Britain is no country for dirty old men who are are 'baby boomer polluters'

An article in The Sunday Times newspaper today was entitled :

BABY BOOMERS ARE THE BIGGEST POLLUTERS

It made the following points about us baby boomers that :

* according to Government advisors, we have the biggest 'carbon footprint' of any group in Britain outpacing teenagers and 20 somethings in our 'exploitation of the planet's resources'

* if we continue to consume the same energy at the same pace, we could 'harm the country's battle against global warming'

* we are more likely to travel on holiday overseas, buy power-hungry plasma t.v.'s and dine at the most restaurants which require ingredients to be flown in from abroad

* we have large houses in which children no longer live and gas guzzling cars

* have a 'tendency to stay at home and turn up the heating'

Apparently, 'environmental campaigners' this weekend have suggested that we should :

* become vegetarian because rearing animals for meat leads to land clearance. large amounts of methane and mass grain production

* go for more walks

* visit the cinema, rather than watch t.v. at home

We have a role model in Albert Kemp, age 64, who as the boss of an insurance company, used to fly round the world sometimes visiting 3 countries a day. He's retired now and it would be really good if as many of us could follow in his footsteps and emulate his lifestyle by :

* living on a farm where he keeps sheep and grows vegetables

* installing solar panels to cut electricity consumption by 50%

I assume these are somehow 'non-methane producing sheep' not being raised for meat.

Albert has said :
" I would never have imagined this lifestyle before, but I could never go back. We love the slower lifestyle and reducing our carbon footprint is a big priority. The next step is a wind turbine."

So, all you baby boomers out there in Britain, including those of you who haven't got '2 pennies to rub together', you know what you have got to stop doing at the top of this page and start doing at the bottom and move to a farm and raise sheep like Albert.

Britain is country with a city called London which is running out of cemeteries to bury old men and a band called 'Cold Play' who sing of them

BBC Radio 4 'The Today Programme' did a news item today, based on the fact that :

The UK's death rate is projected to rise over the next 20 years as the 'baby boomers' begin to leave us, a problem for cemeteries in cities, towns and villages across the country. The report dealt with a part of South-East London where it is getting harder to find a burial space.


Dr Julie Rugg based at 'The Cemetery Research Centre' at the University of York made the following points, that :

* in South London, Camberwell Old Cemetery is full and Camberwell New is down to its last 50 spaces.

* in London, a burial space costs £3,000 for those who live inside a borough area and £9,000 for those who live outside.

* cremation, as opposed to coffin burial, is now collectively taking up more space.

* outside London, parish councils are also facing problems with churchyards filling up.

* 'Green burial' at cemeteries outside London are quiet popular, but there are issues in that relatives who want to visit the graves might find it difficult to reach them.

* the possible way forward to go back to the old burial tradition of keeping sites in churchyards for about a hundred years and then reusing the land, clashes with the 'modernist concept' that you can't do these kind of things.

* no body exists in Britain with statutory responsibility for this problem and a scuccession of 'Justice Ministers' have decided that they are not going to deal with this issue.

'Cold Play' : 'Cemeteries of London :
The straight version with lyrics :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiuuAh-DO5o

A version with film clips :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0R_d7siWo

Britain says "goodbye" to an old Second World War code breaker called John Herivel

John Herivel, who has died at the age of 92, is described by 'The Guardian' as :
One of Bletchley Park's most brilliant Wartime codebreakers.

I had heard of the Second World War 'Bletchley Park' code breakers,however, I didn't know that :

* the 'Park', in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, also known as 'Station X' was the site of Britain's main enemy 'code decryption centre' where the codes of the German 'Enigma' and 'Lorenz' machines were broken.

* the high-level intelligence produced there provided crucial assistance to the Allied War Effort which shortened the War by not less than two years.

* to cover their real purpose, the first Government visitors described themselves as 'Captain Ridley's shooting party'.

* the estate was near the railway station and the 'Varsity Line' between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, which supplied many of the code-breakers.

* intelligence produced from decrypts contributed greatly to Allied success in defeating the U-boats in the 'Battle of the Atlantic' and to the naval victories in the Battles of 'Cape Matapan' and 'North Cape'.

* in 1941, Bletchley intelligence had a powerful effect on the North African desert campaign, where the German army was led by Rommel and about which General Auchinleck said that, without it "Rommel would have certainly got through to Cairo".

* other intelligence meant that before the 'D-Day Landings' in 1944, the Allies knew the locations of all but two of the 58 German divisions on the Western front.

* during the War, Churchill shared intelligence with the Americans but not the Russians and after the war, he referred to the Bletchley staff as "My geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled".

* 9,000 people were working at Bletchley Park at the height of the codebreaking efforts in 1945, of whom more than 80% were women.

* One of the greatest successes of the Park was to break the 'Enigma' cipher they called 'the Red' in 1940 using a method devised in a moment of brilliant insight by John Herivel who :

* exploited German over-confidence in the unbreakable nature of the Enigma machine and the laziness of the operators using it.

* had been studying mathematics at Cambridge when recruited to 'Hut 6', which dealt with German Army and Luftwaffe Enigma ciphers.

* later said that he was "very young and very confident and I said 'I'm going to find some way to break into 'The Red'. Every evening, when I went back to my digs and when I'd had my supper, I would sit down in front of the fire and put my feet up and think of some method of breaking into 'the Red'. Then one evening, I remember vividly suddenly finding myself thinking about the other end of the story, the German operators, what they were doing and inevitably then I thought of them starting off the day."

The Enigma machine looked like a typewriter set in a box which used a series of 3 rotors to encipher each letter. The operator typed in the message and the depression of each key sent an electrical impulse through the rotors, moving one on by one position and the enciphered letter lit up on a lamp board.

