Amateur psychologists will be having a field day today following an increase in the looting and rioting which is affecting London, and now, other parts of the Country.
There always seems to be a backlash from the black community whenever their brothers and the police are involved in arms related confrontations, particularly when one of their own ends up dead. Events in Tottenham which led to the death are still subject to the two sides of a story principal, but with the Broadwater Farm estate being a tinder box ready to ignite, it is no surprise that N1 felt the first tremors of unrest.
Should the police have seen it coming, well probably yes, and they probably did, but not to the extent that it flared up there, and then spread like wildfire through most of the deprived boroughs of London.
The looting portfolio surprised me though. Times are hard, and people in these run down areas are affected more than most, so I would have expected most of the looting to be centred on Tesco or Sainsburys to allow them to stock pile food and drink . interestingly it was the electrical stores and clothing outlets which people were filmed targeting, with JD Sports in particular being stripped of clothing fit for a riot!!
The fact that the usual suspects were listed on the news bulletins as being affected by rioting was again a sad indictment of the progress, or lack of it, being made in the inner city areas like Brixton, Toxteth, St Pauls, MossSide and the Bullring area of Birmingham in the thirty years or so since the last great uprising. It is interesting that the youths at the vanguard of those riots are now probably parents in their own right. I wonder whether they fell responsible or let down?
There seems a great will on behalf of the man and woman in the street to not allow these riots to devastate their own neighbourhood. The social networks which are thought to have allowed mobs to congregate in the first place are now being used equally effectively by the Joe Public clean up squads which are being formed in Croydon, Hackney, Bethnal Green and other areas to minimise the damage and debris.
With the police now assessing the use of rubber bullets as a deterrent, I would rather see the Cheshire Regiment or a few Para's just back from Afghanistan let loose on the so called British citizens whose freedom they have been six months protecting. That would clear the streets pretty quickly.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Thursday 4 August 2011
Tunnel vision
I went for an MRI scan last night at the Clatterbridge centre for oncology. There is no need to get worried, the oncology department has the permanent scanner and is quite close to home, and it was some inflammation and pain in my foot which is the problem.
The doctor called it a form of tendinitis affecting the hollow foot tendon. The hollow foot tendon (aponeurosis plantaris) runs from the heel bone under the sole, and is attached to all five toes. The hollow foot tendon is a functional extension of the Achilles tendon, and is instrumental in maintaining the arch running the length of the foot.
I had the classic symptoms; pain when running and playing golf, as well as when applying pressure at the attachment point of the hollow foot tendon directly under the heel bone. The pain is often most pronounced slightly on the inner side of the attachment although in my case it was the outer.
I was prescribed anti-inflammatories, and asked to leave it a while. if there was no improvement then a corticosteroid injection would be necessary. The reason for the MRI was to ensure they knew what they were doing with the needle as a number of injuries requiring treatment can easily be overlooked during a clinical examination. In cases where satisfactory progress is not in evidence, an ultrasound examination is performed as early as possible. Ultrasound scanning enables an evaluation of the extent of the change in the tendon; inflammation of the tendon (tendinitis), development of cicatricial tissue (tendinosis), calcification, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the tendon (peritendinitis), inflammation of the bursa (bursitis), as well as (partial) rupture
I hope none of this is relevant to me, as the initial pain has now subsided and I was able to get out running last night after I came back. If it turns out to be a heel spur or similar I guess I will have to live with that as surgical removal is not usually performed these days.
Anyway, back to the scanner. Its a scary beast which rumbles and grumbles as it performs its analysis. As it was my ankle under investigation I went in feet first and my head was able to stay outside the machine. The process took 45 minutes and hopefully they got my whole foot in the scanning process as my big toe has started to play up and it would be useful if that was diagnosed as well.
That could be gout or arthritis or any number of other things, but that's something to worry about once the results come back. Clatterbridge is under review at the moment, with many of the general hospital functions being relocated to Arrowe Park. The Oncolcogy unit is also rumoured to be moving to the Royal in Liverpool which would be a disappointment as having such facilities close to home is always a bonus.
The doctor called it a form of tendinitis affecting the hollow foot tendon. The hollow foot tendon (aponeurosis plantaris) runs from the heel bone under the sole, and is attached to all five toes. The hollow foot tendon is a functional extension of the Achilles tendon, and is instrumental in maintaining the arch running the length of the foot.
I had the classic symptoms; pain when running and playing golf, as well as when applying pressure at the attachment point of the hollow foot tendon directly under the heel bone. The pain is often most pronounced slightly on the inner side of the attachment although in my case it was the outer.
I was prescribed anti-inflammatories, and asked to leave it a while. if there was no improvement then a corticosteroid injection would be necessary. The reason for the MRI was to ensure they knew what they were doing with the needle as a number of injuries requiring treatment can easily be overlooked during a clinical examination. In cases where satisfactory progress is not in evidence, an ultrasound examination is performed as early as possible. Ultrasound scanning enables an evaluation of the extent of the change in the tendon; inflammation of the tendon (tendinitis), development of cicatricial tissue (tendinosis), calcification, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the tendon (peritendinitis), inflammation of the bursa (bursitis), as well as (partial) rupture
I hope none of this is relevant to me, as the initial pain has now subsided and I was able to get out running last night after I came back. If it turns out to be a heel spur or similar I guess I will have to live with that as surgical removal is not usually performed these days.
Anyway, back to the scanner. Its a scary beast which rumbles and grumbles as it performs its analysis. As it was my ankle under investigation I went in feet first and my head was able to stay outside the machine. The process took 45 minutes and hopefully they got my whole foot in the scanning process as my big toe has started to play up and it would be useful if that was diagnosed as well.
That could be gout or arthritis or any number of other things, but that's something to worry about once the results come back. Clatterbridge is under review at the moment, with many of the general hospital functions being relocated to Arrowe Park. The Oncolcogy unit is also rumoured to be moving to the Royal in Liverpool which would be a disappointment as having such facilities close to home is always a bonus.
Wednesday 3 August 2011
Father of the Bride
On Friday number one daughter, Rebecca, got married to her long time sweetheart Jon, at a lovely service in Great Budworth, Cheshire, and later there were drinks and merriment at Arley Hall near Knutsford.
The bride looked wonderful, and I got to make yet another speech. This one was in English and a clip of it is here.
The bride looked wonderful, and I got to make yet another speech. This one was in English and a clip of it is here.
The bride made her own speech, something which is at odds with the formal wedding protocol, but the rule book seems to have been ripped up in all walks of life these days, and as she had been planning the event in her mind since she was six years old, who were we to deny her moment.
The lucky couple are now in Barbados on honeymoon, I am sure they are having a wonderful time
Tuesday 2 August 2011
The Return of the Jedi
Over three years ago I wrote about Andrew Ainsworth taking on the might of Lucas Arts over the copyright of his storm trooper outfits.
Andrew, you may remember ran a commercial operation selling the kit from a small shop on Twickenham green.
Well I am delighted to report that he won his case, and is now able to expand and continue to provide outfits to all those Star Wars anoraks out there. The helmets can be as much as £500, and the outfits upwards of £1000, but there is the demand, so good luck to him, and its one in the eye for corporate bully boys.
Andrew, you may remember ran a commercial operation selling the kit from a small shop on Twickenham green.
Well I am delighted to report that he won his case, and is now able to expand and continue to provide outfits to all those Star Wars anoraks out there. The helmets can be as much as £500, and the outfits upwards of £1000, but there is the demand, so good luck to him, and its one in the eye for corporate bully boys.
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