Break the chain

Door to door security door salesmen that sold security door chains to duped door owners must have laughed at the ease with which they traded this non-safe implement. Simple to install and operate the door chain was not a very good deterrent against unwelcome callers. The useless door chain was marketed as an extra lock yet the door’s main lock had to be unlocked leaving the chain as the only defence against outsiders.

It would not take much force for a burglar, stalker or restraining order abuser to open the door. A hefty shoulder charge would loosen the screws in the door frame and access would be easy for the intruder. A safer alternative is the spy hole. The householder can see who is outside their door.

Unless the caller puts his thumb against the spy glass in which case after a -Who‘s there? Guess who? – exchange you think you recognise the voice and accordingly, open the door or keep the door closed.

My apologies to the French

When I received an e-mail from the English Osteopath in the south of France asking me to vote for her in the regional round of the Prix des Femmes, I naturally did so.  I looked at the other three candidates sponsored by Nice-Matin and was convinced a Brit would have no chance against French opposition, especially since one of them seemed to be a politically correct, human rights type.

Today I received this e-mail.

Well with your help… we did it!!

Rachael, our osteopath who was nominated by the Nice Matin, to be this regions candidate for the Prix des Femmes, to find the woman who has contributed most to her community, WON the public vote…

Rachael has not only set up two osteopathic practices, runs a community pilates class for those with back pain, but she also set up and is the current President of a charity whereby she and other osteopaths give their time for free to treat disabled children, children from low income families and young african children brought to France to undergo life saving heart operations.

So in 3 weeks time the Nice Matin is flying her to Paris to meet the other 14 regional finalists and to have a (non competitive), (yeah right) lunch to meet with the jury to decide the  top 3 with a prize of 10,000 euro.

As the only British woman to have ever got this far we are understandably really proud, and would like to thank those of you for reading the previous email and acting on it or by reposting it to your friends and putting it on your social networking sites, which we heard that some did.

Apparently Rachael won the most votes out of the entire nationwide candidates, which says a lot for our lovely international/expat community and the power of a mass marketing emai!!

Thank you again.

Rachel is a delightful lady, full of energy, and treats the injuries of those who work on the boats along the Riviera as well as all her charitable work. I am delighted she has won this round and wish to apologise to the French for my unworthy thoughts. They are not, thankfully, all like Sarkozy.

Bloc Party

Observing the EU’s travails from a comfortable distance I’ve started to think about the pointlessness of regional blocs in the contemporary world. Naturally there are some things which could be done on a regional basis that might be in the general interest of everyone. Easing international trade and standardising documentation in a continent with a number of small countries such as Europe is helpful. Trying to force them all to conform to common policies will not work, however. We’ve already had this proven several times over the past two centuries.

The reality is that technology has moved us beyond contiguous borders. It’s no more difficult for me to order a CD from London, a book from Melbourne, and a few pounds of coffee from Sao Paulo than it is for me to order the same from a neighbouring county. In some instances it is easier as I am able to communicate with them in the same language, something which doesn’t seem to be possible in the Bay Area where one  must be conversant in Cantonese, Tagalog, Castilian, and PC Newspeak to simply function.

Perhaps some, especially on the European Continent ( I do not consider the UK to be part of Europe), are so married to the post-Second World War order of continental blocs that they simply cannot recognised just how much the world has changed. It’s not uncommon for people to have family on three continents, it’s not uncommon for people to form enduring personal and business ties with people on the other side of the world. This seems to be especially common for people blessed with the ability to speak English.
I, for one, have an easier time getting on with people in Taiwan, Australia, or Brazil than dealing with people from Germany, much less France.

What d’ya reckon, Soutie?

Or how about you, Sipu?

Here’s our new Australian Team Coach and Selector, Mikey Arthur.

A Saffer who coached the Proteas with some success until he suddenly left after a disagreement with CSA or Graeme Smith or possibly both.

At the time he avowed that he wanted nothing more than to move to England and coach a County Team, but apparently the Poms didn’t want him and he ended up as coach to the WA (West Australia) Warriors.   He has  a reputation for being a good man-manager – is that praise, or is it a nice way of saying that his cricket isn’t very good?

Reactions from Aussie fans have been mixed, so far.   Some of the derogatory comments included –

  • Anyone would be better than Tim Neilsen
  • Why can’t we have an Aussie coach?
  • Does this mean our team will become as arrogant and precious as the Proteas?

Continue reading “What d’ya reckon, Soutie?”

Smoking – does the Nanny state have a point?

Firstly, I shall declare myself as an ex-smoker, I gave up 5 years ago give or take having smoked for 20 on and off. I’m no anti-smoker like some, but I don’t like the smell indoors any more and am quite happy not to smoke. I still love the smell of a cigar though, and occasionally I still get a craving. I’m happy for people to smoke if they want. I have the choice to move away.

Anyway, this article (linky thing) is the second story in the press this month about smoking, and I thought it worthy of debate. The first story was regarding the BMA in the UK suggesting the government should ban smoking in cars to protect children. Continue reading “Smoking – does the Nanny state have a point?”

Uzbekistan

I’ve been on the Silk Road this past week, doing security reviews on offices, a factory and a tobacco leaf fermentation plant.  (300km from Afghanistan, which is as close as I ever want to get, thank you very much.)  It was hectic schedule with rotten weather over some prety rough roads, so I didn’t have much time for sight-seeing, but I snapped a couple of shots with the iPhone:

A pit-stop on the road between Tashkent and Samarkand. Continue reading “Uzbekistan”