Tuesday 8th September 2015

[Tizme1]

This zero-waste grocery store has no packaging, plastic or big-name brands
http://valhallamovement.com/link/this-z ... __step__=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One for Tiz

Greetings all,

And thanks AAW. Certainly an interesting concept. I desperately need to generate an income - maybe I should try and get backing to set up something similar in Watford..........

I've been dipping in and out the last few days due to having a stinking cold. Plus following the US Open having been advised of a reliable site to find on line streams.

I did see that someone mentioned that Sky news was covering the allotment issue the other day. Was it you AAW, or RR2? It may even have been yahyah or Lady C. Or someone else entirely. Sorry I do normally remember but I've been pretty much out of it due to the cold. Anyway, whoever it was - thank you. Of course some of it was misleading - in particular with regards the Dotty Mare's comments. Oops I wasn't going to refer to her that way any more was I? Sometimes I just can't help myself - I am an imperfect human after all. We're still waiting on the latest decision and trying to believe that no news is good news. The reason there are now only 26 active plot holders is because the Council closed the list for Farm Terrace some years ago, and have been systematically removing people either by bribery, threat, or claiming allotment holders haven't worked the allotment as much as they should and therefore terminating their contract. The latter is something they have been doing across all allotments in the last year or two. I'm in the process of trying to gather more information/stats to help support Sara-Jane's attempts to strengthen allotment holders rights country wide. Despite her having joined the Labour party around the time of the election. She is a Green at heart but I understand her reasoning. And frankly I don't care what party she belongs to, she'd make a good Councillor.

@yahyah, I noticed you commented that you wouldn't get involved with the Greens because of the way we do business. I'm really not wishing to open up old arguments but do you mean your perception of Natalie and Caroline's conduct during the election [please don't take umbrage at that, I am fully aware that my view is equally only my perception and no more valid than yours]? Or do you mean the fact that as a party, we are led by members rather than from the top down?

[utopiandreams]

Back from a midnight run and I suppose I may have raised further questions such as if I were suffering so much why had I not done more about my back. The simple answer is that when it first occurred and I was doubled up in pain my wife took me to the docs, she'd not long got her driving licence back after the stroke, but after examination the doctor merely prescribed pain killers and I don't even remember his advising what the condition was. Obviously I therefore assumed it nothing serious and I was merely being mardy despite it being nothing like pain I had encountered before.

Had I had my wits about me I'd have realised that this be the same doctor, now nearing retirement, that had 13 years earlier told me after examining my wife that if I were still worried to take her to A&E but not to advise our doctor had said so. It were late Friday afernoon going on evening in both cases when we arrived at A&E and she didn't get a CT scan until the Monday morning. In the first case she was rushed to North Staffs (Stoke) and in the latter to Nottingham for specialist care.

There is much more I could say and indeed thought of on my drive but let's not go there only to say that my own condition paled in comparison to that of my wife's. Some three months later after realising how much my left leg had wasted away despite my best efforts to use and exercise it that I revisited the doctor and was assigned physio a few days later. The physiotherapist seemed particularly concerned and asked on a scale of one to ten how I would grade the pain, to which I responded, "I suppose a seven."

"Only seven?"

"Yeah it's not as bad as it was and I've heard childbirth is pretty painful so let's call that an eight, reserve nine for someone playing about with your eyes with some implement or other and a ten for immersion in acid or being burned alive."

Did I ever mention I once scratched my eye and it didn't heal properly leaving me feeling as though I always had something in it? No? Well it was peeled like a grape to allow it to heal properly, under anaesthetic of course, but ooh once that had worn off! I feel for you ohso, I'd dread to have eye surgery.

Which reminds me I once had a cist removed from my forehead under local anaesthetic, much like the bump that Jean-Claude Van Damme has on his. After the doctor had cut me open and was digging around, he asked if I were all right because I looked a little wan. No I wasn't it was bloody excruciating, I just assumed that was normal and put on a brave face. There was a lady doctor too, my favoured one and I really didn't want to appear mardy otherwise I'd have said. Thank God he had asked because I wasn't supposed to feel much and was duly given more anaesthetic.

I digress again. It wasn't long after my trip to physio where they'd refused to move or manipulate me that I received a phone call from the doctor, the old boy, asking could I come to the surgery. With no explanation whatsoever he wrote some note sealed it in a brown envelope and sent me to A&E. This is three months after I'd done it! Even there after I don't know how long a consultant looking at my X-rays pointed out a congenital problem and said that should I be overweight that it would cause problems. I thanked him for his concern but advised that I was never likely to be overweight but quite frankly considered myself already having got one. The naughty chap did seize his opportunity to give me a prostrate examination while he had the chance. Talk about bedside manners he didn't even warn me! Wtf!

[LadyCentauria]

Living wage fears sending 'shockwaves' through UK labour market

James Hick, a spokesman for Manpower, said: “The national living wage is sending shockwaves through the UK labour market. An unintended consequence of its introduction is that firms might try to bypass the legislation altogether. We anticipate that some employers may look to mitigate the extra costs by taking on more young or self-employed workers, who are not entitled to the national living wage.

Support services firm Interserve recently announced that the extra annual wage bill for its 15,000 cleaners could amount to £15m, or 12% of its annual profits.

Mears Group estimated the cost of meeting the wage rises for its 4,000 care workers would be £5m, or 10% of its annual profits. “Faced with a wage bill of this size, some employers are thinking twice about taking on new workers,” Hick said.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... our-market" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Someone on the thread asked where the money to pay workers a living wage is coming from.
Oh, please

Oh, poor little Interserve will only earn a hundred-and-ten-million pounds in profits if it has a very moderately paid workforce; and poor little Mears Group will have to manage on a mere forty-five-million pounds in profits. How will they ever survive!!!??? :shock-horror: :diddums:
Are they completely unaware that better-paid workers tend to be more productive and loyal to their employers?