At the start of the day, the operator inserted the allocated rotors according to a set plan and was then supposed to move the rotors randomly, selecting a new position for the rotors and sending it as a three-letter indicator at the start of his first message.

Herivel takes up the story :

* "Then I had the thought. Suppose the operator was a lazy fellow and he were to leave the wheels untouched in the machine and bang the top down and look at the windows, see what letters were showing and just use them.

* If a number of operators were doing the same thing, or only moving the rotors a few notches, then the indicators would all cluster together around the actual settings, reducing the possibilities for each letter from 17,576 to around 20."

Stephen Fry's visit to Bletchley :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXyG1GLfiIM

Britain is no country for old men and women in hospital

Ann Abraham, the National Health Service 'Ombudsdman', has warned that it is failing to respond to the needs of older people with care and compassion and accuses its staff of an ‘ignominious failure’ to care for the elderly.

Her report, just published, highlights 10 appalling examples of neglect of the frail and vulnerable. It cites :

* distraught relatives saying loved ones have been completely ignored and their basic rights disregarded.

* patients being left so dehydrated on hospital wards they couln't even cry out for help.

* frail patients, discharged when they were dangerously underweight and the case of one elderly woman was sent home in another patient’s soiled clothes, held up by paper clips.

* meal trays, water and emergency call buttons, routinely left out of reach.

* patients not even helped to the toilet and left for months without being taken to the shower or bath.

The report dealt with the cases of 10 specific patients and blamed 'poor care' or 'badly managed medication' for contributing to their deteriorating health and their transformation from 'alert and able individuals' to people who were 'dehydrated, malnourished or unable to communicate.'

Of the cases, there were 3 old men :

* Mr D, an advanced stomach cancer patient, whose family found him in a 'distressed' condition when he was discharged with 'inadequate pain relief', leaving his family to find someone to dispense morphine over a bank holiday.

• Mr C, who suffered a heart attack soon after undergoing quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery and had his life support machine turned off, even though his family had asked for the staff to wait a short while longer.

* Mr L, a 'Parkinson's disease' sufferer, who at 72, was a once 'brilliant' architect who enjoyed keeping fit, whose care and treatment contributed to a 'loss of his dignity' and 'compromised his ability' to survive pneumonia.

So what does this report tell us about attitudes towards old people in Britain today, given the fact that doctors and nurses display and reflect wider attitudes within British society ?

To me, the message is that :

Old people are no longer worthwhile members of society. They have served their purpose and are now a burden and those in hospital are 'the most burdensome' of all. They can be dismissed and treated with indifference and there is nothing wrong with this.

Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the 'Patients Association', has said:

"The situation is completely unacceptable. The Health Service should always get these basic patient needs right. There isn’t an on-cost to this – it is an entitlement that every individual has a right to. Attitudes need to change – older patients need to be treated with respect and compassion, not as an inconvenience."

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at 'Age UK', has said:

"The inhumane treatment of older people described in this Report is sickening and should send shockwaves through the NHS and Government. It’s difficult to imagine us allowing any other group of people to suffer this indignity and neglect, yet we know this is just the tip of the iceberg: appalling treatment of older people in the Health Service is far too common. This is not only a damning indictment of our health service, but of our society in general, where older people count for less and damaging discriminatory attitudes against older people remain rife."

What a sad country Britain has become.








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Britain is neither a country for old men nor a new generation of 'poor' old women

An article in the 'Daily Mail' yesterday was entitled :
Revealed: How millions of women are facing pension poverty by getting £40 a week less then men

It made the following points, that :

* millions of women are facing poverty in old age because their 'state pension' is worth around £50,000 less, in total , than a man’s typical payout and the 'average' woman retiring over the next decade will get £40 a week less than a man.

* for many women the ‘pension pay gap’, equivalent to just over £2,000 a year or a weekly £40 food shopping bill, is the difference between a 'comfortable' and some would say 'poverty stricken' lifestyle in retirement.

* a source at the Government's 'Department for Work and Pensions' has confirmed this by saying : "The archaic pensions system is leaving millions of women in fear of retiring in poverty. They deserve better."

How has this come about?

The answer is that many women 'took time off work' to do this :


As a consequence, they are penalised under the present system.

In addition, if they do work they 'typically' earn less than men and have shorter working lives which means their ‘additional’ state pension, linked to their salary, is lower.
Dr Ros Altmann, Director General of Saga Group, the 'Old Age' specialists, has said: "Millions of women will suffer an impoverished old age because of the way that our pension system has let them down. It is time for a radical rethink."

She :

* made the point that : among women in their 50's, more than 40% do not have a penny saved in a private pension.

* called for a 'flat-rate state pension' which would pay out the same amount to both men and women.

Many of these women are frantically busy, looking after their grandchildren while their sons and daughters go out to work, as well as holding down a part-time job to make ends meet.

Some are under extreme financial pressure because they are the ‘triple sandwich generation’ who have financial responsibilities to their grown-up children, young grandchildren and elderly parents.

Is it time that I rechristened this blog :
'BRITAIN IS NO COUNTRY FOR OLD WOMEN AS WELL AS OLD MEN' ?

Britain is still a country for the world's most famous naturalist called David Attenborough

I read a moving article in 'The Daily Mail' written by the man who must be the world's most famous naturalist, the 84 year year old, David Attenborough. It was entitled :

My tears for my dear old brother.

