Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar

It seems a coincidence that on the day that Samoa changes its relative position to the international dateline and loses December 30th 2011, missing it out altogether, that I read the article in the ScienceDaily ' Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar'. According to two calendar reform advocates, time can stand still, or at least look the same from year to year.

Using computer programs and mathematical formulas, Richard Conn Henry, an astrophysicist in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Steve H. Hanke, an applied economist in the Whiting School of Engineering, have created a new calendar in which each new 12-month period is identical to the one which came before, and remains that way from one year to the next in perpetuity.

There certainly seem to be substantial benefits if their calendar was accepted. Will it ever happen?

Read the full article here:...Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar

"Wherever You Are" by the Military Wives Choir

Prejudice comes from a basic human need and way of thinking, new research suggests.

Where does prejudice come from? Not from ideology, say the authors of a new article. Instead, prejudice stems from a deeper psychological need, associated with a particular way of thinking. People who aren't comfortable with ambiguity and want to make quick and firm decisions are also prone to making generalizations about others.

Read More:....Prejudice comes from a basic human need and way of thinking, new research suggests

Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests

A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life, according to Swedish research. A number of studies since the 1950s have shown that a Mediterranean diet, based on a high consumption of fish and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-based products such as meat and milk, leads to better health.

Read More......: Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests

The Bomber by Liza Marklund

I had not heard of Liza Marklund or her novel 'The Bomber' and so had no particular reason to choose this book to read at this time, except that it was on special offer in ASDA, 2 books for £7.

The advertising précis on the back cover was another enticement telling me that;

“Crime reporter Annika Bengtzon is woken by a phonecall in the early hours of a wintry December morning. An explosion has ripped apart the Olympic Stadium, and a victim has been blown to pieces. As Annika delves into the details of the bombing and the background of the victim, there is a second explosion. When her police source reveals they are hot on the heels of the bomber, Annika is guaranteed an exclusive with her name on it. But it soon becomes clear the she has uncovered too much, as she finds herself the target of a deranged serial killer.”

Further comments such as “One of the most popular crime writers of our time” - Patricia Cornwell, “No one tells a story like Liza Marklund” - Karin Slaughter, “Nail-biting action and excitement” - Daily Express, and more on this theme added to the hype with the final catcher on the front cover; “All she wants for Christmas …..is to survive”.

The marketing departments of the publisher and the retailer had done their job.

Having just finished reading the novel unfortunately I am disappointed in it. It did not match up to my expectations.

It is an easy read and the descriptions are full and enlightening, where they needed to be. I liked the way that the dialogue was used to enhance the scene setting and move the story on where it needed to be. The plot as outlined could have resulted in an interesting and fast moving suspense story but unfortunately I found that the author took us on too many unnecessary detours. Too much time was spent describing the workings and internal politics within the newspaper which Annika the central character worked for. It was not directly relevant to the main story and I found it distracting. To a lesser extent I found that the time spent on detailing the family life of the heroine was more than was required to understand her and the pressures on her work life. This was no more than any other working mother and wife so was not a unique situation that required the many words written.

I think that the story could have been written a little tighter to the main story and in therefore in fewer words without any loss of emphasis of the central plot. The conclusion of the scenario is too weak, almost as if the author reached the point of thinking she had written enough and needed to finish it as quickly as possible in order not to go over a limitation of the total number of words to be published.

It was not a book that I found I had to keep reading and therefore difficult to put down. It was a pleasant read if not enthralling. I would neither recommend or dismiss it, if asked I will merely say I've read it. At some point in the future I may well give another Liza Marklund novel a try.

Controlling Condensation and Mould Growth.

The National Landlords Association has published a very interesting vidoe on YouTube giving information and advice for landlords, tenants and households on how to control condensation and eliminate unpleasant mould in residential properties.

It is well worth the time to view it. It could save a property owner and tenant money. It could help to reduce any health risk to an occupant.

Torrevieja U3A Grants 'Right to Reply' !

On the 2^nd October 2011 I published an article entitled 'Will the Torrevieja U3A Newsletter change to a Democratic Format?' in which I questioned the fact that the association did not offer the facility of the 'Right to Reply' to articles published in the quarterly newsletter.

