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A Mexican Lesson Of 'All Eggs in one basket' For Us.

January 27th, 2017

One of the hardest lessons my colleagues and I learnt when we were running our small business was that it was a mistake to have one of your customers provide most of your income. This meant that we bent over backwards, sometimes to our own detriment, to ensure we kept their business.

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Plastic Carrier Bag Charge – Wasted Opportunity (#5p2recycle)

January 22nd, 2017

My local Tesco supermarket in their wisdom no longer provide plastic carrier bag recycling facilities. Facilities were removed 'since the 5 pence bag charge was introduced'. Following the example of many other countries, on 5th October 2015, England introduced 5 pence charges for single-use plastic carrier bags. Now maybe I should have taken more notice when the the charge was introduced but I assumed that the charge would go into 'plastic carrier bag' recycling facilities considering that only retailers with more than 250 employees are obliged to charge for bags. This leaves tens of thousands of shops – many in inner city areas – that still do not charge for carrier bags.

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Why I Fear Writing Again

January 20th, 2017

Isn't funny that societies that historically measured the level of their 'civilisation' based on their artistic appreciation and artistic creation, that in this day and age most all types of artists in the developed world have to hold down day jobs to make ends meet? Only a small fraction actually make any real money. The picture is what my second eldest child and daughter bought me as my present for my 50th birthday. I'm not sure but I may have inspired her choice of present by discussing my writing and other artistic issues at some point.

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Universal Basic Income

January 19th, 2017

This week's big new story is Oxfam's report on how the eight people own same wealth as half the world. Last year it was 62 people! The principle of 'Universal Basic Income' appears to be the idea that appears to be able to provide a workable solution against widespread poverty especially in countries where the 'extended family' support structures, important in poorer societies, have been eroded over the recent past generations.

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Expectations and Disappointments

January 3rd, 2017

"That's it, I'm done, from now on I will look after number one, me and mine."

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Resolutions resolved.

January 1st, 2017

Many years ago, at least over 25 years ago, my mother who was a 60 a day smoker at the time decided to stop smoking on New Year's day. I had never known my Mum to make a resolution before nor I cannot remember her doing it since. Many people will discourage you from making resolutions by saying why wait for New Year's day to make a change that you should make at the time you decide you need the change. I would argue that there is something memorable about the date – the 1st of January - that makes it special.

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