pseudo-democracy without education?
I’m getting a little tired of the fallout from Brexit. People voted in a referendum and the people decided but on what evidence and did they understand the debate? Democracy is supposed to be government by the people but if we are honest the people of the United Kingdom rejected the European bureaucracy precisely because it is undemocratic. Yes, we elect MEP’s to the European parliament but they are then just representing themselves. They get fat salaries and expenses and we hear little from them until the next election. The media ignores them and they debate irrelevant issues like how straight bananas should be. We have a pseudo-democracy without education, the people do not understand the system or the issues. (more…)
How to be a role model
Children and young people have their role models, adults that they respect and who influence them. The adults they listen to might see the world as a bad place to be endured and will pass this belief on to the child. A good role model will help children and young people develop positive beliefs. (more…)
Is the root of our problems, education?
If I go to a store to buy a computer, the choice of operating systems is very limited. Windows from Microsoft has a virtual monopoly or I could go for a the more expensive computer from Apple. The third option would be an Android PC. All these operating systems come from America. (more…)
Newton’s Third Law of motion #philosophy
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The wheels on this tram are going around and pushing backward on the track and so the tram goes forwards. When we want to go from sitting to standing, we push down on the chair and we go up. (more…)
Advice for budding writers #writing
One one the best pieces of advice I can give budding writers is to buy a camera. You can say so much more with a picture! This picture is the Birmingham canal at Tipton, where I’ll be again next weekend. (more…)
Posters, postcards and flags
I designed this poster last night for something to do. It was quite easy, but I did make a mistake and then saved it. Mistakes are easy to correct, before you’ve saved, but not after! I managed to correct the post code. (more…)
Solo Oil and Horse Hill #investments
Solo Oil suspended
Solo Oil provided us with a bit of excitement this week when their shares were suspended on the London Stock Exchange pending an announcement. I think some private investors were checking out Ferraris on Auto Trader! (more…)
Variety is the spice of life #life
People often put all their energies into just one thing. It might be their career, their hobby or that one special relationship. The problem is when they lose their job, the relationship breaks up or they are no longer able to pursue their hobby; then they feel heart broken. It seems that, variety, is the spice of life. (more…)
Uniform history affecting our lives #life
I went to West Bromwich Manor House yesterday to photograph an American Civil war re-enactment. Not really history that I can identify with, but still interesting. History shapes society and gives us our culture. (more…)
Making good decisions #life
We all have to make decisions all the time, but how can we make good decisions. How can be decide who to vote for in elections? How can we make important decisions that affect us, our families and our community? (more…)
Nostalgia and wealth #life
Former British Prime Minister John Major said, “I want to see wealth cascading down the generations.” He meant family wealth like property and individual wealth. Wealth does cascade down the generations to a certain extent, but that is collective wealth in the form of historic buildings. (more…)
Wide apertures #photography
Last week I looked at wide apertures for portraits, that can get your subject in sharp focus, but the background out of focus. This photo isn’t one of my best ones, it’s just the concrete post in the garden that holds the washing line. You can see easily that it’s in focus while the background is blurred. (more…)
Aperture and depth of field #photo
Picture courtesy of Nikon
The diagram above gives you some idea of apertures, the narrowest ones can be little more than a pin hole. Most lenses don’t go very wide. On a bridge camera they tend to go wider. On my Nikon the widest I can set the aperture is about f/3.5, more expensive lenses will go wider. (more…)
Landscape photography lesson
Landscape photography lesson
I went out in the freezing cold to take today’s photos to demonstrate how to take good landscape photos. Today’s landscape photography lesson follows on from last week’s lesson on camera settings. (more…)
Executive storytelling
Executive
Executive storytelling has become more popular in the past few years. Executives have recognised the need to get their ideas across to consumers, employees and investors. The executive with a vision needs to use words and perhaps pictures to get their vision across to all stakeholders. (more…)
Life: diversity
Do you remember Christmas when you were a kid? I still remember the things associated with Christmas. We had tangerines at Christmas, now it’s satumas. Whatever happened to tangerines? We had nativities at school and we learnt Christmas carols. Childhood is about learning, the knowledge we gain is the foundation of our lives. (more…)
Creativity and learning
Today’s picture was taken in a place I often go and I’ve taken similar images many times. This time, I did something different, I used a filter and edited the picture differently to create art. Learning is about repetition, we keep practising until we have perfected the skill. (more…)
Gold stars and brownie points
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
If we did well in class when I was a child we would have gold stars or silver stars stuck in our exercise books at the end of our work. We would rather have had something more tangible, like a bar of chocolate, but a gold star was an event; it was an achievement. It was an emotional reward. (more…)
Want to write for a Zillion Ideas?
I enjoy writing most of the time, but it is a solitary pursuit and I need to get out in the sunshine sometimes. My other interest is photography, so that works out well. Recently I’ve been trying to do a little more in the community I live in. (more…)
Analogies, perceptions and phenomenon
‘No smoke without fire’ is an analogy. If you see smoke coming from a building, you assume it’s on fire. It is an analogy used in a negative context; usually by negative people. (more…)
Finance Friday: Contrarian investments
Investing in companies that have problems or that are making a loss is contrary to normal wisdom, but the returns often justify the risk. I bought Lloyds Banking Group for just under 30p and today they are just under 80p. That is about as good as it gets. Or is it? I could do better on Solo Oil. (more…)
Feminism and Fighting Stereotypes
By Fairy Dharawat
Last year there was a row over a picture depicting a women with a sign, “this is what feminism looks like” which received lot of attention. The picture was later shared widely from one of Facebook groups whose followers posted unsavoury comments (http://themaggieyoung.blogspot.in/2013/08/no-hope-for-human-race-slays-three.html ). (more…)
Psychology: Anxiety and depression
I was out for a leisurely Sunday drive yesterday and I took a wrong turning and became quite anxious about it. I saw a warning telling me to stay away from the motorway and then I turned to head home and the road was closed. I followed a diversion and it took me in the opposite direction that I wanted to go. (more…)
The power of knowledge and wisdom
When we’re young, we go to school and try to acquire knowledge. We learn about reading, writing and arithmetic. These basic tools then equip us to learn about more complicated things. The arithmetic allows us to go on to learn mathematics, the reading equips us for the world of literature and the writing allows us to express ourselves with pen and paper. (more…)