craft stuff to send to us.

I took a picture of the side of the house so that you can see the cute snowman better. ( And yes, he does have eyes but you can't see them very well in the picture.)

This is the other holiday house. I love the lights on the front. There was supposed to be a santa claus on top of the roof but we thought the house looked cuter without.

This is the side of the house. I really like the snowdrifts on the roof. Although the candy-canes and snowflake on the window are cute too. Just excuse the snowdrift on the other side that is peeling off. It must sense the warmer weather we have had for the last couple of days. After a lot of cold weather, it is nice to feel some better temps. If only it would stop raining, that would be good.

A Family Of Dolls

I made these cloth dolls last month. One for my sister's birthday, one for my Mom for Christmas, and one for myself.

From left to right: The one I kept for myself, the one I gave to Mom for Christmas, and the one I gave to Elisabeth for her birthday.

After I made the dolls for Mommy and Elisabeth, I couldn't resist making one for myself. My favorite part of making them is picking out the fabric for their dresses. Although making their faces is fun too. (Just in case you're wondering, the doll in the middle is supposed to look like "Dorothy" from the "Wizard Of Oz.")

Have a great day!!!

Preemie Hats

Lately I have been making preemie hats to donate to our local NICU. These are some of them.

I think that preemie hats are somewhat addicting. (The hats look big in the picture but they are a good size for little babies). This year I set a goal to make one a day. Although I must say I have a little bit of catching up to do. My personal favorite is the lt. blue hat with the white ribbon weaved through it.
Have a great day!!!

A New Dress For Miranda....

I have been working on this dress for my doll Miranda. And I have learned alot about making doll patterns while making it.

I have made two but I decided to take a picture of this one since the other one doesn't have a hem or buttons yet. One of the things I learned while making this dress is the importance of seam allowances. After I sewed the buttons and button-holes on I went to put it on Miranda and I realized that the dress was really tight around her middle. And so that was how I learned the importance of seam allowances.

This is the back of the dress. When I was sewing the skirt, I made a mistake, but then I realized that that way it had a train. And so I decided to leave it like that.

Now I need to go finish the next one!!! Have a wonderful day!!!

Welcome to my blog


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Precisely how you could choose the very best Mattress

You will find huge amounts of advertisements regarding it these days. You do not have to appear out incredibly positive points to become supplied. The thing itself suffices declaration that this ought to possess the money that you buy it.

You will find large amounts of the brand title of memory foams which are promptly provided within the marketplace. This remains in reality to your advantage since currently, you have an option. You could appear at, see the prices and contrast before making any buying options.

The assistance that the Best mattress for back pain will provide your physique is unparalleled. For this component alone, you’ll need to take into consideration acquiring one particularly if you possess a problem with neck and pain within the back, together with joint and other muscle mass pains.

The item will stick for you and make in accordance with the form of one’s physique. This provides suitable help while offering fantastic offers of benefits to your whole physique. This could also provide warmth. This is recommended to become utilized in areas that experience severe winter months problem or in your residences that have created the proper cooling system.

A couple of from the well-recognized manufacturers of this kind of bed is loved kept in thoughts listed beneath.

This sort of mattress from amerisleep was the first out there for this kind of thing. Thought about that these days, this brand title continuous lies be to become the most favored one amongst its opponents. This is thought about to become a superb option because of the truth that the cost is a great deal much more cost-effective in comparison to that of a Tempur mattress.

There are countlessbenefits and numerous include on. You must be mindful regarding choosing the one according to precisely what your spending budget strategy could match when you’re out looking for a brand-new bed.

Sealy has also established their variant of memory foam. This is acknowledged to become the very best manufacturer of the mattress. For this component, no one was stunned when it created its line of memory foam.

There’s no denying that this is prominent. Possess an appear at the brand title also because the variants that numerous firms have currently established. As days pass, the extra current business tries their practical job. Check out to know more about the mattress.

You’ve to become prepared to invest a big amount for this type of product if you would be the client. You’ll need not worry because of the truth that apart from having many options, sufficient to become able to contrast expenses. You’re similarly in for a superb financial investment. This thing will last lengthy. It’s lengthy standing up to. Just for your aspect that it’s solid, it will unquestionably surpass the pattern.

Which One to Choose: Spring Mattress, Memory Foam Mattress, and Latex Mattress

These days the three most favored types of mattresses are spring, latex and foam mattresses. All of them vary in comfort and rate. And the distinctions are so unique that it will truly take a little bit of contemplating to figure out which mattress is the best choice.

Let’s have a have a look in the advantages and downsides of each type

Let’s start with a Memory foam mattress from It is likely the most well-liked form of foam mattress. This can be a special type of foam that is delicate to the heat of your body. It would adhere well to your body, and you will have an excellent night’s sleep without the normal body pains and discomforts if you would select this mattress. In the situation in case you are continuously struggling with back discomforts and pains, then you may pick this type of mattress.

This mattress offers a firm comfort that can especially support the lumbar area of your body. Like something in this world, this type of mattress also has its minuses. The reason is that it often adheres also to the temperature of the room. It can end up becoming warm all through the summer season, and there is a chance that you will get up one morning soaked in sweat. And all through winter, it can get too cold. An additional component is that this type of mattress is truly a little a lot heavier. Things are that it is rather thick, and, the denser the type of mattress you pick, the heavier it ends up becoming.

The following type of mattress is the latex mattress. Because of its many wellbeing benefits, these days this is the preferred mattress type. It is as firm as Memory foam, but, it tends to make use of less density, so it is somewhat bouncier. You will find great deals of pros to utilizing this mattress. To start with, it is superb for all those with experiencing allergies of any type, for your reason that it is genuinely all-natural and without any chemical substances consisted of. It is also outstanding that this type of mattress is naturally long lasting. You can worth the remarkable night sleep over thirty years when you would purchase this mattress. It is even made a great deal more resilient just because it is resistant to molds.

You may be one of these folks who are struggling with latex allergies, then this mattress will not suit you. You may maybe but take enjoyment in all possibilities of latex mattress if belong to the group of latex victims. The component is that to offer a chance to latex victims to try this mattress; some organizations get rid of the protein found in rubber tree sap, as this is the most essential purpose allergies are initiated.

Let’s carry on to the spring mattress. Beyond doubt, spring mattresses are likely the broadest. It suggests that many offers use this innovation, as this is the simplest to establish. It is also the least costly type of mattresses. You have to examine carefully the top-notch of the mattress you may be utilizing. The main drawback of a spring mattress is that inside a course of time you will truly feel all of the spring in your mattress with your own back.

The Important Mattress Shopping Manual

If you are obtaining the suggested eight hours of sleep per night as suggested by most healthcare professionals, then it is true that you will spend one-third of your life in bed. When place into this perspective, it is simple to see how essential it is that you get the mattress you can. Purchasing a new mattress at a store like Crowley Furniture Mattress Store is a procedure that shouldn’t be taken lightly, since your capability for a great night’s sleep and in the end your wellbeing depends upon it. Right here are some essential considerations to make when shopping for the new mattress.

