The Daily Teaser — 29-7-2014

You’ve been following me for a while, haven’t you … ?

So you’re probably aware I’m job hunting: and although times are rough, the fact I’ve had interviews, recently, and have as couple more, soon, is a good thing.

The problem I’m having … ?

Is the fact some of my benefits have been cut, in a dispute: one that I’ve done everything I can avoid.

Theoretically … ?   Theoretically, I should hear by roughly the end of the week: after 28 working days.

Just, of course, JUST about what’s happening

I phoned the enquiry line.   Only to be told there’s an effective eight to ten week delay on Mandatory Reconsiderations: the type of appeal I’m going through.

The best way of describing my reaction … ?

Was bloody furious … !

Possibly even f*cking fuming … !!!

How on EARTH does a government tell you something is supposed to take 28 days: and then add THAT amount of extra time?

Personally … ?   As much as I’d rather complain to various forms of management, and as I’d hate to commit some form of benefit fraud, to pay the bills?   I can see how tempting the latter is, given the circumstances.

Provocation is a hell of a thing to plead in court.

Let’s move on, shall we?

~≈◊≈~

The Daily Teaser — 18-09-2012

I was right about yesterday being a Monday, I swear.

I usually get my benefit money through, every other Monday.

The last one … ?   Was yesterday.  

Which didn’t go through,

Apparently over a Failure to Attend the Work Programme that I have to go to.

The date in question was when I had a hospital appointment, which I duly notified ALL the relevant people about.

Work Programme AND Jobcentre.

I hate sounding like a whinging scrounger, I really do.

But, my word, there’s plenty I could be saying, here.

At any rate, enough of my problems.

Let’s get moving on, shall we?

Before I use this sort of language … 

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Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: and, along with mentioning THAT movie*, also bagging 5 out of 5.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, license and video … 

Q1) 18th September, 1961, saw the death — in a plane crash — of Dag Hammarskjöld: which body was he the General Secretary of … ?

Q2) More to the point, Hammarskjöld was involved in peace talks in a civil war in which African country … ?

Q3) Moving on … 9 years later, 18th September, 1970, saw the death of rock legend, Jimi Hendrix: what was the name of his band’s first UK hit album … ?

Q4) More to the point, what was the name of the last album Hendrix completed, during his lifetime … ?

Q5) Moving on … 18th September, 1739, saw the signing of the Treaty of Belgrade: which ceded Belgrade to which empire … ?

Q6) 18th September, 1851, saw the first publication of The New York Times: under what name … ?

Q7) And finally … 18th September, 1972, saw refugees from where start to arrive in the UK … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 17th September, 1859, saw Joshua Norton declare himself Norton 1st … of where …?   A1) The USA.

Q2) 17th September, 1974, saw both Grenada and Bangladesh join the UN: along with which other country … ?   A2) Guinea-Bissau.

Q3) 17th September, 2011, saw the start of the Occupy Wall Street movement: in which New York Park … ?   A3) Zucotti Park.

Q4) 17th September is the birthday of Sir Stirling Moss and Roddy McDowell: which of them is older … ?   A4) Roddy McDowell.   Stirling was born one year later … 

Q5) And finally … 17th September, 1982, saw over a thousand people massacred in which city … ?   A5) Beirut.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll catch you later.

After I’ve left you with Third Stone From The Sun, as a nod to the late Jimi Hendrix, who died today in 1970.

And with this quote from Greta Garbo …

“I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be let alone!’ There is all the difference.”

Greta Garbo 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990

*        Plastics, Debbiª … ?   Now I’m confused … !

ª        Love a Duck … ?   Now THERE’S a phrase.   (I’m half convinced it’s one Hollywood made up, to make Dick van Dyke sound really English in Mary Poppins.   Best to let him do what he does best, I think … 

Well, FINALLY: The TAX form … !

Ok, Ok, it’s another funny picture of my nephew, Jude.

I make no apology.

Well … He’s me nephew, what CAN I tell you … ?

Apart from “Lets get moving on with the post” … ?

Yes …

Lets …

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Now, you probably remember me complaining, a few weeks ago, now, that I’d not received either a final payslip, or a P45 from my previous employers.

Well, there was one bit of good news, last Monday.

CeX finally managed to get a replacement final payslip to me.

Which I promptly took down to the local benefits office, complete with an explanation of what was going on, that CeX Brentwood hadn’t supplied me with a P45, and that I didn’t think they would.

The benefits people … ?

Told me to phone back on Friday: they’d be able to let me know what was going on.

Which is exactly what I did.

Thankfully … ?

I’ve been put on full benefits: which, while it’s not much, it does — with careful budgeting* — mean I can survive more easily.

Not only that, but I’m also due some backdated benefits: something I’m grateful for as it means I can settle some outstanding bills and arrears.

Not to put too fine a point on things, but finances have been getting seriously tough: I’m just grateful for the help I’ve had from both friends and family.