It said of David that he :

* can't get around like he used to and has said that : "A walk in the countryside or along the towpath of the Thames is a good way to restore your sense of proportion, sort things out, get some sense of stability,"

* has also said that, "Whether it’s joy or grief – or the many things in between joy and grief: financial problems, legal problems, friendship problems – the natural world is a great source of solace."

* has known grief in his life, particularly when his beloved wife , whom he describes as "my anchor", died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage in 1997.

* in answer to the question : "Does he, I wonder, consider his own mortality?", he says : "Oh all the time. We’re all going to die. I think if I was living in the
16th century and believed there was hell fire and eternal torture awaiting me, I’d be frightened of death. I’ve no idea what’s going to happen, how can you be terrified? I only hope I don’t have too painful or too lingering a death, but the idea that I shall become extinguished doesn’t trouble me particularly."

* his brother, Richard, the celebrated actor and director, Lord Attenborough, is an agnostic like David, who a few years ago said he almost wished he did believe in God, because it would have given him comfort, or at least someone to blame, after losing a daughter and granddaughter in the Asian tsunami.

















* said that the 87-year-old Richard had, 2 years ago, "fallen downstairs and damaged his brain, so was unconscious for a long time. He’s now back, but he’s in a wheelchair.I go down and see him at the weekend. We have our jokes, the ones we’ve had since we were kids."

P.S.
The photo in the middle shows David in the centre, Richard on the right and their brother John in 1933.


And as a reminder of what a great communicator he has been and still is :

David in his early days :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7MpA40kzRM

His, 'The tree of life' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qabl5eIba2g

I found this part of the newspaper article quite moving when Rebecca Hardy wrote :

'There’s time for a final question. I wonder if there’s a particular moment that stands out for him in his brilliant career?

"I can mention many moments that were unforgettable and revelatory, but the most single revelatory three minutes was the first time I put on scuba gear and dived on a coral reef. It’s just the unbelievable fact that you can move in three dimensions. That minute, when you suddenly move your weight, do that with your fin and know you’re going to move off. Suddenly, there are all these extraordinary creatures – wonderful shrimps or shoals of triggerfish or the looming shape of a shark. It’s an individual communion. That’s really revelatory and it’s part of our world."

Which is the memory I take away with me of this wonderful man: weightless, free and communing with the natural world that has brought him, and us, so much joy.'

Link to the 'Daily Mail' article :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1352998/David-Attenborough-My-tears-dear-old-brother.html




















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Britain, already no country for old men, is now no country for women over 50

An article in 'The Daily Mail' this week was entitled :
Just 50! The age a woman becomes 'invisible' to the opposite sex

It was written by a male reporter, who said : 'If life begins at 40, you’d better hurry up and enjoy it, ladies. For in another ten years you are likely to think all men are ignoring you.'
He then proceeded to make the following points, that :

* a survey of 1,246 British women, of whom 47% were over 50, carried out by the online retailer 'isme.com', echoed the views of feminist, Germaine Greer, in her book,'The Change' and her conclusion that 'sexual attractiveness', rather than 'experience' or 'brainpower', remains the major key which opens the door to success.

* the survey found that 8 out of 10 women over the age of 50 think that 'men no longer notice them.'

* the findings 'fly in the face of claims that turning 50 is 'quintastic', as represented by glamorous golden girls such as Michelle Pfeiffer and 'Sex And The City' star Kim Cattrall.'

* in addition, 7 out of 10 women, also feel 'overlooked' by the fashion industry and more than half of the over-50s felt that older women in adverts were portrayed unrealistically and often by much younger models.

* the actress Lynda Bellingham, 62, best known for the Oxo television adverts, has said: "Reaching 50 really does change the way you’re regarded by society. You suddenly find yourself being passed over by everyone – employers, men and certainly fashion designers."

* in addition, three-quarters of women in their sixth decade 'believe they have lost their individual identity by being labelled as a ‘mum’.'

P.S.
I was reminded of the first posting I made on this blog in May 2009. It was entitled :
Invisible at a petrol station and I wrote :

When you get beyond 60 you become invisible. I went to my local petrol station, filled up and went in to pay.
The cashier said " Number ?". I mean, what happened to "please" ?
I barked back, " Ten".
While I was doing my card transaction, I became even more invisible because the cashier answered a call on her mobile.
" Yes, put the cat out and phone Gran. Yes. Yes.Yes. ".
I turned to the lady with graying hair behind me and said :
" I can't believe this, she's having a phone conversation while serving me."
She said :
" I know, it can be scary at times, but I try to blank my mind to it."
I said:
" Dare I say it, you must be from the same generation as me."
The cashier offered no thanks when I paid but I offered an exaggerated " Thankyou" and left.
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2009/05/invisible-at-petrol-station.html

Britain is no longer a country for an old 'mudlark' turned archaeologist called Geoff Egan

Geoff Egan, the archaeologist, who has died at the age of 59 was the leading British expert in 'medieval and later' small finds and pioneered liaison between archaeologists and the 'mudlarks' who search for finds on the Thames foreshore.
His obituary in the Guardian was entitled :
Geoff Egan, Archaeologist, who brought the mudlarks in from the cold.

Digging in thick mud against the tide, 'mudlarks' have retrieved a trove of metal artefacts left by generations of Londoners on the riverbanks. They were once shunned by professional archaeologists, who deplored their 'unscientific' methods. Many of them, however, developed great expertise and Geoff himself had been a mudlark before he became a 'professional' archaeologist.

What I didn't know about Geoff was that he :

* published 'Toys, Trifles and Trinkets', a pioneering work which studied a class of artefact, children's metal toys made between about 1200 and 1800, which had not been recognised by archaeologists before the mudlarks' discoveries brought significant numbers to light.

