New Year New Laptop!

I'm sat here typing away on my 3 year old laptop - the button has been missing off the mouse for about 18 months and the power cable is dodgy, which means the laptop loses power if the cable moves. The virtual memory is virtually gone and was in need of an upgrade.

Thankfully I'd been saving hard and the January sales bagged me a bargain with a Dell laptop, with memory that will be capable of handling the various applications I'll be running at the same time. I think I wore out my last laptop because I'm always multi-tasking with about 10 windows open at the same time!

Hopefully once I set it up, I'll be able to continue uploading videos, pictures and more blogs throughout 2009.

Royal Mail: A Bleak Future

I've worked as a postman for almost 14 years and love this job more than any other. Gaining much satisfaction at serving the public and country delivering the mail each day, but things are changing beyond my control.

The future is bleak, as this once great public service struggles to remain as an institution at the heart of British life. For me, I face the prospect of having to work 5 years longer just because the pensions fund is about £6 BILLION in debt. Carrying ever increasing amounts of mail into my sixties doesn't really appeal . Before that time though, I may be forced into becoming part time as the business changes the way we work.

Terms and conditions, jobs and locations are constantly under threat as the future of the universal service is put into question with the workers and the public being the ones who will pay the ultimate price.

Ben Rogers: Heroin Video - Comments and Thoughts

Ben Rogers death through heroin addiction has had a deep impact on the many who have read or seen the story, as highlighted on Sky TV this week.

Hundreds have visited this blog and seen the video about Ben Rogers battle against his heroin addiction. Reading the comments on the blog have been almost as moving as the video itself.

It is a topic that, while may not affect YOU directly - it does have an effect on you when you learn more about the struggles and pain anyone associated with heroin addiction has to go through on a daily basis.

While we see global problems and concerns, we also have issues closer to home that usually go un-reported in the media yet can have a devastating effect on those involved.

Yet, we can take comfort in knowing Ben's death has not been in vain. Many families would have been comforted knowing their struggle is not done alone. Reading the comments certainly helped me realise many others have faced such problems.

How reassuring that some found help in kind hearted individuals who took the time to reach out and care, for others it has been the steadfast love of parents that was always there - even if they turned away from the offers of love.

Each of us have special qualities that many times go un-noticed by the majority, but we can use the gifts we have to improve the quality of life for others. A listening ear, a meal, a place to rest and offering love are just a few ingredients that can make a big impact on someone else.

Learning from Ben Rogers example and the comments made, certainly has got me thinking more of how I can help others, and I hope at this time of year it will have a positive effect on you too.

*Read the original topic here: Ben Rogers Heroin Video

*PIC: Daily Mail

End of the Golly Wogs!

Robertson's jam is to disappear from British shops forever, which means the end of the line for the famous Golly Wogs. The brand is about to be axed in favour of Harley's jam as Premier Foods decided it was time to ditch Robertson's after 144 years.

The Golly was removed from the jars in 2002 after appearing in adverts for the last time in 1988 after an outcry about the use of a Golly. Yet for generations, the Golly Wog was a famous symbol as families up and down the British Isles collected Golly Wog badges. For me this was nothing to do with colour or race but more an iconic image from my childhood, I even remember seeing a Golly Wog doll and to me it was not a derogatory word or expression.

Sadly, political correctness and word police means I can't use the word "Golly Wog" in public but to me Robertson's Jam will always remind me of the beautiful Golly Wog figures. Rest In Peace!

The Great Utility Robbery

When oil prices reached records highs of over $150 in July, the utilities companies were quick to justify price rises of over 30%. Since then oil prices have plummeted to below $45 yet NONE of the big energy suppliers have passed on the massive price reduction.

This means that normal people like you and I will be paying more than we should be for our gas and electricity, while in a few months time those same utility companies will be reporting a hike in company profits. Today my utility bill arrived in the post and informed me that my monthly direct debit would rise by 50% to cover the price hikes imposed on me. A three monthly bill of £350 represents a sizable chunk of money to set aside in these difficult times.

The normal man in the street will lose out unless the government takes action in redistributing the unfair profits the utility companies have awarded themselves. A one off tax on them would be of great benefit to the economy right now, without damaging the companies that are making millions out of your misery.

Job Losses

'Jaguar Land Rover Cuts 500 jobs', '100,000 Manufacturing Jobs At Risk In 2009 As Recession Bites', '1,500 Face Losing jobs At Wilkinson' and 'Woolworths And MFI Crash Threatens 31,000 Jobs' are just a few of the headlines hitting our screens in recent days as the UK falls into recession.

It is grim reading for anyone affected by the economic downturn as employers are quick to shed loyal workers and exploit agency workers in their thousands.

While it is easy to point the finger at the Government or the banks, we too have our part to play in the blame as consumers. We want the cheapest products but we also want a decent wage - so is it any wonder companies relocate to cheaper countries in an effort to keep the goods cheap? As long as our job is not affected, we are happy to allow agency workers to work with inferior contracts.

The boom times not only succeeded in giving us a better standard of living, it made us more selfish. We bought our cheaper foreign cars while letting our car industry go to ruin, we bought shares in the utility companies - only for them to be sold abroad years later.

Now we 'reap what we sow' as the hard reality of recession kicks in - Will it mean an erosion of working conditions for those 'lucky' enough to keep their jobs? Will it mean those that lose their jobs will become one of the growing numbers of agency workers? How will workers be able to defend their jobs when strike action no longer becomes an option?