»»·««

There’s just one irony, though …

Just one.

You see, not long AFTER making the initial phone call to the Department of Work and Pensionsº about whether or not I’d be getting anything from them, I got a call from Brentwood CeX.

Guess what … ?

A week after I’d got the final payslip, and some three months after I’d been given the boot … ?

The P45 had turned up.

You know, there’s possibly a lot of very cynical — and very vernacular — comments I could make, here.

ESPECIALLY in light of two facts.

Firstly … ?

It had turned up after a HELL of a lot of badgering, on my part.

Secondly … ?

It was a photocopy …

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Wouldn’t you know it … ?

Actually, you possibly would: or at least, you’d be taking a good guess … !

But, at ANY rate, I headed BACK to the local benefits office, after heading into town to pick the form up.

AND visit Brentwood Library to scan the various parts into digital formª: just to make sure I’ve got a copy …

And just when I got to the benefit office in Brentwood, to see whether it was still worth my while, sending it in … ?

Is when I got the phone-call from their Basildon branch, to tell me the benefit — and the backlog — had gone through.

Wouldn’t you bloody well know it … ?

* Something I’m sure most of my ex-girlfriends will tell you I’m not good at …

º The government department that handle pensions and the various benefits here in the UK.

ª My multi-function printer/scanner/copier bit the dust a long time ago: although I MAY just dig it out of the attic‡ to see if the scanner functions still work.

‡ OK, I live in a flat. It’s a metaphorical attic, that’s physically located in the same place as my fuse box. In the airing cupboard.

Emails, Preference Lists, and Benefits.

Bleugh …

I’m starting to thinking I’m having a long day: a long boring one, at that.

But at least I have a clean floor, and equally clean t-shirts.

I’ll worry about my socks and undies, later, I think.

Once I’ve actually managed to get the t-shirts … in the dryer … !!

»»»•«««

Hang on, gimme a second …

Ooooh …

That lemony smell of drying laundry … … … …

»»»•«««

You can tell I’m both bored and tired, can’t you … ?

Well, if you can’t … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes … … … … … … … … …

»»»•«««

Now, I’ve got to admit, I’ve finally — with a bit of help from the friendly folk at the Apple Forums — managed to track down what was happening with the various bits of software in my main account.

I had knackered property lists: or .plists if you want the proper terminology!

Basically, .plists, as they’re known, are the various smallish text files that hold various user settings for their associated applications.

And over time … ?

They can get a touch …

Well …

Touchy …

Or out and out corrupted.

Which is …

Well …

It’s rare, in my experience.

But it has happened before: mostly on my old G4, when it was running NeoOffice 2.2 and earlier, under Mac OS X 10•4•x.

But if you, unlike me, realise what’s happening, there’s a simple solution to the problem.

Which is quite simply to dig deep into your home folder — /Users/You/Library/Preferences — and trash the relevant .plist.

Which has worked.

Wonderfully well.

Saying that … ?

I think I’ll keep the extra Standard account: less vulnerable to someone seeking to take remote control of my machine.

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But let’s move on to what I was going to tell you about, shall I … ?

Phew!

Something I’ve been meaning to do, since I managed to pick up this week’s Gazette, is to tell you I’ve written — in between heavy .plist trashing, watching The Brain Of Morbius and listening to a little bit of Jean Michele Jarre — to the Brentwood Gazette.

AGAIN!

Yes, I know it’s getting to be almost a ritualistic habit of mine, but their front page caught my attention, this week.

Mostly where their were giving a fait bit of coverage to the possible plans for Brentwood’s town hall.

Which basically boil down to either selling it, or refurbishing it.

Here’s what I wrote them, this time …

Dear Sir,

I’ve got to admit, I read the front page of this week’s Brentwood Gazette with a bit of a frown on my face.

And the thought in mind that Brentwood Town Hall is simply going to be sold, rather than refurbished.

Cynical … ?

Quite probably.

But also very aware that Brentwood Council’s had a long history of having trouble with book-keeping: so I’m thinking that selling off council property will make a lot of appeal to both councillors and officers.

I personally believe that — long term — Brentwood Council would be better off refurbishing the old place, and renting out — or selling off — the un-used top floor for something.

To the Job Centre Plus agency, for example.

Now, I’ve got to be honest, I’m job-hunting, at the moment: I’m very aware that the Job Centre, like every other government agency, is strapped for cash.

So their moving into an unused floor of the town hall, as an example … ?

Does make sense.

Much like the Conservatives proposed Universal Benefit.

Speaking personally, though?

I think I like the latter, less than the former.

A hell of a lot less.

Yours,

And I’ve got to be honest, I’m fairly serious in NOT liking what I’ve heard — so far — of the planned changes the Conservative side of our central government.

Oh, I can understand why the Conservatives would like to both change Britain’s Welfare system, and simplify it all.

But for someone like me, who’s actually living on it … ?

Mind having a word in the appropriate earholes, Councillor Chilvers … ?

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