* as the specialist in 'Medieval and later non-ceramic finds' in the Museum of London, produced the series 'Medieval Finds from Excavations in London' and the books, 'The Medieval Household' and 'Dress Accessories'.

* was born in Wembley, London, educated in Harrow County School and Cambridge University where he studied archaeology and anthropology.

* started working for 'The Museum of London' in 1976 and stayed there for the next 34years, becoming a 'Fieldwork Director' and then a 'Finds Specialist'.

* in the month before he died, had spoken at an 'archaeological colloquium' in Lübeck, Germany and a 'metal detecting club' in Blackpool.

* had infectious enthusiasm and when ITN television proposed to make a series of programmes called 'Mud Men' on finds from the Thames foreshore, the mudlarks urged the company to engage Geoff's services for as far as they were concerned, he was their 'god'.

* gained great pleasure from 'The Company of Arts Scholars, Collectors and Dealers', one of the newest of the City of London guilds where he served as its 'Master' in 2009-10.

* joined members of his Guild who exercised their right as 'Freemen of the City of London' to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge, although I can't see him in this clip :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr1r2LEjQcw

* was greatly loved by his peers and built up many friends in European and American museums.

Britain is no longer a country for an old Liverpudlian writer called Brian Jaques and his world called 'Redwall'

Brian Jaques has died at the age of 71. Brian made his name writing a series of 'Redwall' novels for children.
I confess, that I have not read one of them, however, if I had met Brian, I would have 'warmed' to him.
Like Beatrice Potter, Brian made his name writing 'anthropomorphic' books, giving animals human characteristics.

Brian, talking to kids about how to become an author to kids in Austin, USA :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K62jdWsSQc

What I didn't know about Brian, the writer, was that he :

* worldwide, sold more than 20,000,000 copies of his 'Redwall' novels in 28 languages since the first, in 1986 when he was 47 years old.

* created warrior mice and evil weasels and told of the epic struggles between these 'good' inhabitants of Redwall Abbey and the 'bad' invaders who had to be kept at bay.

* supported his mice with voles, badgers, hares led by the good Abbot Mortimer and inspired by the Abbey's mission : 'to keep the world peaceful and ordered.'

* had the waves of violent invaders led by the rat,'Cluny the Scourge', who had one eye, a whipping tail, foul temper and a black heart.

What I didn't know about Brian ,the man, was that he :

* was born in Liverpool where his father was a truck driver who loved literature and read stories by Doyle, Stevenson and Burroughs.

* at age 10, described, in a written assignment about animals, a bird who 'cleaned a crocodile's teeth', was accused of copying and caned for refusing to say that he'd done so.

* said that his favourite teacher :
'Looked like Lee Marvin. Big Man. A Captain in World War II. He came to school on a big push bike with the haversack on back. He was a man's man. Always fair. I was fourteen at the time when Mr. Thomas introduced the class to poetry and Greek literature. It was because of him, I saved seven shillings and sixpence to buy 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey' at this dusty used book shop.'

* claimed that he drew much from Liverpool for his books, in terms of place and character, and memories of the bombing of the city in the 'Second World War' for his set-piece battles.

* said that his early experiences as an altar boy in the Catholic Church with its 'Latin' services, inspired the the rich language and imagery of his writing.

* left school at fifteen, joined the Merchant Navy and travelled to New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco and Yokohama.

* returned to Liverpool and worked as a railway fireman, longshoreman, long-distance truck driver, boxer, police constable, postmaster and a stand-up comic.

* while delivering milk to the 'Royal School for the Blind', first started telling the 'Redwall' stories to the pupils and their 'needs' encouraged him to paint pictures with words so that they could see them in their imaginations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nYDN8k33tM

* had his work recognised when one of his old teachers, Alan Durband, who showed it to his publisher saying : "This is the finest children's tale I've ever read, and you'd be foolish not to publish it".

P.S. :

* Redwall tribute :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EOM3KD3j5U

* part 3 of talking to kids in Austin :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5gt6CvSagA

* part 4 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwcYSzKunY&feature=youtube_gdata

* Brian's books :
1986 : Redwall
1988 : Mossflower
1989 : Mattimeo
1991 : Mariel of Redwall
1992 : Salamandastron
1993 : Martin the Warrior
1994 : The Bellmaker
1995 : Outcast of Redwall
1996 : The Pearls of Lutra
1997 : The Long Patrol
1998 : Marlfox
1999 : The Legend of Luke
2000 : Lord Brocktree
2001 : The Taggerung
2002 : Triss
2003 : Loamhedge
2004 : Rakkety Tam
2005 : High Rhulain
2007 : Eulalia!
2008 : Doomwyte
2010 : The Sable Quean
2011 : The Rogue Crew

P.P.S. Brian's school teacher, Alan Durband, also taught Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

Britain is no country for the old and poor 'baby boomers' who are about to retire.

An article in 'The Daily Mail' today was entitled :

Happy BB day! The baby boom generation is 65 as the first were born nine months after VE Day

It made the following points, that :

* Londoners celebrated 'VE Day', marking the end of 'The Second World War' in Europe, on May 8, 1945 and babies conceived on that day and born 9 months later who were the first of the 'baby boomers' are the older citizens who are 65 on this very day.

* in all, a record 658,000 people will celebrate their 65th birthday this year that is about 1,800 people a day and the numbers will grow still greater next year, with another 806,000 people hitting 65.

* for many, their 65th birthday will herald retirement from work and they will enjoy generous pensions and own property bought decades ago which has since soared in value.

* Steve Groves, the Chief Executive of 'Retirement Experts Partnership' has said: "They form part of a golden generation, many of whom have been fortunate enough to reap benefits that younger generations will not."