Store a minimum of Each Decade

Mattresses are not meant to last permanently, even the best-rated ones at You may not find it because you sleep in your mattress each night but your mattress will gradually wear out over time, becoming lumpy in some spots and thin in other spots. Whether or not you feel you need to or not, you need to go shopping for a new mattress a minimum of each ten years, or as your needs change. You will require a different mattress a minimum of each ten years because your body will change and need different thicknesses and firmness while you age. If you are ever injured or develop a healthcare situation, you will need to re-evaluate your mattress needs at these times also.

Do Your Homework

Subsequent, you need to be certain to do many research around the different types of mattresses that you have to select from. There are soft, firm, foam, and coil mattresses, and different levels of firmness in every of these categories also. Every type of mattress will do much better for different wellbeing conditions that an individual may have and how you have a tendency to sleep. If you sleep in your side, your back, or your abdomen, you will need to think on this when selecting a mattress and find out which type will be much better for a great night’s sleep.

Take Your Companion

If you are sharing a bed with your partner or companion, think on their needs also. There are some mattresses that will offer different thicknesses on every side of the mattress. Other types like memory foam mattresses will permit two people to sleep around the bed without one or even the other continuously feeling motion in the other side. You also need to make decisions concerning the size of mattress you’ll need. To conserve money, you may go for a queen, but this may be a lot too small for couples who like to have their own space once they sleep. Around the other hand, couples who like to snuggle in close once they sleep can conserve money by selecting a queen or perhaps a full-sized mattress. When one or each partner are not sleeping well, it can place many strain on the relationship, so it is essential for your relationship that you select a mattress with each of you in mind.

Take It for a Test Drive

You wouldn’t purchase a car without test driving it first, and purchasing a mattress should be no different. When you are out shopping for a mattress, make certain that you give it enough time. You will want to try out every contender for 15 minutes for a feel for how it will feel to sleep on it. Try resting on it just how you would when you would sleep on it.

Choosing the mattress for the Back

Naturally a desirable mattress will last One Decade before having to be changed with a brand-new one. Not continuously the years, but the discomfort and the back pains are the elements that you will have to change your old mattress. Obvious dips, smashes or extending spirals, may be the main reason your mattress is triggering you an absence of sleep because discomfort. In time, your mattress may wind up becoming too soft or too firm and is just not comfy any longer. All of the over characteristics recommend the mattress has ended up becoming unusable and it is time to believe of obtaining a brand-new one. All of us invest many time in our beds and if we appear like obtaining inadequate night’s sleep, then it is time to purchase a brand-new mattress.

When choosing which recommendation to purchase, there are types of realities to take into account before taking it home. Cost is among the most important elements to think on you need to take into advantage. It deserves having to pay more now; in the end, you will invest many time on it.

Size of the mattress- Continuously take the best measurements of your existing bed to guarantee yourself you are purchasing the perfect size in order to stop unneeded returns. If you have a small size of bed, it is not intelligent to order a king size mattress for the bed room. The mattress has to fit totally into the bedroom and not to block the opening of drawers, leaving sufficient area to stroll it.

Poor base- When purchasing best rated mattress and to invest superb cash on it, it is recommended by makers to purchase a bed frame with each other. Not each mattress is developed to be selected the exact same bed frame. Continuously examine the type of the mattress you are purchasing in order to steer clear of harm and incorrect matching with the bed frames.

Level of firmness- When choosing the best bed, the level of firmness, and the help that came along are other important elements to think on. If it is supplying the best help and comfort for the back so that you can totally unwind at night, lying on a brand-new mattress is a one technique to select. Pushing you’re at that time checking it by resting around the side is essential to show the comfort level inside a number of positions. Since you whole body demands to be comfy while you are spinning or when you are lying in your side, this is fairly subjective but it demands to be inspected.

Artificial and all-natural products- The main choice at this minute depends whether or not you are allergy resistant or not. Some goods are particularly made to be hypoallergenic and are usually recommended from the producer because the bottom line before obtaining. When purchasing a brand-new mattress, while you can see many things need to be thought be.

Purchase ideal back discomfort mattress for yourself

It is dangerous to carry on using an inappropriate mattress because it has the tendency to exacerbate discomfort in the back. Right here are particulars on mattress implied to alleviate discomfort in the back. All of us search for a tranquil sleep to restore our energy for your approaching day. We require a comfy mattress to satisfy this want. It should have the capability to offer suitable help to our back. The absence of help or an inappropriate posture can outcome in back discomfort. There are some factors for lower neck and back discomfort. When encountering lower neck and back discomfort, an individual may take many other elements like an inactive way of life or far away driving. Not obtaining a peaceful and comfy sleep at night can also outcome in back discomfort.

Choosing the mattress

It begs comprehending that neck and back discomfort can be quenched by resting on the firm surface. Individuals impacted with it rest on a firm mattress, which is not recommended. Frequently, resting on the difficult surface can outcome in much more discomfort or tightness. A medium-firm mattress is recommended. If your mattress is too soft, you can place a plywood below it, to develop a medium-firm influence. You have to stop using drooped mattress. Among an important factor to bear in mind is that there is no single mattress that is perfect for all house owner encountering neck and back discomfort. When purchasing mattress brands to ease a backache, there are some things that need becoming taken into consideration.

– It is essential to know exactly the main reason for the discomfort in the back before looking for a perfect mattress.

– House owner struggling with lumbar disc problems need to use a firmer mattress. Around the other hand, individuals encountering neck and back discomfort that is persistent or not intense can go for the firmer with softer mattress.

– Lastly, the best method is to aim to rest on the type of mattress and just purchase it if you fit.

Mattress to Alleviate Neck and back discomfort

Memory foam mattresses, also known as visco versatile foam, are the most recent pattern inside a comfy mattress. They are particularly developed for a comfy sleep and to lower neck and back discomfort. After a number of years, it was utilized for industrial functions and these days it is extensively utilized making mattress.

Amongst the many advantages of a visit to, an important one is that it adapts to the form of the body. The memory foam bed compresses according to your body weight and restores its preliminary form when empty when you lie down on it. It supports your back and your weight. There are no coils or frames inside a memory foam mattress. It also ends up becoming firmer at lower temperature levels.

Memory foam mattress pads or memory foam toppers are also offered in the market. You can go shopping for a memory foam topper for the existing bed if you don’t want to purchase a new bed. It is recommended to purchase a memory foam bed for long-lasting benefits, rather than going in for memory foam mattress pads or toppers. Memory foam mattress is rapidly offered in the market and at affordable prices. Less costly and bad quality variations are also readily available. But, they are not very dependable in minimizing lower discomfort in the back. Don’t purchase memory foam mattress that is offered at a very reduced cost because they may be fake.

Advantages of Memory Foam Beds Over Traditional Spring Mattresses

Many us have tried or are likely utilizing spring mattresses. We could say that sleeping on spring beds or mattresses is comfy until we got stung by a broken spring. Spring mattresses have been the standard for many decades, but the memory foam mattresses have become even more popular to date because of the undeniable comfort and the general body support that many would not believe until they have tried these out for themselves.

So why do more people select memory mattresses over the standard spring mattresses?

There have been comparisons made in between memory foam mattresses and spring mattresses, and many people could attest that they found sleeping on memory foam mattresses to be better. Lying on the spring mattress does feel nice, but when it comes to body contouring and spinal support a spring mattress don’t even comes close to what the data at could give. When you use a spring mattress, your body conforms to it. While your weight is around the spring mattress, the springs exert a resisting force against your body. A spring mattress relies only on the varied number of springs that are pushing back against you with all of them having the same force. Since your body does not push evenly against those springs, it is impossible for you for proper support.