I included extracts of my correspondence with the Chairman of the Torrevieja U3A in the article and made the suggestion that “the committee being responsible for the editorial policy of the newsletter give consideration to a democratic format which allows for third person comments”.

I also made the point that having received a reply of “the matter will be discussed at the next Committee meeting. I will inform you of the Committee's decision in due course”, I would wait with hope; but not too much! Would the Committee be prepared to provide a facility for the readership to comment on the words of the inner clique of the newsletter columnists? I said then that I believed it would be an obvious yes for complimentary comments, but for questions and criticisms, that's another matter. I asked the questions “It can't be one without the other; or can it?” and “Or will the decision be to continue to offer neither?”

Since that time the management committee of the U3A have discussed this matter during two meetings and on the 28^th November 2011 I received the following email from the Chairman of the Association.

In my last letter to you I indicated that the matter of a ‘Right to Reply’ was being considered by the U3A Association’s committee; and that you would be informed of our decision.

On Saturday 12/11/11 (our last committee meeting) a draft policy of a Complaints Procedure and a Right to Reply procedure were examined. I am pleased to be able to report that, after considerable discussion, both policies were accepted by the committee and will now form part of our Association’s structures and procedures as from 1^st January 2012.

A copy of these procedures is now available to members and from today, can be accessed via the link at the foot of the About Page on the U3Awebsite. The original Aims of the Association and the Terms and Conditions of Membership are also posted there. Hard copies of these policies and procedures will also be available from the Chair at the monthly meetings. The Association continues to grow and as we do so new procedures will inevitably be required.

As a further result of your comments we have also formed a sub committee to examine the future of the Newsletter, and how it can be changed to improve communication within the Association. The results of the sub committee’s deliberations will be promulgated to the members in due course.

Once again I thank you for your original request that has resulted in improving the Association’s procedures and structures. It is only with the help and support of members like yourself that we can improve for the benefit of all.

It is very pleasing to receive such a positive decision from the Committee in the knowledge that I have perhaps assisted in the improvement of the Association to the benefit of the members including myself.

I compliment the members of the Torrevieja U3A Committee for their positive forward looking decision.

Our Complicated Consumer Minds!

As retail consumers it seems we are a very complicated lot according to three articles which recently appear in ScienceDaily.com .

In the first; Why does stating your intention lead you to purchase your favorite brand?, it says that if we say we are going to buy something, we are more likely to do it. But why is that? According to a new study, stating an intention leads consumers to action -- and makes us more likely to purchase our preferred brands.

The theme of preferred brands is picked up on in the second article; Do consumers prefer brands that appear on their Facebook pages? which states that we are likely to identify with a brand that advertises alongside our personal information on a Facebook page (especially if you have high self-esteem), according to a new study. The same ad will have less impact if you view it on a stranger's page.

However there is a problem which is highlighted in the third article; Holiday shopping: Why does rubbing elbows turn consumers off?. Although holiday sales and events try to drive as many of us customers to retail stores as possible, a new study shows that the crowding may drive them away as well. The issue arises when crowding results in people actually touching one another. It seems that if another shopper brushes against us whilst we are looking at possible purchases we are liable to leave the shop with an adverse view of both the premises and the product.

Are we really like this?

The Spanish are poorer!

According to an article by El Pais the Spanish paper "It appears that the per capita income of Spaniards has gone on declining in 2010 in relation to its previous levels; but also, and even more worryingly, with respect to the European average. In 2010, according to the Eurostat data released on Tuesday, it stood eight points below the average of the 17 countries of the euro zone and exactly equal to the average of the 27 EU states".

Read the full article: The Spanish are poorer · ELPAÍS.com in English

Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems?

Why do we stick up for a system or institution we live in -- a government, company, or marriage -- even when anyone else can see it is failing miserably? Why do we resist change even when the system is corrupt or unjust? A new article illuminates the conditions under which we're motivated to defend the status quo -- a process called "system justification.

Read the article here: "Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems?

We have moved in!

We arrived in theUnited Kingdom on Saturday 12^th November 2011 and just three weeks later, on schedule, on Saturday 3^rd December 2011 we moved into our UK based home in Heighington. It had been three weeks of mental and physical fatigue.

All the time we were wondering; would the contractors complete their tasks on time; would the suppliers of our new furniture and kitchen equipment deliver on the days agreed; would we complete our purchases of linen, bedding and the oh so many other sundry items in time for our move in?