* on average, a 65-year-old man can expect to live for another 18 years and a woman nearly 21 years.

* many ‘babyboomers’, however, will be left facing a bleak future due to their troubled personal finances with no savings, no occupational pension but a large mortgage and other debts.

* many will celebrate their 65th birthday but will not retire and will continue to work due to financial pressure.

* at the moment an 'all-time high' of 1 in 8 men over the age of 65 is still working and the number is guaranteed to keep on growing.

* last year, according to research by the accountants 'RSM Tenon', 5,623 people over the age of 65 were either declared bankrupt or opted for an alternative type of insolvency and this was an 18% increase on the previous year and a far bigger rise than other age groups, where numbers typically fell last year.

P.S.
This old baby boomer at the coast at Swalecliffe in Kent in the summer of 1949 :

Britain says "Happy Birthday" to an old 'Liverpool' poet called Brian Patten

Brian is 65 today. I met him, albeit briefly, at his 'poetry reading' at the University of Sussex with my friend from Liverpool, Willis.

It must have been
in 1967, when I was 20 and Brian was 21.

What I didn't know about Brian was that he :

* was noted for his essays and greatly encouraged in his work by Harry Sutcliffe his form teacher.

* left school at 15 and began work for 'The Bootle Times', writing a column on popular music, where one of his first articles was on the Roger McGough and Adrian Henri, two 'pop-oriented' Liverpool Poets, who later two joined Brian in a best-selling poetry anthology called 'The Mersey Sound'.

* had collections of poems called 'Little Johnny's Confession' in 1967 and 'Notes to the Hurrying Man' in 1969 and received early encouragement from the poet, Philip Larkin.

* wrote collections of poems and comic verse for children, like 'Gargling With Jelly' and 'Thawing Frozen Frogs'.

* has given readings alongside such poets as Pablo Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, Stevie Smith, Laurie Lee, and Robert Lowell.

* in 2002, accepted the 'Cholmondeley Award' for services to poetry and with Roger McGough and the late Adrian Henri, was honoured with the 'Freedom of the City of Liverpool'.

Here he reads his 'A Boat in the Snow' to a group of children :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/brian-patten-a-boat-in-the-snow-poem-only/8828.html

Brian talking about 'poets' writing in 'Liverpool 8' in the 1960's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m4zpNTQt14




P.S.
It was gratifying to discover that my University of Sussex, 1960's friend, Willis Pitts, had brought out a book called 'The Fifth Beatle'. :


P.P.S.
Willis got a job as an 'extra' in Richard Attnenborough's film. 'Oh,What a Lovely War', when it was filmed in Brighton and on the Sussex Downs in 1968. Here he is, 'frozen in aspic', standing second to the left of the churchman making his speech to the troops :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wfIhl5mn5s&NR=1

Britain is a country whose old men 'take their hats off' to a feisty old Anglo-American, Hollywood actress called Elizabeth Taylor

'The Daily Mail' newspaper had an article today entitled :

Brave Liz Taylor, all dressed up for a hospital trip as the frail star keeps up appearances.
'The heavy earrings, necklaces, dyed black hair and red lipstick recalled her glamorous past, but she looked worryingly frail as she was wheeled into a Beverly Hills hospital for a check-up. Blue-shaded sunglasses covered her sunken eyes and the 78-year-old Oscar-winning actress was breathing with the help of an oxygen tube.'

The article went on to make the following points, that she :

* is virtually confined to a wheelchair, has struggled with health problems for much of her life and has had more than 100 operations in the past 25 years.

* found fame in 'National Velvet' when she was 12 and, although the film was the springboard for her career, it was also the start of her chronic back problems after she fell from a horse during filming.

* has had both hips replaced, five operations on her back and her long list of medical problems include a brain tumour, skin cancer, diabetes, pneumonia, seizures and a stroke and after a trip to hospital in 2009 said : "I am a survivor."

* in 2010, hit back at reports that Hollywood was planning a film based on her relationship with Richard Burton, saying:
"Hold your horses, world. I’ve been hearing all kinds of rumours about someone being cast to play me in a film about Richard and myself. No one is going to play Elizabeth Taylor, but Elizabeth Taylor herself. Not at least until I’m dead, and at the moment I’m having too much fun being alive . . . and I plan on staying that way. Happiness to all."

Of the comments to the paper about the article, my favoutrite was from 'Tallulah' :

'What a trouper! Actress to the core of her being and pulling it off beautifully, in spite of the oxygen tubes over her face. And I don't see 'sunken eyes' behind those shades. I just see a defiant and very frail, very tired and very great beauty retaining her dignity why trademark style. STAR! Proper one. Not saddo celeb 'star'.'

What you possibly didn't know about Liz, who is 79 on the 27th of this month is that she :

* was born in London in 1932, and of her parents, who were from Kansas,
her father was an art dealer and her mother a former stage actress and is a dual citizen of, the UK through her birth in Britain and the U.S.A through American parents.

* went with her family to the U.S.A. before the outbreak of the Second World War and through family connections, at the age of 9, was signed to a six-month contract at $100 a week with Universal Pictures.

* had, even at this age, breathtaking beauty which was partly due to a mutation which gave her a double rows of eyelashes.

* in 1942, was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to appear as 'Priscilla' in the film 'Lassie Come Home'.

* by appearing in the role of 'Velvet Brown' in 'National Velvet', was rocketed to stardom at the age of 12 and had a new long-term contract with a salary of $30,000 per year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NYsONLJUTQ

* in the 1950's starred in George Stevens' epic 'Giant', 'Raintree County', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and 'Suddenly, Last Summer'.