In the situation of the mattress, you will not have to encounter all of the things you have experienced with a spring mattress. A memory foam mattress is denser than other mattresses. Because of this, a memory foam mattress is more supportive, though it is heavier. It comes in between the comfort of a soft mattress and the stiffness and solidness of a firm one, making it a great compromise. A memory foam mattress of great quality is able to distribute weight evenly, which is like having your weight supported by billions of springs. A memory foam mattress has cells that deform when weight is applied. Unlike a spring mattress, which springs always exert stress against your body’s weight, the cells in the memory foam mattress fully compress and spread their air stress to the adjoining cells. The stress is then spread to more cells of the mattress, so the stress you feel is also reduced. This is responsible for greatly decreasing the stress points. Sleeping on this type of a mattress considerably reduces the stress points in your body by up to 80%, therefore top to great blood circulation.

With spring mattresses, there is always fiber or some type of foam that is placed over the springs, but these coils will trigger a trampoline effect and tend to bend inward when stress is applied, and they do that without conforming to the body’s particular bumps and curves. A spring mattress acts as a shock absorber and this reduces the wear and tear of the mattress. So, the fewer coils there are in the mattress, the thicker the springs get. Another thing on spring mattresses is the foam covering the springs could shrink over time, making springs exert more effort in supporting the weight, thus making them susceptible to losing their form or getting broken over time.


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An Unwanted Birthday

Sunday, 17 April 2011

Last day of online charity auction!

I've donated a painting called 'Matilda Mae' to a friend's charity online auction which is going to raise money for a very worthwhile cause, see details below.

The facebook page for the auction is at

This auction closes at 11pm tonight (Wednesday 4th May) so get your skates on if you want to place a bid for the painting below!
How it works - if you are interested in any of the items please send a private message to the facebook page above or to the following email address:, with your name, the item and your bid.

Keep an eye on the facebook page as there will be a daily update with the highest bid.

This is a silent auction to raise funds for Jen and Olivier's Kilimanjaro climb which they are doing in October to raise money for the charity 'Caring Matters Now'. It features many excting artists and I hope that everyone will enjoy this unique opportunity to buy hand made and beautiful work.

A word from Jen and Olivier:

Our daughter Mia was born in 2006 with a giant congenital naevus or CMN. A CMN is a very rare condition and is a brown or black, hairy mole present at birth. Mia's covers her back and she has three on her scalp as well as numerous 'satellites', smaller CMNs. It was a worrying time as not only did she have a large birthmark but we were told there can be associated risks where CMNs may be present on the brain or spinal cord which can cause complications. There is also a small risk of melanoma. Mia had an MRI scan when she was 1 year old and was found to be free of any problems but we have always felt that after what we went through we want to help other families and to help raise funds so that that the support group, 'caring matters now', can continue it's good work in educating on the subject and also raise funds so that research can continue at Great Ormond Street Hospital. 'Caring matters now' has been a great support to us because we would have known very little about the condition due to it's rarity or known what actions to take.

Sad Stefano and Friends at Blackbird, Margate

I had a lovely weekend at the opening of my show at Blackbird in Margate, it was great to get some fantastic feedback and sell two paintings on the first day of opening which has made my year! I am the featured maker at this gorgeous shop which is based in the heart of Margate's old town, just a stone's throw away from the newly opened Turner Contemporary.

I have launched my new website which is at where you will find more images of my work and you can sign up to my newsletter so you don't miss out on my next show!

I will be leading three workshops at Blackbird on 21st and 22nd May. See all the info below...

B l a c k b i r d
Creative Textiles Workshop - Knitted Memories
with Emma Challacombe MA RCA
Memories, pets and favourite objects will serve as inspiration to get your creativity flowing. This easy and enjoyable beginners workshop is suitable for all. Have fun with colour, texture and imagination. Learn to knit a simple square which can be transformed into a personal keepsake or memento such as a brooch. Once you have mastered the basics of hand knitting you will be talked through further options and encouraged to explore possibilities for embellishment such as felting, appliqué and hand embroidery. Learn how to construct colourful textural mementos to adorn yourself or your home + they make ideal gifts too!
What to bring:
You only need to bring yourself and your imagination, all materials and refreshments will be provided. You may want to bring pet or childhood photos or other images as a visual reference. We have lots of books and magazines at the studio if you get stuck for ideas and Emma will bring lots of yummy textile samples to show everyone.
A three hour workshop costs £30 per person + £10 materials.
You’ll be supplied with your own starter kit in a calico bag, to take home.
Your kit will include:
Pair of knitting needles, 1 x ball of 100% wool yarn, felt and fabric pieces for embellishment,1 x thread skein, 2 x brooch findings and a set of printed notes.
Dates and Times
Session 1 Saturday 21st May: 10am – 1pm
Session 2 Saturday 21st May:  2pm – 5pm
Session 3 Sunday 22nd May: 10am – 1pm
Maximum of 6 people per session. There are three sessions to choose from.
Please book in person by visiting the shop in Margate you will need to pay in advance to secure your place.
Please ring for further details or to check availability on: 01843 229 533.
NB: this is an adult mixed ability workshop.

No 2 Market Place, Margate Kent, CT9 1ER
T: 01843 229 533 E:

'Sailboat Hat'
The little yellow sailboat hat was all that Erin Musket had to remember the fateful voyage by. That and one small luggage tag with the initials E.M.

A new product by me, knitted and needlepoint brooches with crochet and embroidery details in bright colours to jolly up an outfit on a grey day, available at Blackbird until 29th May. My workshops will show you how to make a simple hand knitted brooch, sign up for a workshop at Blackbird today!

'Pet Party'
The arrival of Hubert was the final straw for the house dog companion Trixie

'Pet Party' has now gone to a very good home, sold on the first day of opening.... YEY!!!

'An Unwanted Birthday'
Petula always hated birthdays, but this time she really meant it, so much was her repulsion for the annual event that she refused to blow out the candles on her orange blossom fondant confection, in the vain hope it may cancel getting another year older. Percy the small house guest was more than a little bit angry at the prospect of a party without cake.

A photo from inside the wonderful Blackbird shop, lots of beautiful jewellery, ceramics, greetings cards and gift wrap and lots more besides!
Look it up at

Glorious Margate old town enjoying lots of visitors on the grand opening of the Turner Contemporary, and my show Sad Stefano and Friends, of course!

The newly opened Turner Contemporary


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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Where do you find the time to do what you do and learn what you learn? Where do you find the confidence, the motivation?

"say what you mean, mean what you say"
"eat when hungry, sleep when tired"

This sounds like a very easy thing to do, but often times people will find that it's not. Just notice everyone around you, and notice how you act as well.

Confidence, motivation are mentalities, they are at the core of it, ways of thinking. Of course, there are concrete things you can do in order to feel fuller and have more self-worth. Take some time to write down your goals is one thing I'd do for example. Or buy my favorite snacks just so I could munch on them whenever I want. Figure out what your values are, what your principles are, what you tolerate, and what you wouldn't tolerate. In a world where everyone is SELF-CONSCIOUS, don't be. Instead, you can make the whole day 100% better by being self-Aware and Conscious of other people's feelings.

