The stuff that dreams are made of

Narendra Modi (of India) dreams of bullet trains and new cities. Can he succeed? asks the Washington Post May 16th 2014 

 

Personally, don't think so..not without some form of  harness anyway!

Summer Memories in Oz

Summer's been a little warm this year. The delights of a summer in this part of the world include beach,pool and more of the same.
For the unwary or new arrivals there are a a couple of things to look out for. Maybe three, apart from funnel web spiders , sharks , salt water crocodiles (known affectionately as salties ) , box jelly fish and snakes, that is. In the face of such adversity, it's surprising that our population is increasing .

Beach

Hot sand, hot tarmac and prickly lawns

caused by

Tarmac

 those nasty little buggers called bindis which stick uncomfortably to your bare feet. They are almost impossible to get rid of. A bit like the current government (for the foreseeable future at least).

Bindi 

There's more underway

Not to worry .I am doing this:-

or this:-

or even this

 But not to worry..more IS on the way

Credit where credit is due

The Money Blog in the UK edition of the Guardian  highlighted how, today, we are moving more and more towards a cashless society.

In summary Patrick Collinson, the author, emphasised that with cash there is tighter control between the consumption and purchasing. , accentuating the pain of paying. This is not dissimilar  to breaking into a $50 note: the next thing you know it's gone and all that is is  a few bits of heavy change and if lucky maybe a gold coin or two.  

There's a buffer between buying and the pain associated by means of the credit card or whatever plastic you use. It's a "buy now, pay later"syndrome which delays the crunch and "ouch"factor of the bill. 

The trouble with cash is ithat once in your pocket, it tends to disappear, vanish.. This I'll willingly admit ismy downfall. I rarely have cash on me for that very reason but find myself in all sorts of strife when boarding a bus, many of which are pre-pay, or buying a newspaper although with the way things are going newspapers will be up there with the best of our daily needs in terms of expense.

Cash is also a far more telling sign of a person's wealth. I can recall when first starting out barely having two pennies to rub together but once a month I would treat myself to a meal in a restaurant , one of which cost a bit more that I had anticipated. I left behind something like 20c as a tip, in change. As I walked out of the door the waiter called out from behind me "You've left your bus money behind!"

Probably the best use of credit cards is as a cash flow adjustment or when purchasing larger items and amounts where the card offers some protection in terms of returns, guarantees etc etc.

Whatever it is , cards versus cash will become less and less of a problem as we all move towards credit , bit coins (never understood those) or maybe even bartering.

Schooldays heaven or hell??

Campaign urges boarding schools to stop taking young children

After an article in last week's Observer Magazine about abuse claims, campaigners call for end to children being 'sent away' (from the UK Guardian 11/May.2014')

Could not agree more with the article. I attended boarding school from a very early age and dislike it intently. Not for me. There were however those who loved it and revelled in the immature "Boy's Own" masculine herd gatherings. I joined in, because peer pressure said I should but at the back of my mind always was the thought that the pack leaders were "suss". All I can conclude is that it is not for everyone and if parent's can afford the shekels to shell out good luck to them, It all probably boils down to the individual.