* in 1960, became the highest paid actress, up to that time, when she signed a one million dollar contract to play the title role in 'Cleopatra' and during the filming, began a romance with her future husband Richard Burton who played Mark Antony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NGDyZHlHklo

* was married to Burton from 1964 - 74 and briefly again after that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF0bAai62kk

* had her second Academy Award for her performance as 'Martha' in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966, playing opposite Burton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nInE5TITzE8

* would appear with Burton in six other films during the 1960's : 'The V.I.P.s', 'The Sandpiper', 'Doctor Faustus', 'The Comedians', 'Boom!' and 'The Taming of the Shrew' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKZLGwAdcw

* has devoted much time and energy to AIDS-related charities and fundraising and helped start the 'American Foundation for AIDS Research' after the death of her former co-star and friend, Rock Hudson and by 1999, had helped to raise an estimated $50 million to fight the disease.

* attended her friend, Michael Jackson's private funeral in 2009.

Britain is a country whose old men can learn to 'protect' themselves like their American counterparts, but it's not much fun

My 'Google search' for 'crimes against old people', produced a link to an American website entitled :

Elderly Security: Common Crimes against old people.
Living alone need not force you to live alone and isolated, but precautions need to be taken to prevent you from becoming victims.

'In our (American society), unfortunately, you have become a far too easy target for criminals and 'abusers of the world'. Whether living alone or going about your daily lives, you are viewed as 'helpless and easy victims', a shameful way for you to have to live your lives. It seems that you must barricade yourselves behind locked doors, or become an instant victim just by going out to the grocery store or even walking in their own yard or neighbourhood.

But it doesn't have to be this way. There are ways to ensure a happier and safer life for you if we carefully consider your lives, your vulnerabilities and the threats that may consume your lives.

You may well be vulnerable and a victim waiting to be attacked, when you:
· go out at night alone
· live alone
· walk alone
· travel either unfamiliar routes alone or familiar ones
· do your banking, inside or outside at automated teller machines
· go to and from parking lots to do your shopping
· do something so simple as answering your telephone

Here is a simple checklist of things you might consider to decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim:
* always travel with friends or family when shopping, taking long trips, or even going outside for a walk.

AT NIGHT :
* 'don't go out' and 'especially alone'.
* avoid dark, unpopulated and isolated locations.

DOGS :
* use security guards for escorting you to your car in the parking lot during the day as well as at night.

BOARDERS :
* consider taking in a boarder 'if you have no one else who can live with you and just use your judgement and even get help in checking people out before you let them move into your home.'

SECURITY :
* install extra home security measures using locks, alarms, chains and other means.

PERSONAL INFORMATION :
* don't over the phone, either give out your personal information or buy anything and always request the caller to send you information in the mail.

ON A REGULAR BASIS :
* have someone call and/or come by to check on you.

MOBILE PHONES :
* carry a mobile phone with you and have this for emergency contact, car trouble or running into some 'suspicious looking person'.

HITCHHIKERS :
· don't pick up hitchhikers.

DOCUMENTS :
· shred all of your documents before 'tossing them into the trash'.

STRANGERS :
· don't allow strangers into your home and, if expecting a repairman or some delivery, have someone you know and trust there with you.

VALUABLES :
* don't leave your valuables lying about because 'It would be very easy for a dishonest person to check out your home and be quite tempted by the sight of a purse, wallet, or jewelry casually lying about'.

ACTIVITIES :
· have some outside activities to keep yourself active and alert for example :
- take a class
- join an exercise group
- learn a new skill
- take self-defense class or 'some other lesson that could help you navigate your elder years'
- don't let yourself stagnate and become isolated and alone
- bring others into your lives, those friends and family you trust

ATTACKS :
* if you are out alone and attacked, stand your ground and make lots of noise.
* scream, holler, and even jump up and down!
* do anything to get anyone in the vicinity to see or hear you.

AFTER ATTACKS :
* don't be afraid to speak out even if an attacker threatens to come back and 'do you bodily harm' if you report it, chances are, the attacker will come back on his own, if he so chooses. It will make little difference if you speak out or not.
* call the police,speak out in any neighborhood meeting or social club or gathering.
* 'round up' the other elderly folks in your area and learn how to protect yourselves because there is strength in numbers.
* let the 'criminal elements in your area' know they won't be dealing with only one helpless elderly person and that a group of committed and determined people will be waiting and watching.

TRAVELLING :
* if you have car trouble on a deserted stretch of road, try to stay with your car..
* if someone comes along to 'offer help', talk only through a 'slightly open window' and don't either give them the chance to get into your car with you or to get you out of your car.

EDUCATION :
* take 'whatever precautions necessary to protect yourself and your home and learn from the experts by attending seminars or workshops on either home security, self-defense or phone scams.

BEHAVIOUR :
* don't let your fears cause you to barricade yourself in your own home, living in fear and isolation.
* get out and enjoy life.
* train yourself to be alert to your surroundings and to whoever may be in close range of you and don't be an easy target.
* look self-assured and confident and let any potential criminals know that you are fully aware of their presence and that you refuse to be anyone's victim.
* let people around you know that you are in control of your own life and that you will not give in to 'some human creature's need to control you' or take advantage of you.

THE RESULT :
* 'usually, if you take every possible precaution, chances are you will not become someone's victim. None of us can ever fully guarantee ourselves of this, but we can make it much harder for someone else to take advantage of us.
Take back your life and live it to the fullest. Be self-confident and assured, and let the rest of the world know who you are.'