AT THE END OF IT ALL. We have to remember, that ALL YOU COULD REALLY DO, is DO YOU! =)

Ask me anything


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spanish english portugues

Over the past 10 years, emtech has enabled partners to succeed in complex engineering projects.

Over the past 10 years emtech has provided valuable advice to our partners through the experienced and expertise of our engineers.

emtech, as a consulting partner, helps in the technical decision making process and also participates in the decision making process, helping to define, track and report progress in project development.

Our experience enables covering all project lifecycle stages, from early planning to system bring-up and long term maintenance.


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Art and Architecture

The main purpose of the establishment of the faculty of Art of TMU has been providing suitable environment to attract talentful students, train them and make through them scholars in the various branches of arts for the universities all over Iran. On this basis 182 experts has been graduated up to now

Basic Science

Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) was established in 1982 as the first post revolution graduate school, in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The meaning of ?TMU? in Farsi implicates its main objective which is ?to serve as an institute for training university professors

Biological Sciences

Following the establishment of Tarbiat Modares University in 1361, educational and research activities related to life sciences began with three members of the faculty in plant sciences and genetics groups in 1366

Chemical Engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Tarbiat Modares University was found in 1983 and inaugurated as part of the Faculty of Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Mission of Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty is to promote engineering knowledge through creative and innovative research and to educate our students to be engineering leaders and to solve complex civil engineering problems

Electrical Engineering and Computing

The ECE Faculty has strong research ties with industry and has significantly increased its collaborations and joint planning activities in recent years. These interactions support departmental research efforts, and provide graduate students with relevant experience with leading-edge technology

Engineering has been described as the art of the practical application of scientific principles to "directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man". It involves men, money, material, machine and energy and "requires above all the creative imagination to innovate useful applications of natural phenomena

As one of the very first post-revolutionary graduate schools, the Faculty of Humanities was established in 1982 in compliance with the main objectives of the university, to train highly qualified and committed university academic staff

Management and Economics

The Establishment of the Faculty of Management and Economics was authorized in 2008 by the authority of the board of trustees of Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) and in accordance with the university?s strategic plan. The formal activities of the faculty organized in eight departments commenced in 2009. However, the longer history of teaching and research activities of these departments goes back to 1980, the date of the establishment of TMU as the first revolutionary ? born, graduate university in Iran

Mathematical Sciences

Faculty of Mathematical Sciences is one of the major mathematics faculties in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has an excellent research and education reputation, a strong, demanding program of graduate studies in mathematics, and a full range of excellent graduate courses

Mechanical Engineering

Launching its activities from the outset of the faculty's establishment, mechanical engineering department is regarded as a leading founding member of the faculty

Medical Sciences

Faculty of Medical Sciences was established in 1982 by admitting 65 M.Sc. students in different medical science disciplines. The first group of M.Sc. students graduated in 1985. Doctorate postgraduate courses started in 1988 by admitting 26 Ph.D

Natural Resources

The faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences of Tarbiat Modares University was founded in 1982 at the city of Noor besides the Caspian sea. The faculty offers a wide range of research opportunities in 9 specialized area, and post graduates are welcome to work on the M.Sc. and Ph.D


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DNA Gensee is a biotechnological laboratory working on plant DNA to offer you the possibility to identify the plant species that are present in your raw materials, ingredients or final products.

Such genetic analyses allow you to guarantee the botanical and geographical authenticity of the natural extracts you are using and to ensure traceability, security and quality.

DNA Gensee uses innovative molecular biological facilities allowing blind analyses on highly processed products thanks to the unique  genetic signature  of each plant. Playing a central role in a technical, scientific and botanical environment, DNA Gensee offers a complete range of services to give keys to solve your industrial problems.

On the 9th and the 10th of January 2018 DNA Gensee will be present in Cosmetagora. An exposition organised by the Société Française de Cosmétologie (http://www.cosmetagora.fr). Take an appointement with Nicole Giraud, CEO of DNA Gensee ( +33 6 58 34 20 15)  to (re)discover DNA analysis performances.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids and DNA Pyrrolizidine alkaloids pose problems when used in food products. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) and DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes) are publishing articles to inform consumers1,2,3. The consumption of pyrrolizidine alkaloids can, in the long term, be dangerous for health, toxic […]

Sustainable development by DNA For the European Edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit which will take place in Paris from 6 to 8th November 2017, DNA Gensee will give a conference dedicated to sourcing traceability.     Plant and algae DNA traceability gives to manufacturers insurance of naturality of their raw materials by avoiding using […]


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These six causes are outlined using the lens of what we call our ROI:

R represents the realities (what challenges us)
O represents opportunities (what drives us)
I represents initiatives (what we work on)

Our Realities

We define why this is a key issue or what rouses us in the context of enabling greatness.

Our Opportunities

We define an opening that offers a window for intervening to address the reality challenge.

Our Initiatives

We identify specific action plans that can be adopted for framing life-change programs that are offered. Our goal at EG is to bring fresh thinking to current approaches of enhancing human services through a focus that qualitatively enhances the livelihood of the individual. We create programs that emerge from initiatives that are geared toward enabling individual greatness. We address six key issues that we have identified as critical for social change that is positive and rewarding to whole communities. These issues are:

Employee Enhancement - Our current initiative in this area is The SERVE Assessment Tool that we are launching.

Networking Individuals - Our current initiative in this area is the development of corporate partnerships and a presence in the city.

Adolescent Advancement - Our current initiative is to empower youth between ages 16-24 who are out of school and not working.

Building Life Skills - Our current initiative is the development of a curriculum that will aid in teaching, coaching, and mentoring.

Leveraging Leadership - Our current initiave is the exploration of avenues through which we can support advancement efforts.

Expeditions Internationally - Our current initiative is to explore the development of an international arm of Enable Greatness.


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Enerpact Capital Planning connects data from E&P systems for budgeting, forecasting and scheduling. Combine reserves, drilling schedules and capital into one budget. Access data directly from your reserves management system. Build forecasts and lookbacks with the most up-to-date data. Generate and compare what-if scenarios and choose your best option. Create annual budgets and periodic forecasts in a fraction of the time it once took.

Eliminate large, manual efforts to pull and scrub data for budgeting, planning and scheduling. Save time and increase the accuracy of data. Decrease process redundancies. Make timely, fact-based decisions that increase capital efficiency.

Leverage your data, processes and systems to create budgets, plans, forecasts and schedules with Enerpact Capital Planning.

Rig Scheduling

Rig scheduling has never been so easy. Simply define your rig lines. Import wells from your reserves and costs from accounting. Move the rigs around on a calendar to find your optimal schedule. Fine tune your schedules down to the day.

Drag and drop wells and rigs during budgeting and planning using a GANTT chart view. Plan for both well drilling and workovers. Evaluate the implications of adding and dropping rigs. Fully compatible with pad drilling. Fully customizable to exactly the way your business drills.

Plan CAPEX and OPEX schedules based on spud and first date of sales. Create scenarios with user defined access control for all branches. Take quick snapshots/backups of scenarios before editing or sharing for collaboration.

