Emails, and Appeals …

Pointless piece of trivia for you, here …

Did you know it’s — as I write — 13:25 in Los Angeles … ?

You didn’t … ?

Neither did I, ’til I had a look at one of me clocks …

««•»»

Which wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, when I started writing this …

I get mildly distracted, when I’m tired: you can tell, can’t you … ?

At any rate, bless ’er, I had Councillor Chilvers wonder into the shop, earlier: mostly yo have a mosey around and to say ‘Hi’.

I don’t think any of the stock caught her eye.

But she was certainly impressed enough to tweet about it!!

And leave me with a bit of a hot tip: seemingly, the planned development that had been refused in Fairfield Road — for more flats, so you know — is being appealed by the developers.

Sounds about right, given Brentwood Council’s history …

Hopefully, though … ?

It’s something I hope gets turned down: that boxing gym’s being eyed up by at three people I know.

«•»

Moving on … ?

Moving on, I’ve got to admit, I’ve been emailing the Gazette, again: mostly in annoyance at Eric Pickles’ column: about tuition fees, so you know.

Here’s what I told them …

Dear Sir,

I’ve got to admit, I’m writing after reading Eric Pickles column, in this weeks Gazette.

And admit, as I’ve written in my blog, I’m a disillusioned Lib-dem voter.

Now, I don’t have access to any of the government figures showing the university tuition fee — or the cap on the Educational Maintenance Allowance — as he does.

But my two younger sisters are both university graduates: ones still in debt as a result of things as they stand.

I think both they — and the law abiding students who’ve been peacefully protesting — wouldn’t call what he’s calling “the truth about fees”, a good thing.

And can only hope the current coalition government are voted out at the next election. After making a travesty of our childrens’ futures. And one too many blatantly broken promises.

Here’s hoping that gets published …

Another Email

Hmmm …

This is just literally going to be quick: believe it or not, as part of the new job … ?

I’m having a couple of days training.

In Harrow.

And I’m trying to arrange the train fare at VERY short notice … !!

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Oy vey!

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But, at any rate … ?

Enough to say that an article in this weeks Gazette, about the plans to turn High Wood Hospital into flats … ?

Got me emailing, again.

Here’s what I wrote them, this time …

Dear Sir

I’ve just read your article in this weeks edition, about the on-coming redevelopment of the Highwood hospital site, and must confess, I’ve just one question.

Can I make a cynical remark, now, or should I save for after the flats are built?

What grabbed my attention was the simple fact that your article stated that there are to be 203 flats, along with 392 parking spaces. Not like along my street, then … ?

Rollason Way — due to the various delays, resubmissions, extensions and outright extra buildings — now has ¾ of a parking space, per flat.

I look at the announcement and thought, “THAT’LL last”

On top of that, and being very aware of the traffic backed up outside my front room window, every rush hour? And the state of the congested parking on Wharf Road?

Well …

I laughed, cynically, when I read the article

And can’t help but wonder what — given the state of the traffic and and parking on my street — what the Planning Committee are up to.

Keep your fingers crossed I get published.

It’s been a dry couple of weeks!

The Local Paper, for Local People …

I’m In!!!

AGAIN!

Ok, ok, I’ve — bar last week — had the Gazette publish a letter of mine for most of the past few weeks. I mean, it’s not like I’m Hunter S Thompson.

I couldn’t handle the hallucinations, for a start …

But, at any rate, I’m rather pleased I got the last one published, I think I made a goodish point, or two.

So, when I saw a couple of articles, in today’s Gazette, I had to shoot off another one; here …

“I’ve got to admit, I read a couple of articles in this weeks Gazette with quite a bit of interest.

For starters, the news that the BNP are thinking of putting someone forward for election in Hutton South. I personally find the fact that such a notorious group of bigots believe our town a potentially ripe stomping ground both disgusting and disturbing. And have to ask their organiser one simple question; “What BLOODY mosque?”. I really hope Councillor Quirke is correct in his belief that they won’t do well in the forthcoming by-election. The last thing this town needs is an organised bunch of bigots like this.

Lets move on, shall we? Yes, let’s.

One other article that caught my eye was about a local school’s upgrade to its recording studio facilities; which mentioned the fact that that also included quite a lot of iMacs.

Good for them!

Now I’ve got to admit a little bit of bias, here; I’m something of a Macintosh fanboy, and have been for some time.

But I think I’ve a couple of points to make, here.

Now, while I know the Mac has something of a niche reputation, it really doesn’t deserve it. After all, I have used a vintage Mac Performa, a G4 Power Mac, and — my current model — the Mac Mini, for every last one of my home computing needs for the past seven years, and really would find shifting away from the platform hard to do. And really believe that, despite their higher price, their reliability and higher levels of built in security, make that a price worth paying. Just as a minor point, here the Mac Performa I have, I had second hand, from an old family friend. It’s lasted some 14 years and is still functioning quite well; to the best of my knowledge, long after an equivalent Windoze based PC would’ve given up the ghost. Many thanks, Bill.

Which brings me to a related point. One thing that was a revelation about the Mac, when I first used it, was quite simply the fact that the mouse had — and still has, on modern Macs — just one button. Which was a revelation to me.

I’m left handed. And the fact that there was a commercially available product that one can use straight out of the box, one didn’t have to fiddle about with to set to left hand use. I just put it on the other side of the keyboard.