Plenty of American 'spirit' here, as an example, for Britain's old men, but not much fun is it ?

the link :
http://www.essortment.com/all/crimesagainste_rgnt.htm

Britain is a country with more and more crimes against old men

An article appeared in 'The Guardian' newspaper in 2007 entitled :

500,000 older people are victims of crime· Lawyers reveal extent of abuse, deception and theft.

It made the following points, that :

* 500,000 elderly people could be victims of crime but do not report their offenders through fear or embarrassment and could be the victims of street crime, bogus traders and abuse in their homes.

* the 'Crown Prosecution Service' admitted that there were no accurate figures of all crimes against older people and the true scale of the problem was likely to be far higher.

* a report by King's College London found 342,000 people aged 66 and over were subjected to some sort of mistreatment in 2006.

* the Crown Prosecution Service said it was determined to see those who prey on society's most frail and vulnerable citizens brought to justice and draft guidelines have been published setting out how prosecutors will bring cases against suspected offenders and support victims.

* the Service said 'special measures', such as video links between courts and the homes of victims, could help increase the number of successful cases.

Old people had a champion in the 'Director of Public Prosecutions', Sir Ken Macdonald, who launched the draft policy and said that targeting such offences should be a priority for society.

"We want older people, their families, communities and the general public to be confident that the CPS understands the serious implications of crimes against older people.

If there is any evidence that there is an aggravating element to an offence based on a victim's age, we will draw it to the attention of the court.

Safety and security and the right to live free from the fear of crime, arising from mistreatment or abuse, are fundamental rights and go to the core of older people's sense of well being.

Feeling and being unsafe, or 'at risk', has a significant negative impact on older people's health and sense of well being and can leave them isolated and unable to participate socially and economically in their community."

He also said that CPS officials would ensure that judges were aware if prosecutors felt that a victim’s age was a factor in the crime.

“If there is any evidence that there is an aggravating element to an offence based on a victim’s age, we will draw it to the attention of the court.”

Sir Ken retired as Director of Public Prosecution in 2008.

Has anything changed and a result of Sir Ken's fine words and the new draft policy ?
I doubt it.

Britain is a country where a large number of old people can expect :

abuse or neglect
muggings
doorstep thefts
rogue traders
crimes motivated by hostility or hatred

These are all now part of everyday life and if old men have reason to talk to police officers, they are less and less in peaceful circumstances like this :

Britain says "Happy Birthday" to a telelevision actor called David Jason who played old men when he was young and middle aged men when he was old

The actor, David Jason is 71 today. What you may not have known about David was, that he :

* was brought up in North Finchley in London and after leaving school trained as an electrician.

* joined a repertory theatre, where, when he was 15 years old in 1955, was spotted by a local drama critic, who praised his performance in a production as the highlight of the evening for 'looking like a young James Cagney, and playing, though only 16, with the ease of a born actor'.

* discovered that there was already a David 'White' as an actor and took the stage name 'Jason' from his favourite 1963 film at the time, 'Jason and the Argonauts.'

* at 24, started his tv career, in 1964 and got a break in the children's comedy series 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' along with Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Denise Coffey and Michael Palin.

* was considered for the role of Lance-Corporal Jack Jones in the comedy 'Dad's Army' becasuse because its scriptwriter, David Croft had been very impressed with his ability to play a man much older than his real age.

* was recruited in 1969 to appear as 'Dithers', the 100 year old gardener, in 'Hark At Barker', starring Ronnie Barker as Lord Rustless.

* in 1976, starred in 'Lucky Feller', about two brothers in South-East London in a series which was a forerunner to 'Only Fools And Horses', where he played the 'dopey' brother and drove around in a comical bubble car.

* while trying to impress a girl, casually leaned back against the bar, without his knowing that barman had just lifted it behind his back, and fell through and reenacted this later in 'Only Fools And Horses'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IBgk05iL3Y

* played junior employee 'Granville' in the 1976-85 comedy series 'Open All Hours', starring Barker as the miserly proprietor of a corner shop.

* featured in Ronnie Barker's prison-based comedy 'Porridge', as the elderly prisoner Blanco . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxdvcxOQH80


* in 1981, found his most enduring and popular role as Derek, 'Del-Boy' Trotter in the BBC situation comedy 'Only Fools and Horses' as a 'wide-boy' who made a dubious living in South London, trading in shoddy, stolen, and counterfeit goods, assisted by his brother Rodney and Grandad.

* popularised some cockney slang words and phrases such as the mild insults : "dipstick" and "plonker", and the celebratory "lovely jubbly" and, as the elder brother to Rodney, produced classic comic scenes and touching serious moments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiIIkQO95z4

* played 'Pa Larkin' in the rural idyll 'The Darling Buds of May' with a young Catherine Zeta Jones which was based on the H. E. Bates novel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJX9O-OgP3E

* appeared as Detective Inspector Jack Frost in the long-running TV series 'A Touch of Frost'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYPPOvmHbY0

* lived with long-term partner Myfanwy Talog, a Welsh actress, for 18 years and nursed her through cancer until her death in 1995 and then organised his own charity, 'The David Jason Trust', for terminally ill children.

* in 1999, starred as 'Captain Frank Beck' in BBC's drama 'All the King's Men' about the Sandringham regiment lost in World War I.

* became a father for the first time in 2001 at the age of 61 when his girlfriend, gave birth to a baby girl.

* was given a knighthood by the Queen in 2005.

* in 2006, he was voted by the general public as 'Number 1' in ITV's poll of 'TV's Greatest Stars'.

* in 2008, announced that he would retire his role as Detectitive Inspector Jack Frost in 'Touch of Frost' after 16 years with the finale in 2010. The retirement age for a police officer is 55 and David was 70.

P.S.

The photo I took last summer of David's car in 'Only Fools and Horses', in a local supermarket.