Budgeting, Planning and Forecasts

Upstream budgeting and forecasting is a highly collaborative and repetitive process. Automate workflows for what is otherwise an extremely tedious manual process. Export, align, and analyze data from your reserves system. Combine drilling, capital and operational details in your budget for easy and quick development and maintenance.

Make more informed capital decisions through real-time access to accounting and engineering data. Compare actuals vs. budget without manual data capture and manipulation. Create snapshots of what-if scenarios for better planning.

Instant lookbacks enable better capital planning and forecasting. Enerpact Capital Planning links supporting data, eliminating the need to build, update and manage spreadsheets. High level look-backs and management reporting instantly pull the most up-to-date data, ensuring real-time data for informed budget decisions. No more misaligned data.

Well level budgeting and well-level look-backs are fully supported. Forecasting multiple what-if scenarios is fast and easy. Compare actuals to forecasts in real-time.

Business Intelligence and Capital Reporting

Generate key reports that include all relevant, real-time accounting and engineering data:

  • Drilling reports to compare Wedge vs. Base, Plan vs. Actuals
  • CAPEX, OPEX, Production & Revenue reports for multiple pricing scenarios
  • Variance reports to compare actuals to any single scenario or compare any two scenarios
  • GANTT view export to Excel to improve schedule change communication

Roll up and drill down on reports using both physical and logical hierarchies. Import production forecasts from ARIES. Create your own type curves and forecast from them or run scenario analysis. Manage changes to drilling program via a simple drag-and-drop utility. Create scenarios or branches with defined access for all branches. Export reports to Excel while retaining formats and formulas. Accurately predict how your schedule and sales are impacted by delays. Schedule Spud Date, First Sales Date and CAPEX with precision.

Dynamically illustrate how changes in plans or budget will affect your business by easily and iteratively building what-if scenarios. Make timely and fact-based decisions that will allow you to increase your capital efficiency.

Speed of Information

"We needed to generate reports that drew from multiple sources like BOLO, ARIES™, WellView® and FieldDIRECT®. We are particularly pleased with the speed of information. Enerpact took away the delay. The executive team gets information faster, better and more consistent."

Read More


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Friday, April 1, 2011

How an attorney general’s office taps inexpensive videos to boost engagement

Like many government agencies in today’s economic environment, Washington State’s Attorney General’s Office is experiencing budgeting issues. Sarah Lane, the office’s communications consultant, is using social media combined with traditional communications to try to keep employee morale up during this climate.
At her session, Lane shared her communications goals:
  • Keep employees engaged, connected and informed.
  • Help employees accept change and transition.
  • Recognize employee achievement.
  • Maintain high employee morale and satisfaction.
Part of the way the state accomplishes these goals is through what Lane calls “HOT communications,” HOT stands for honest, open and two-way. Lane believes that a key part of engaging employees is keeping them informed of issues the office is facing, such as budget cuts and hiring freezes.
One such vehicle is the attorney general’s blog, Monday Minute with Rob, available on the employee intranet.
Read the full story:

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"Why just be difficult, when with a little more effort you can be bloody impossible?"

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Cameron's Promises

A week or so ago, Cameron "promised" that if the Tories won the next General Election, he would renegotiate the basis of our membership with the EU, following which we would have an IN/OUT referendum on the EU.
Now today we have another "promise", that if the Tories win the next General Election, he will ensure that Defence spending is increased each year.
Apart from the fact that UKIP has already said the same, both promises, when they come from Cameron are totally meaningless as far as I am concerned.
With the first one, what happens if the EU won't renegotiate? The referendum seems conditional upon renegotiation, so no renegotiation, no referendum.
Then with defence spending, most departmental budgets increase on an annual basis, if only to allow for inflation. But there was no indication as by how much the defence budget might increase and whilst an amount of less than inflation could still technically be called an increase, it would in fact be a reduction in real terms.
The moral in the case of Cameron's promises is to look at them very carefully, because, like his "cast iron guarantee" of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, he always leaves himself a way out.
More worrying are the things he doesn't promise, such as "Gay Marriage" where he distinctly said before the election that it was not under consideration.
Do you get the impression that I don't trust Cameron? If so, you're quite right!

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

UK Involvement in Mali

It was just a fortnight ago  when I wrote about our providing transport planes to assist the French in Mali and predicted that it wouldn't be long before we had troops on the ground.
Today the Telegraph reports that we are to provide 300 troops to help in Mali and adjacent countries. Whether this is in addition to the 70 Service personnel sent to Senegal who are operating a Sentinel spy plane and the 20 others who are operating the C-17 transport is unclear,  Nevertheless it is a significant increase in our involvement in the area.
The troops, we are told, will only be involved in training roles, and in particular helping with the training of soldiers from Nigeria and Ghana, which are supplying support to the Malian government. Let us hope we have no incidents, as in Afghanistan, of the troops under training shooting their instructors.
Certainly ensuring stability in this part of North Africa is in our interests, which is far more than can be claimed for our presence in Afghanistan, but I believe that our government needs to "come clean" about our present, and likely future involvement. Certainly there should be a Parliamentary debate in the near future.

In a related matter, it seems that BP was warned by the Algerian authorities that a relative of an al-Qaeda leader worked in a senior position in a company that provided transport at the In Amenas site,  It is know however that the Algerian Intelligence Services are not particularly scrupulous about how they obtain their information and our Intelligence Services have been told not to use information which may have been obtained by torture. Could political correctness or human rights consideration have prevented the information being used by BP?

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Today's Telegraph tells us that
"Under plans to be announced by ministers next week people will only be able to look after children in nurseries if they have a good GCSE in English and Maths".

 It looks as if politicians are going to fall into the same trap with child minders at nurseries as they have with many nurses in hospitals. The basic requirement of any carer is that they must care, and enjoy caring for people, and this is nowhere more important than in a nursery where the young children require lots of attention.
My grandson, now just turned four, has attended a very nice nursery for three days a week since he was about a year old and thoroughly enjoys it. The children are divided into two groups, roughly those up to about three years old, and those who are above that until they go to school. There is an older woman in charge of each group whom I assume is British, but the rest of the carers seem to be in their twenties and come mainly from eastern Europe. Nevertheless, they all speak good English and really seem to care for the children that they are looking after.  I've listened to them talking to the children and reading stories and you couldn't fault them.
No doubt they are probably all on the minimum wage, but obviously feel they are better of here than at home. However what will happen when the regulations require them to have GCSEs in English and Maths. In spite of the fact that the carers seem to speak better English than many of the locals, and perhaps even have a qualification in our language from their own country, will they be acceptable? What Maths knowledge is required for a four year old? My grandson can count up to about fifty, and can add together any two numbers up to six without counting on his fingers (the result of playing snakes and ladders with two dice). He knows the letters of the alphabet by name and also phonetically, what more do you expect of a child of that age? More important, they seem to have taught him basic manners, he rarely forgets to say "please" or "thank  you", he sits still at the table whilst eating and now drinks out of a ordinary cup.
The government proposals will undoubtedly increase costs, as most pupils who get GCSEs in subjects like English and Maths invariably go on to do "A" levels and will be looking for more than the minimum rate of pay. They will also probably not like the hours of work as the nursery is open from about 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, although the staff do seem to do some form of shift work. So we have proposals that will undoubtedly increase costs whilst at the same time the government is claiming that they want to reduce the costs of care to the families.
Personally, I'd rather have unqualified people who care than qualified people who consider menial tasks (like changing a baby's nappy) beneath them. Even more so since I read in this morning's paper that a nurse at a hospital had taped a dummy into a baby's mouth to stop him crying. That is a qualified carer!
Just one snag. The other day when junior was with us, he knocked his drink off the table which went everywhere. He came out with what sounded like an expletive, and I asked him what he had said. The response "It's what Katrina said yesterday when she tripped over a toy and dropped her cup of tea". Whoops! But then perhaps it's better to learn a rude word in Slovakian or Polish than in English.