So I’m glad to hear that one school in Brentwood has adopted them.

I know that I, as many lefties, had an awkward time at school. I know I had a constant refrain from Infant and junior school teachers, of “Wouldn’t you find the pen comfier in your other hand?” as a child. And wanting to learn the guitar at senior school was out of the question; what was Hedley Walter Comprehensive, and is now Sawyer’s Hall College, had no left handed models. From I know from my own personal experience, and from those I’ve talked too, that this doesn’t exactly give us a good start in life. And can be crippling, if we’re not tough.

So I kind of hail that simple fact that one school has had an (unintended, I’m sure) minor beneficial effect on it’s left handed pupils. Lord knows I could’ve done with it, at a young age.

And can only hope that more schools in Brentwood stock up on … Well, Macs, for preference. But at least more left handed scissors, utensils, and musical instruments. Or, at least, show our pupils how to alter our computer mouse system preferences, so we can use them left-handedly.

I also know I’ve got my modern mouse set up to left hand use. And love confusing right-hander’s with it.

”

And isn’t it strange how these things go? I had meant to fire off a quick shot about the parking, down here …

Which is complicated, to say the least …

•••••

Now I know that we were supposed to get pre-paid envelopes for the recent set of voting form; I didn’t, Adrian did, although I don’t know who else has or hasn’t along the street. And I know I had Sara Bartleman — Southern Anglia’s rep for the area — politely phoning me up to apologise for that. She’s also offered to — admittedly with no guarantees — both look at, and leave a comment on here. I hope she does.

But for those of us who’ve not had the envelopes that were supposed to come with the form’s, Sara’s email address is sara.bartleman@circleanglia.org. To send it to her at the office, you need to send it to:

Sara Bartleman

22, Pitseaville Grove

Vange,

Basildon

Essex.

SS16 4HW

Oh, and the number’s 01268 220837

Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve gone for option five, on the form we had in. I also know that Dave, round the corner, is pushing for option four; apparently, it’d only add about 15 pence to the service charge.

Well …

And I’m also looking at Option Two, here. Which is the option directly administered by residents, here in Rollason Way.

I’m thinking that’s a nice, touchy-feely option.

You can feel the cynical comment from there, can’t you?

I’m thinking that Option Two will be fuel for trouble.

Have you ever read “The Crucible”, by the late Arthur Miller? All about the Salem witch hunts?

One of the central characters — Elizabeth Proctor — is accused of witchcraft, by the young woman who’d had an affair with Elizabeth’s husband; the husband, John, has long since broken off the affair, and the result … well.

The reason I mention it, is because I can easily see the application, here.

All it would take is one neighbour to have an argument with another — who’d be one of the volunteer’s — and he’d never be able to park next to — or near — his front door again.

What tangled web’s we weave …

At any rate, I’d suggest those of us who can, email in our voting forms; they need to be in by the 8th of May.

And the next meeting looks like it’s on the 2nd of July. And Sara will be gracing us with her presence on the 29th of July.

A Monday.

At ten in the morning.

When everybody's around, obviously …

•••••

Oh, and just to follow up on the Left-handed issue, this You Tube video, about a chap called Maurie Kaufman caught my attention.

I kind of know exactly what he means about being a rebel …

About Saturday

I’ve got to confess, I was a bit put out, on Saturday.

I was handy out flyers for tonight’s quiz, up and down the High Street and and the Bay Tree Centre.

And, if you’ve been reading the Gazette, you’ll probably realise that the BNP were out and about, that day.

I’m offended.

I even got asked if I was handy out stuff for them; - not that I blame the chap doing the asking.

But I thought I’d write another letter in to the Gazette, just to make the point that I wasn’t happy to see a group I’ve always found odious in town …

Here’s the text …

“I’m writing in regard to the news that the BNP were in Brentwood, on Saturday just gone.   I was in Brentwood High Street, handing out flyers for the pub quiz I run, and accused by one of the Bay Tree Centre’s understandably concerned Afro-Carribean staff of being a member.   

I don’t blame him, in a way.

But living near Brentwood Station, one sees their activists come into town by train – usually accompanied by the police – and sees the worried looks on the faces of local businessmen and residents of different ethnic minority origin.

I don’t blame them, either 

The BNP are notoriously racist, however much of a ‘nice’ face they try to put on their party’s website.   They’ve also been noted for being fairly friendly to the David Irvine style Holocaust deniers of this world.   As someone who’s grandfather was one of the troops to liberate Dachau, who saw what the Nazi’s did, and came back to tell his child and grandchildren about it, I find them, and what they stand for, seriously objectionable.

I’m British, and proud to say so.

But feel that good old fashioned British tolerance is not served by these people.   And hope for two things.

That none of the three people who joined this group were serving policemen or civil servants, and thus in a position to put their bigotry into some sort of government action.

And that politicians from all mainstream parties can rapidly find answers to the issue groups like this raise.

I’d rather not see the BNP listed on a local or national ballot paper.”

Personally, I’m hoping the more mainstream parties manage to address the issue of immigration, in a fair, coherent, and publicly acceptable way; – it’s the one issue this group is exploiting for their own ends.

Which I feel will not be good, given their links, over the years, with groups like Combat18, and the National Front