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Shabby and Unloved

caldrail

Entry posted by caldrail

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Yesterday morning the weather was overcast, another typical dull British day and disappointing after the spell of spring sunshine we've been enjoying. By lunchtime the sun had burned off the cloud and it was a gloriously warm day. So much so I decided to go for a stroll, and headed north to Seven Fields.

 

Thats an area of farmland surrounded by housing developments and designated public space, although its still used as hay meadows amongst the wooded hillsides. There's an unspoiled quality to it. None of these manicured parks with denuded foliage that Swindon is becoming fond of.

 

It is however bordered by two of the three 'P's, the grotty undesirable bits of the town. Park is too far away, but Penhill to the north and Pinehurst to the south mean that urban squalor is staining the outskirts with it's detritus. I wandered along the path that follows the curve of the hill through the woods above Penhill. It resembled South Wales almost. Untended gardens filled with rubbish, shabby unloved houses with shabby unloved inhabitants.

 

I reached the center of the wood where the large oak had been set fire to four years ago. They'd finally cut it down. Surrounding it was a rubbish dump spread through the undergrowth. Shabby unloved woodland. What can you do?

 

Complaint of the Week

A shabby and unloved youngster picked out his DVD from the selection at the library and put his coins into the machine for the ticket to allow him to take the item home for a week. He ambled toward the security guard with a look of bemused outrage on his face.

 

"I put two pounds in." He said.

 

The security guard stared back unconcerned. "The machine doesn't give change Sir."

 

"Yeah but I put two pounds in."

 

"Sir, the machine doesn't give change."

 

"....I put two pounds in. I'm supposed to get fifty pencve change."

 

"And I'm telling you, that machine doesn't give change."

 

"But I put two pounds in. Where's my fifty pence?"

 

"Library opens at half past nine. You can sort it out then."

 

"I should have fifty pence."

 

And so on, until a librarian had the misfortune of passing by.

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Nephele
A shabby and unloved youngster picked out his DVD from the selection at the library and put his coins into the machine for the ticket to allow him to take the item home for a week. He ambled toward the security guard with a look of bemused outrage on his face.

 

What is this? Libraries in England charge patrons money to borrow DVDs? Like Blockbuster Video stores? Do all libraries in England now do this, or just yours? I think St. Paul's public library in Michigan was considering doing this, but it's not something one would normally see here in the States.

 

In fact, I think there would be a tax-payer's revolt (and rightfully so), if Long Island public libraries ever tried charging money to borrow library materials. We do charge overdue fines, though, if the DVDs aren't brought back on time.

 

I think your library should refund that kid his 50 pence, at the very least.

 

-- Nephele

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Maladict
A shabby and unloved youngster picked out his DVD from the selection at the library and put his coins into the machine for the ticket to allow him to take the item home for a week. He ambled toward the security guard with a look of bemused outrage on his face.

 

What is this? Libraries in England charge patrons money to borrow DVDs? Like Blockbuster Video stores? Do all libraries in England now do this, or just yours? I think St. Paul's public library in Michigan was considering doing this, but it's not something one would normally see here in the States.

 

In fact, I think there would be a tax-payer's revolt (and rightfully so), if Long Island public libraries ever tried charging money to borrow library materials. We do charge overdue fines, though, if the DVDs aren't brought back on time.

 

I think your library should refund that kid his 50 pence, at the very least.

 

-- Nephele

 

Pretty standard fare for Europe. If you're unlucky they make you pay for borrowing individual books as well, and that's apart from the annual membership fee of course.

 

edit: and the kid shouldn't get his money back for being an idiot :P

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caldrail
What is this? Libraries in England charge patrons money to borrow DVDs? Like Blockbuster Video stores? Do all libraries in England now do this, or just yours? -- Nephele

 

The government have required agencies to make a profit for some time now. Here's an example...

 

When I qualified for my New Zealand PPL, they sent my license in the post within two days at no cost, aware that I was there on holiday and wanted to do some flying around their islands.

 

Two years earlier, a UK PPL cost me more than two hundred pounds once I'd done all the requisite flying and exams, and I had to wait a couple of months for it to arrive.

 

It seems the romanesque attitude of screwing the public for every penny has become well rooted in our society now, and we have the current government to thak for that.

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Nephele

It may be better that public libraries should make a profit through serving those who use the library.

 

But in the meantime while tax-payers continue to fund public libraries here on Long Island (and quite willingly and supportively, too), I would consider it inappropriate for libraries to additionally charge for borrowing tax-funded materials.

 

The government have required agencies to make a profit for some time now.

 

Has the government reduced your taxes since their agencies started making profits? I'll wager a guess that your taxes continue to rise, regardless.

 

-- Nephele

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caldrail

The problem is that Grodon Brown wanted to appear as a brilliant Chancellor. Every so often we saw a press release or some politican repeating that mantra. There was always enough money it seemed. If you looked closely, he was txing everything b the back door. Pensions were taxed for the first time for instance. Insurance and travel taxes increased. Fuel duty raised to 75% of the price at the pumps. You pay tax first then claim back whatever benefits your situation allow (if you know about that).

 

The thing is, whilst appearing beneificent, he was running up huge expenses and borrowing money to pay it off. So inevitably he was keen to move to No10 as soon as possible and avoid the criticism that he wasn't as good a chancellor as he made out. A lot of people are fooled - on another website, I got called a tory spokesman for criticising GB. Yeah right.

 

Labour came to power saying the old ways were over. They weren't the party of high taxation any more. Yet now we find our tax bill is the highest ever.

 

Dangnabbit, Neph, you win again!

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Nephele
Labour came to power saying the old ways were over. They weren't the party of high taxation any more. Yet now we find our tax bill is the highest ever.

 

Dangnabbit, Neph, you win again!

 

Huh, what do I win? Here in the States we're anticipating tax increases on everything soon, to make up for the ever-increasing deficit. Our new president has some pretty ambitious, expensive plans for the nation.

 

-- Nephele

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caldrail

You have my sympathies. i suspect though, Mr Obama's expensive plans have more to do with actually doing something, rather than making expensive plans, paying for it, making a big noise about it, then forgetting it ever took place.

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