Friday, 25 January 2013

Repatriating Power from the EU

There is a lot of talk about the repatriation of powers from the EU as being part of any negotiations on Britain's EU membership, and I'm quite sure that the government would like to keep this repatriation in very general terms rather than being specific. However, without a list of those powers that ought to be repatriated to this country and the details of the results of the negotiations on an item by item basis, it will be impossible for the public to determine the success or otherwise of the negotiations. Without such detail, the government are bound to claim the negotiations were successful as no-one has ever heard of a British Government having unsuccessful negotiations (see the picture in my previous blog!)

I would propose a few items which should be on the list, and by which I will judge the outcome of Cameron's talks.
  1. We have full control of our boarders and can decide who is allowed entry into our country (and whom we throw out).
  2. Our Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for all matters in this country, not the European Court (I know this is not strictly EU, but the European Court is bound up with the EU).
  3. Companies and manufacturers only have to meet EU rules for their products/services when dealing or selling to the EU.
  4. It is for our companies/organisations to agree with the trade unions/individuals what hours are worked, not have them imposed by a directive from the EU.
  5. The financing of this country and its budget is our business and no-one else's.
  6. We can trade with whom we like without EU interference and bi-laterally agree any tariffs (An African leader said recently that his country does not need aid, just fair access to the European markets)
  7. Decisions on Green matters (waste disposal, sustainable energy, etc)  are ours alone.
  8. Removal of clauses from the treaties which aim to secure ever closer political integration within the EU.
I could go on a lot further, and I'm sure readers will have their own ideas as to items which should be added to the list.
The advantage such an approach is that when Cameron says we have agreement, we will be able to run down the list, tick of the items that have been agreed and make our own assessment of the outcome.
But I suspect all that Cameron will get is something like a change in the rules relating to the curvature of bananas or the minimum size of apples which may be sold in supermarkets !

Thursday, 24 January 2013

Cameron's Speech

At last we have the long awaited speech outlining Cameron's position towards the EU. Made at 8am yesterday morning, I wasn't up in time to watch it.
Nevertheless, having read the various reports and blogs, and listened to the views of both Labour and UKIP on television, I must admit that I'm not much wiser. To me it appeared to be one of those speeches which seems to offer something to everybody, but when closely examined, actually offers nothing.

The whole speech seems to be a blatant attempt to win the next election as everything mentioned is conditional upon the Conservatives being re-elected. Whilst he doesn't mention UKIP, the whole thing seems to ba an attempt to get the "fruitcakes and nutters" back into the Tory fold. In effect he was saying to people like myself, "UKIP don't have a hope in hell of winning the next election, so the only way that you will get a referendum is to vote Tory". Whilst this might seem a valid argument at the moment as Milliband is against a referendum, I'm sure that if the Tories enter the election campaign promising a referendum, Labour will do likewise.

As  understand the situation, Cameron is saying that if he wins the next election (and that's a very big "if"), he will take that as a mandate to renegotiate our relationship with the EU, and following these negotiations, he will put the result to a referendum at which he will campaign for a "yes" vote. There is absolutely no indication as to the matters which would be subject to re-negotiation or what outcome he would be seeking.

For me, the best assessment of his speech, albeit from a UKIP point of view, is by Alexandra Swann in her blog for the Telegraph (here) in which she concludes that it is "waffle, platitudes and vague promises".  Milliband's response that the uncertainty brought about by this speech is damaging to industry and investment is probably the most stupid of all as he could call for a referendum at any time and would probably get sufficient support from the Tory Eurosceptics to get it through parliament..
Meanwhile, I have this vision of Cameron returning from the EU negotiations, waving a piece of paper and proclaiming that we have "Europe in our time".

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Britain's Talent Drain

Reading this headline "Two million quit Britain in 'talent drain' " in yesterday's Daily Telegraph,  my first reaction was "and look at what we've got in exchange". However, I then began to think about the number of people that I knew whose families have left this country.

I already aware that one of our bell-ringers had his son & daughter-in-law in Boston Mass. They were both doctors and had had difficulty finding suitable NHS posts in the UK, resulting in their deciding to emigrate.
Then in the course of my daily walk, I spoke to an elderly widow who lives about a dozen doors further down the street, and enquired about her Christmas. She told me that as all her family were now abroad, the neighbours had kindly invited her in for Christmas Day. But she said that her American granddaughter would be coming over to stay with her for a few months as part of her university studies, and then she would be going back with her for a long holiday. Surprisingly, I was told something very similar by a bell-ringer at another local tower recently. Here, another widow said that this wasn't a good time of the year for travel, but she would be going to visit her family in Seattle in the spring for a month or so.
These were just three of the people that I knew with family abroad, Then I recalled that a member of my Retired Staff Association has adult children in the US, Malaysia and Australia and is constantly travelling between them, and that another member had at last got an Australian residence permit to join his son in Perth. Thinking about the Computer Club, I remembered that one member had mentioned a son in New Zealand, whilst another has family in Beijing (although I doubt that this is permanent).

But this is not all, I am also aware of a number of acquaintances who have grandchildren at Universities abroad, As one grandparent said to me, "He'll be looking for a job in the world market, so his aim was to find a University that is recognised world-wide". Apparently, Vancouver is the top place to study Oceanography. So even at that stage their grandson is thinking of leaving Britain.

Then yesterday, before I had read the Telegraph article, we had been discussing holidays with our younger daughter and she mentioned that they were considering visiting one of her husband's cousins in Australia this year. The reason?  Her husband's employers are currently evaluating the pros and cons of a subsidiary in Australia and if it goes ahead, they would have the opportunity of moving there.. So they want to see if they like the country and in particular find out how their education system compares with that here.

The important thing about all these people who have emigrated is that they are all professionals such as doctors, scientists and engineers, the very people that the country can least afford to loose. But when even members of the younger generation are suggesting that they will be seeking employment in the world market and are tailoring their education accordingly, it seems to me that the country has a major problem. The politicians should be very concerned about what is happening as the people who are leaving are those we most need to help this country get back to its former glory.

Meanwhile I must remember to get the address of my erstwhile colleague in Australia so that I can find out what hoops he had to go through to get his residence permit, just in case!

Monday, 21 January 2013

The Crusades

It must have been about fifty years ago when I was at a formal gathering and chatting to an Australian Army Officer of about my age who was attending the military School of Languages..
At that time, the iron curtain was still in place and the Chinese nation was beginning to flex its muscles militarily, leading to a feeling that world war might not be far away.. A joke of the day for those learning languages was that optimists learnt Russian and that pessimists learnt Chinese. This officer said to me that he thought both camps were wrong, and whilst we might have some smaller localised conflicts, in his view WW3 would be a re-run of the Crusades.
Like me, he will have been long retired, and if he is still around, he might get some grim satisfaction from David Cameron's warning that "Britain and the West face a decades-long battle against Islamist terrorism in North Africa."