Britain says "Goodbye" to an old composer from Yorkshire called John Barry

John Barry, the composer has died aged 77 and although he lived for many years in the USA, was always remained a Yorkshire man.

What you may or may not have known about John, that he :

* was born Jonathan Barry Prendergast in York, where his father ran a chain of cinemas and his mother was a talented musician.

* was educated at a Catholic convent school in the city.

* has said : "My father had seven or eight cinemas, so I was brought up in the cinema. I remember my Dad carrying me through the foyer of the 'Rialto' in York and pushing the swing doors open at a matinee. I was looking at this big black-and-white mouse on the screen, and he'd taken me to see a Mickey Mouse cartoon."

* found that the combination of film and music made a deep impression on him and he began taking piano lessons with the 'Master of the Music' at York Minster.

* went on to study with the jazz arranger Bill Russo, while his father, who was a jazz fan, presented concerts with stars like Stan Kenton and Count Basie.

* while doing 'National Service' in the Army, learnt to arrange music and played trumpet in an army band.

* formed his own jazz combo, 'The John Barry Seven' and scored a string of pop hits during the late 50's and early 60's, including 'Hit and Miss', 'Walk Don't Run' and 'Black Stockings'.

* working in London, socialised with Michael Caine and Terence Stamp, collaborated with the pop stars Adam Faith and Nina & Frederik and guaranteed himself the attention of gossip columnists by marrying the actress Jane Birkin.

* in 1960, wrote the music for the Adam Faith comedy 'Beat Girl'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ZWsGHb2gU

* in 1962, worked on the theme song for the first 'James Bond' film, 'Dr No'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myoVLMnKw2M

* wrote the scores for 'From Russia With Love' in 1963, 'Goldfinger' in 1964 and 'Thunderball' in 1965.

* conducted 'Goldfinger' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLh8oDnWHHw

* in 1969, scored John Schlesinger's 'Midnight Cowboy', one of the first movies to use a selection of pop songs on the soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGORPUzLxtU&feature=fvw

* wrote epic, sweeping film scores for 'Zulu' in 1964, 'Born Free' in 1966 and 'Out of Africa' in 1985.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOjVxyioiQ

* introduced blues and jazz themes into 'The Chase' in 1966 and 'The Cotton Club' in1984.

* created the music for 'Dances With Wolves' in 1990.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZW_poTp4rc&feature=related
Telegraph

* had a throat cancer scare in 1989, which slowed his work rate, but his ambition remained undimmed and in 1998 he released 'The Beyondness of Things', a 'tone poem' unconnected to any film and which he presented as a concert piece. "It's amazing to work without film or without a director or producer," commented Barry, who was appointed OBE in 1999. "I love doing films, but it's been refreshing to work with such total freedom."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yIrAXZlSx8

* could look back over a life where he was one of the most celebrated film composers of modern times, winning five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards.

Some of his scores :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8293467/Top-10-John-Barry-scores.html

Sir Tim Rice, who co-wrote the theme to 'Octopussy' with him said that:

"He was a very pleasant man and very well-spoken with a slight Yorkshire tinge to his voice which he never lost.
He was able to catch the mood of a scene or a whole film by the genius of orchestration with fairly conventional instruments.
I can remember being quite surprised because he made these great rock 'n' roll records and then you heard these symphonic works as well.
It is quite extraordinary but film seemed to bring out the very best in him."

P.S.
Who could match this for a lifetime's work ?

1960 : Never Let Go
1962 : The Cool Mikado
: The Amorous Prawn
: The L-Shaped Room
1963 : Man in the Middle
1964 : A Jolly Bad Fellow
: Séance on a Wet Afternoon
: Zulu
1965 : Boy and Bicycle
: Mister Moses
: Four in the Morning
:The Party's Over
:The Knack …and How to Get It
:King Rat
:The Ipcress File
1966 :Born Free
:The Chase
:The Wrong Box
:The Quiller Memorandum
1967 :The Whisperers
:Dutchman
1968 :Boom!
:Petulia
:Deadfall
:The Lion in Winter
1969 :The Appointment
:Midnight Cowboy
1970 :Monte Walsh
:The Last Valley
1971 :They Might Be Giants
:Murphy's War
:Walkabout
:Mary, Queen of Scots
1972 :Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
:Follow Me!
1973 :A Doll's House
1974 :The Tamarind Seed
:The Dove (1974) (Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song)
1975 :The Day of the Locust
1976 :King Kong
:Robin and Marian
1977 :The Deep
:First Love
:The White Buffalo
1978 :Game Of Death
:The Betsy
:Starcrash
1979 :Hanover Street
:The Black Hole
1980 :Somewhere in Time
:Touched by Love
:Inside Moves
:Night Games
:Raise the Titanic
1981 :The Legend of the Lone Ranger
:Body Heat
1982 :Frances
:Murder By Phone
:Hammett
1983 :The Golden Seal
:High Road to China
1984 :The Cotton Club
:Until September
:Mike's Murder
1985 :Jagged Edge
:Out of Africa
1986 :Howard the Duck
:A Killing Affair
:The Golden Child
:Peggy Sue Got Married
1987 :Hearts of Fire
1988 :Masquerade
1990 :Dances with Wolves
1992 :Chaplin
1993 :Ruby Cairo
:My Life
:Indecent Proposal
1994 :The Specialist
1995 :Cry, The Beloved Country
:Across The Sea of Time
:The Scarlet Letter
1997 :Swept from the Sea
1998 :Mercury Rising
:Playing by Heart
2001 :Enigma
2004 :Brighton Rock

A medley of his greatest hits :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYQ7dxwRkUM