We vacated our temporary accommodation at 07:30 hrs. on 'Occupation Day' as the last major delivery, the fridge/freezer, was due for the second attempt at our new UK base any time after 08:00 hrs. but before 18:00 hrs. It is so good when one receives a definite time in a reasonable time slot! Especially when the reason for this was to correct an error by the supplier. It arrived mid-morning.

Kitchen Before

During the first and second weeks the decorator and the kitchen joiner completed their work. Early on Monday the 28^th November the plumber and electrician made the final connections in the kitchen. The rest of the day the house was empty to allow the carpet fitters a clear run to lay the new flooring.

Monday for us was the second day of the IKEA expedition. On arrival in Nottingham our first task, well second actually after having a coffee, was to order the picking and home delivery services shopping list of the larger and heavier items. With this job out of the way our two subsequent trips in the IKEA maze, interspersed by having our two course lunch in the restaurant, were completed when the kitchen equipment and other sundries had overfilled two trolleys and tiredness was setting in. Time had arrived to head back towards Lincoln and wait in anticipation for the home delivery scheduled for Wednesday.

Tuesday was the day for putting up the curtains on the new fittings, and moving the many odds and ends purchased up till then from the rental property to our house. During the day IKEA surprised us by telephoning to confirm our delivery would be with us within an hour. We pointed out that that was a day early but we were very happy to change our plans to receive our furniture.

Our schedule changed for Wednesday as the early arrival on Tuesday enabled me to start the flat pack assembly experience a day earlier. Oh what joy! In the afternoon, between 13:15 hrs. and 17:00 hrs. we were expecting the delivery of our Dream machine. As if trying not to be out done by the IKEA delivery service by mid-morning our bed had been delivered early.

Thursday saw two more deliveries, our three major white goods from Comet and four small furniture items from Argos. These should have been our final arrivals but as I have already mentioned we had to wait until Saturday for a pristine fridge/freezer as the Thursday arrival was damaged and had to be returned. This caused some concern as it initially seemed that we would have to move in without a fridge/freezer, therefore the chilled and frozen food we had in the rental cottage would be ruined. However the result of a telephone call to Comet customer services to persuade them, well actually to plead with them, to deliver a replacement before the following Monday was successful with delivery made on Saturday as I've mentioned.

Friday, like the previous two days, involved assembling more flat-pack wonders. Another day of aggravating my flat-packer's knee and back syndrome! By late afternoon we had a bed to sleep in, furniture to sit on, a kitchen to cook and eat in so it was time to go to the rental cottage and pack our suitcases for the Saturday early morning move in.

If it hadn't been for the effort and flexibility of work times of Roger Fletcher and his team of decorators, Jonathan Frecklington of Baytree Joinery, Steven Mark of S M Electrical Services, Len Lembo of LincolnshireFlooring Ltd and the prompt deliveries by the retailers , Dreams, IKEA, Comet and Argos we wouldn't have achieved our three week property refurbishment time-scale.

We are certainly not one hundred percent Shipshape and Bristol fashion yet, this will probably take another week or two, but we have moved in.

Stable Cottage – Not a Thoroughbred.

During the three weeks needed to refurbish our UK base we stayed in the holiday rental Stable Cottage of Watermill Farm, Kirkby Green, Lincoln, LN4 3PE.

When we entered the cottage, based on the website advertising, we were expecting to find a well groomed thoroughbred. Initial impressions were that perhaps we had, but as in the case of buying such an animal it is the close inspection that defines the truth. Regrettably what we found was an unkempt hack.

Directly opposite the main entrance, in fact the only entrance, is the kitchen, a very important room. On our first brief look around it appeared satisfactory except that there is only a fridge, no freezer, not even a fridge freezer. It was pointed out to us that there is a cabinet freezer in an out house. There is a washing machine but no tumble drying facilities in the property. It was pointed out that there is a tumble dryer available in the garage of the main house. Both locations are in different directions.