In fact there was a series of Crusades, starting in 1071 when the Byzantine army was defeated by Turkish Muslims with the result that Christians were denied access to Jerusalem. This led to a series of Crusades against the Muslims, these occurring mainly between 1095 and 1291, a period of some 200 years. It was not one continuous war, but a long series of battles with various Muslim leaders trying to take or re-take territory in different parts of the Middle East.
Reading about the crusades, one is struck by the similarity with the events taking place now, with Christianity being driven out of the Middle and Near East by Muslim forces. There are no decisive battles that could be called a victory, and when defeated, the Islamic forces just move their efforts elsewhere, in which could end up as a long running conflict

Regrettably, I think that for once David Cameron is right. We clearly need to stop the spread of Islamic terrorism before it becomes a genuine threat to this country. In many ways, what happened in Algeria and what is happening in Mali, Sudan, Somaliland and Northern Nigeria, presents a far greater threat to this country than Sadam or Afghanistan ever did. Don't forget that much of the Iberian peninsular was occupied by the Moors for centuries, and they still regard it as their territory.

Time will tell what happens, but I don't think any of us alive today will see the resolution of this conflict, if indeed it is ever resolved.

Friday, 18 January 2013

Panic in the Supermarkets

According to the television there was "panic buying" in the supermarkets yesterday ahead of the forecast snow, and that many of the shelves were bare.. Women were shown with their trolleys stacked high with their purchases, something that can be seen almost any day if one has patience.
Panic or Gross Exaggeration?
The latter I suspect like everything these days from the media and the authorities.
The Met Office predicted snow which would probably be up to 30 cm deep (it sounds far worse in cm than inches) and advised that no-one should go out on Friday unless absolutely necessary. So, as we normally do our main weekly shopping at the local supermarket on a Friday, because it ensures that we have fresh vegetables over the weekend, we decided that in view of the forecast we would go yesterday. Panic? No way, just simple prudence. We were just doing what we had been told, avoiding going out today. And of course some of the shelves were bare, particularly in the bakery, something that might reasonably be expected even if only half the normal Friday shoppers arrived a day early.
Of course it wouldn't make nearly such good headlines to announce that
"Prudent shoppers were getting in their weekend supplies early in view of the forecast snow".

Snow has just started to fall more heavily here, we probably have about an inch by now, but cars seem to be managing our un-gritted street without problems. I've just noted a group of children from the secondary school walk past the house, presumably sent home on safety grounds.

England isn't what it was in my youth, I can just about remember the winter of 1940 when the outside pump for our water supplies froze as did the outside toilet, Even so I still had to walk to school, the county was at war and we weren't going to let a bit of snow stop us from getting on with it.

Thursday, 17 January 2013

That Gas Plant in Algeria

Since the attack on the gas plant in Algeria and the taking of some British hostages, Downing Street seems to have gone into a state of panic.
We have had two meetings today of COBRA, the emergency committee, Cameron has postponed his speech on the EU and Hague is cutting his visit to Australia short and flying back.
All for what?
There is absolutely nothing they can do about the situation. If there was a hostage situation in this country involving foreign nationals, I'm sure that those charged with resolving the situation wouldn't be happy to receive continuous "advice" from foreign governments.
As it is, I'm inclined to believe that the Algerians know best how to deal with the matter; they probably have a far greater understanding of the thinking and likely actions of the terrorists than any "expert" in this country. Regrettably perhaps, they don't place such a high value on life as we do, but on the other hand neither do the terrorists who have no fear of being killed as their religion teaches them that they will go to paradise. It is unlikely that negotiations with them would even reach first base, let alone a satisfactory conclusion.
We don't know why the Algerians launched an all out attack, no doubt we will discover in due course, but with reports of explosions from the site, they could have been concerned that the whole plant would be destroyed along with the hostages. The Algerians were best placed to understand the minds of those involved and probably acted accordingly.

Meanwhile what should COBRA do? Well, a large percentage of our natural gas is imported from Algeria. This is the real crisis, this attack could lead to the loss of our supplies and make us even more heavily dependent on Russian gas. The real emergency is our gas supplies, in the absence of which, this country could grind to a halt in weeks if not days. They should get together all those involved in fracking and clear the way for a massive effort to start getting our own gas out of the ground in the shortest possible time. That is the real emergency, the possible loss of gas supplies, not the hostages about which, regrettably, we can do absolutely nothing.

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Trade with the EU

Douglas Carswell MP makes a very good point in his blog today which is well worth repeating.

"Last week, Honda announced it was laying off 800 workers. Why? Because the Honda plant produces almost exclusively for the European market, and the European market in car sales declined by 7 percent last year.
"This week, Jaguar Land Rover announced it was hiring 800 workers. It produces for markets in America, Asia and the Middle East."

As he says, "Nothing could better illustrate how our future prosperity lies in trading with the wider world, not just the declining Eurozone"

This is something that should be pointed out every time the "experts" talk about  the loss of trade that will occur if we leave the EU.

Afterthought:  I wonder if these experts who are full of doom and gloom about what will happen if we leave the EU are the same experts who predicted disaster if we failed to join the Euro. Yes they were right about disaster, but it was for the Eurozone, not us.

Obama Knows Best!

A few days ago, Obama, through the medium of one of his ambassadors, lectured Britain on the dangers of us leaving the EU.  (here)
Today, White House officials have told a US journalist that the Israeli Prime Minister doesn't know what is good for Israel.  (here).
I wonder which is the next country to be told how to run their affairs by this self-proclaimed expert who can't seem to get his own country's finances under control.  But then, like Tony Blair, he probably has no idea what to do about the situation at home, and its so much more interesting dabbling in other people's affairs.

Monday, 14 January 2013

Mali - Update

Earlier today I suggested that our involvement in Mali would not be confined to just two RAF aircraft.
Far sooner than expected, The Telegraph reports that 'Britain is "committed to supporting" a European Union training mission that would put up to 500 European troops into Mali within weeks' and that 'David Cameron said that the growing strength of Islamist groups in Mali could have direct consequences for British national security'.
This is rapidly beginning to look like Afghanistan all over again.

Mali, here we come.

The RAF is using two transport aircraft to assist the French in moving troops to Mali to fight insurgents. We are assured by the government that no UK ground troops will be involved, although it has subsequently became clear that some RAF ground crew will be deployed to facilitate the flights. Thus the escalation of our involvement begins; the ground crews will need accommodation and supplies, then they will need defending against the insurgents, and then as "attack is the best means of defence" combat troops could be deployed.
Now, it happens that I believe that the French are doing the right thing, they are. after all, the ex-colonial power, and have some moral responsibility in the area. But why should we get involved as this will only give the extremists further cause to hate this country? Haven't we learnt anything from our  involvement in Afghanistan? How long will it be before we are bringing back the bodies of British Servicemen from Mali as well as Afghanistan?
One might also ask why the French didn't ask the US for assistance. Soon after Obama was originally elected he made it clear the the "special relationship" with Britain was no longer important and that he considered the French to be his main ally in Europe. Surely the US would rush to assist their best friend, especially as it would help to hold back the cause of militant Islamism.

I also wonder what help we would get from the French if push becomes shove over the Falklands - would they be prepared to assist us with any naval vessels?

Sunday, 13 January 2013

Is Cameron Stupid - Part 2 - UKIP

There is no doubt in my mind that UKIP can stop the Tories winning the next General Election. I'm not so naive as to believe they will get many, if any, Parliamentary seats, but I do believe that they are capable of attracting enough votes to let Labour gain a majority. We have seen what UKIP is achieving in by-elections. At the Corby election, UKIP came third, well ahead of the LibDems, and their vote was almost equal to Labour's majority over the Tories.
Even so, Cameron persists in treating UKIP with contempt having stated and re-affirmed his belief that UKIP members are mostly "closet racists". He has also referred to them as "nutters and fruitcakes" which is hardly likely to endear UKIP members to the Tories. On the BBC, a few days ago he repeated his claim that UKIP members were "pretty odd" people.

The claim by the Tories that UKIP's position in the polls is to be expected at mid-term in the election cycle, may to some extent be true, but this was always said about the LibDems who in due course gained seats. This was in spite of Tory claims that voting for them would let Labour in. No doubt Cameron will take the same view of UKIP. The elections for the European Parliament come before the General Election, and if UKIP does better here than it did last time, a lot of people may decide that they would not be wasting their vote if the supported UKIP in the subsequent General Election.

But the stupidity of Cameron is to continue attacking UKIP as those ex-Tory voters who now support UKIP are unlikely to be brought back into the fold by such an approach, indeed I believe it would harden their attitudes.  This is especially so as UKIP are taking on-board a number of policies which have been discarded by the Tories in their rush to gain the "centre ground", and this is attractive to disillusioned Tories, particularly in the shires. If Cameron had any sense, he would face the fact that UKIP could hold the keys to Downing Street at the next election and that if the Tories are to win, he will need to come to some accommodation with Nigel Farrage, something which now seems totally impossible.

And what is "odd" about UKIP? Well one huge "oddity" is that they have some policies which they actually stick to, and don't change every five minutes following some poll or report from a focus group. It has a party leader who has beliefs, unlike the other parties whose beliefs vary according to the direction of the wind. Now that is very odd!

Monday, 7 January 2013

Is Cameron Stupid? Part 1 - Gay Marriage.

From the point of view of many Tories, the answer to this question is surely "Yes". Any thinking politician tries to look ahead and envisage the effect of his ideas before speaking out. Cameron seems to come up with what sems to be a god idea and speaks out without giving it any real thought.
Take for example gay "marriage". Whilst there are arguments as to the number of gays in the UK population, the The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says 480,000 (1%) consider themselves gay or lesbian, and 245,000 (0.5%) bisexual. (BBC News, Sept 2010). Presumably the proposals only apply to the first group unless the latter will be allowed two partners, one of each sex!  Of this 1% of the population, how many would be interested in gay "marriage"? Personally, I suspect, just a few activists and publicity seekers who feel that they need to prove something. Personally, I am acquainted with two gay couples, neither couple have even entered into a civil partnership, so "marriage" would seem to be of little interest to them.
But, back to Cameron's stupidity.  How many votes does he expect to gain from this?  He of course would say he is not doing it for votes, but because it is "the right thing to do" but if you believe that, you'll believe anything. Meanwhile, I am aware of a number of local churchgoers who have made it clear. in public, that if the Tories introduce this measure,  they will never vote Tory again.
Perhaps Cameron believes the activists' claim that gays are 10% or maybe 15%  (pick your own figure) of the population, and that he will "pick up" their votes, but with the ONS suggesting
 that it is 1%, of which a proportion would vote Tory anyway, it seems to me that statistically he is onto a looser however you look at the maths. But it isn't just the maths here that matters, it seems that Cameron doesn't even care about the split that it will cause in his party.

Where do I stand on this issue?  I take the view that gay "marriage" is impossible if the word "marriage" is to retain the meaning it has had for thousands of years in most languages. There appears to be no language where, until recent years, the word "marriage" has meant other than the joining of two people, one male and one female in what is intended to be a permanent partnership with the intention of having a family. I reluctantly accepted the concept of civil partnerships, as there are valid arguments in favour to ensure equality in areas such as pensions and the like, but "Gay marriage" adds nothing to homosexuals' rights except a word.

Afterthought. With all the unmarried couples bringing up children these days, and the even larger number of couples just living together, I find we are in the strange position where those who can get married don't want to do so, whilst those who can't, do !

Tuesday, 1 January 2013

"I didn't think ........"

"But I didn't think that . . . . . . . . "
How often do you hear the phrase these days? To me it seems that hardly a day passes without hearing someone say it on television or reading about someone who said it in the newspaper.

Typical in recent weeks were the two Australian DJs who phoned the King Edward VII Hospital, "We didn't think that we'd actually get through . . . . . . ".  Or the interviewer who passed a list of alleged paedophiles to David Cameron, "I didn't think that anyone would be able to read it . . . . . ". The list seems endless, maybe a slight variation of the words, but always the same general idea.

It is time people learnt that "not thinking" is not a valid excuse for doing something stupid. Our maker provided us with brains and the general idea is that we should use them at all times! Certainly I was taught from a very young age (when I burnt my hand in the open fire) to think before doing anything and as a result I rarely do anything significant on impulse. This of course means that in this modern era that I am terribly dull, if not worse. It means, of course, that I could never have gone into politics, as, were I confronted by an interviewer with a difficult question, my reaction would be that I would need to think about it before replying!

What has brought these thoughts to mind is a piece in today's Telegraph reporting that students have been warned that on-line boasts could harm their job prospects. Seemingly, there are "Student Confession" web pages which accept anonymous details of various exploits. But no-one seems to know who runs these, and although submissions are anonymous, it would take little effort by the equally anonymous administrator to locate their source and use the information elsewhere.
The Swansea University Registrar, and the Students' Union President have actually had to warn students that "Irresponsible use of social media can damage their future employment prospects as companies are increasingly searching for information on job applicants."  The question that I ask myself is how can any student possess so little common sense as to boast about his exploits on a public forum where they will be stored away for the indefinite future? Particularly one with an anonymous administrator who might have an idea about future blackmail? How did they get into University in the first place?
The answer, is as usual these days, they just don't think.

This of course follow hot on the heals of the report on television about young teenage girls sending naked photos of themselves to boyfriends, again apparently quite common practice. Do none of them think about what might happen in twenty or so years when they have got into, say, a newsworthy occupation, and an ex-boyfriend produces these photos for sale to the media? Alternatively, have the boys thought about the long term implications of keeping these pictures, which when they are in their twenties could suddenly become indecent images of under aged children?

Then of course there is Facebook, where again, judging by some pages that my daughter has shown me, people simply post things without any thought. Perhaps the younger generation might reflect that in America, prospective employers are asking applicants for access to their Facebook pages and take the attitude that refusal means that the candidate has something to hide!

What we need is a lot more good old fashioned reticence where people keep themselves to themselves and don't reveal personal details to anyone without good reason, but in these days of instant social networking, I suppose that is too much to ask.