On arrival we didn't look any further into the kitchen facilities as we had to get to 'Sainsburys in Lincoln for provisions' However on our return it became apparent that there was insufficient cupboard space to store non-refrigerated food items. As a result these items had to be left on the worktops. It was at this time that we became aware that the kitchen had not been cleaned properly by either the owners or the previous occupiers. There were food crumbs lying in the corners and edges of both cupboards and worktops, and as experience has shown in other holiday rental properties, crumbs were left in the electric toaster. The stainless steel sink wasn't. The cure for this was a newly purchased green sink scourer, cream cleanser, bleach, and freely available elbow grease.

When we started to cook it soon became obvious that the equipment was limited and basic, below the standard we expected. The cleanliness of the oven of the cooker and the extractor fan above was unsatisfactory. The housing of the latter being covered in a film of grease with the disposable filter obviously way past its useful life, clearly indicated by the prominence of the visible bright red strip markings.

The time came to put the frozen food in the freezer in the outbuilding that houses three grass cutting machines, situated approximately 30 metres behind the cottage. The location is totally unacceptable. It is dirty, there is no where to deal with food other than in the cottage, necessitating multiple journeys to and fro, and insufficient lighting. In the autumn and winter months of the year when the dark nights arrive very early this is far from satisfactory.

A further problem that we experienced every morning in the kitchen was the sweet sickly smell of oil (diesel) from the, hot water and central heating, boiler situated in there. The first task when preparing breakfast was to turn on the greasy extractor fan to remove the burnt oil fumes. The kitchen is far too small to have the boiler in. An alternative location for it should have been sought so the property didn't contain the smell of burning oil.

At the time for bed one could not help but be impressed by the main bedroom with its high beamed ceiling and large window. First impressions are misleading. One can only look at the ceiling but the most important item in the room is the bed. This was far from satisfactory. The mattresses that made up the super king size double bed (two single beds combined) are shot, being way past their best, with large central sunken areas of ineffective springs. Several of the pillows were badly stained and none had pillow protectors or covers between inferior pillow and pillow slip.

Duvets are provided, rather than blankets, and for the first few nights we found we were cold in bed and as there were no spare blankets we used the duvet from the second bedroom as extra bedding. On checking we found that the owners had only provided a low tog value, summer, duvet and this being November was totally inadequate. On pointing their error to the owners a winter replacement was provided. There should not have been a need to ask. At the end of a week when it was time to change the bedding for clean duvet cover, sheet and pillow slips there were not enough of these provided and the wrong size sheet was given. The clean bedding was made up of a mishmash of items, not what one would expect. The poor quality bedding complimented the poor quality bed!

Wash day soon arrived and it was time to use the washing machine to clean our clothes. It is an easy model to understand the programmes to use, and the first hurdle was covered leaving just the detergent powder and fabric softener dispenser tray to negotiate. What greeted us can only be described as appalling. The tray and surrounding area was dirty with mould and slim, obviously totally omitted from any cleaning schedule.

The damp, misty, dull, and short winter days require the use of a tumble dryer to complete the drying and airing of the clothes and as mentioned before this is located in the garage of the main house, some 30 yards from the cottage. A shopping bag is needed to carry the washing as no laundry basket is provided. One has to hope the dryer is not in use when needed, otherwise there is the 'toing and froing' similar to the journeys to the freezer.

Not only did we use the washing machine for the clothes but also to try and clean the safety non-slip mat for the shower which was trying not to be outdone by the washing machine drawer. Despite attempts of both hand and machine washing we were unable to remove all the dirt and mould from the underside of the mat. It should have replaced by the owners before our rental.

Returning to the main bedroom with its high beamed ceiling this picturesque feature presents two problems to users.

Because of the height and volume of the ceiling area any heat supplied by the underfloor heating in the room is convected up into the void leaving the lower area cold, even with the thermostat set in the high twenties. Because of the design of the roof it acts as an acoustic sound resonator of the traffic using the road which is less than 25 metres away. Despite it being a countryside road there is a considerably larger volume of traffic than expected especially between 05:30 to 08:30 hrs. This resulted in a disturbed morning sleep. Despite not wanting to get up into a cold bedroom there was not point in lying in bed. High volumes of traffic noise were experience again from 16:00 to 18:00 hrs.

Our stay at Stable Cottage was less than satisfactory and not value for money despite paying a discounted rental. We believe that the property was not prepared properly and a review of the quality of facilities, furniture, and equipment needs to be undertaken if it wants to be considered as a thoroughbred, as the advertising suggests it is.

Click on any photograph to see an enlargement.