Lord Lawson says abolish corporation tax and replace it with a sales tax – Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK explains in great detail why this is nonsense…
Source: Why we must not replace corporation tax with a sales tax
Month: January 2016
So what is a dropped kerb then? [Karen’s Blog] | DisabledGo News and Blog
See this photo? See those knobbly bits on the pavement and the way the pavement lowers to road level (as much as it can) – well, this is a dropped kerb. This
Source: So what is a dropped kerb then? [Karen’s Blog] | DisabledGo News and Blog
THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN PENULTIMATE DAY
An account of the penultimate day at the Australian Open accompanied by some pictures and some links.
INTRODUCTION
As well as my thoughts on the Australian Open I have some links and pictures to share.
THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
There is one day remaining of the Australian Open. Tomorrow morning our time Andrew Murray takes to the court to play Novak Djokovic in the final of the men’s singles. If he wins, it will be the first time in the open era that a pair of brothers have won the singles and doubles titles at the same grand slam event, since today’s amazing action concluded with Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beating the uber-veterans (combined aged 80) Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek to claim the men’s doubles. Gordon Reid having already won the wheelchair singles finally ran out of steam in the closing stages of a very long wheelchair doubles final.
However, the main event of the day was the women’s singles final. Serena Williams started as a red hot favourite against Angeliqe Kerber of Germany who had ended the run of Johanna Konta in the semi-finals (in reaching that stage of the tournament Konta had done enough to guarantee that she will be seeded at the French Open, as it took her ranking into the top 30 and she will be playing tournaments that she was not in last year between now and Roland Garros).
However, in the event, Angelique Kerber did the highly improbable and beat Serena Williams in three sets. This was a truly superb match (I heard every shot of it on five live sports extra) and I end this section by stating something in bold capitals:
ANGELIQUE KERBER WON THIS MATCH – SERENA DID NOT LOSE IT
PICTURES FROM AROUND KINGS LYNN
LINKS
To open this section I mention a new find, dreambigdreamoften to whom I was introduced by Anna. My second encounter with DBDO came courtesy of Maria who signposted me towards this Meet and Greet post.
I also wish to share this from Ambitious About Autism.
My other links all relate to my London transport themed website, www.londontu.be:
- My latest post on that site, which has its origins in a conversation with a colleague: Epping – Gateway to London
- The website of the Epping and Ongar Railway
- Finally, this piece about a massively significant development for London’s suburban railways.
Meet and Greet Weekend @ DBDO: 1/29/16
An excellent post from a new find of mine (thank you Anna and Maria for signposting):
http://dreambigdreamoften.co/2016/01/29/blogging-networking-tips-advice
All commenting and sharing should be done after you have opened the original on the link above please.
AUCTION AT THE MAIDS HEAD HOTEL
An account of Wednesday’s auction at the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich, with a few other bits and bobs, including another mention of the Positive Autism Awareness Conference.
INTRODUCTION
Although mainly concerned with the James and Sons auction that took place the day before yesterday, this post will also mention a few other things at the end.
THE AUCTION
This section divides into several subsections, starting with…
GETTING THERE
Given the early hour at which it was necessary for me to be at the venue and the fact that I was not returning straight to King’s Lynn but was instead going to my parents because we were going to a bridge evening at the Jolly Sailors I decided to aim to be on the 5:55AM X1 bus to Norwich, with the more circuitous X8/X29 route, the first of which departs at 6:10AM as back up.
I achieved my intended aim of being on the 5:55AM bus and this bus not only departed on time, it benefited from a clear run along the A47 to arrive at Norwich bus station precisely when it was supposed to. I then walked down to the Maids Head, picking up a few photos along the way as I was in plenty of time…
This map ios located near the Surrey Street entrance to Norwich Bus Station
This light show adorns the Castle Mall shopping centre
The Maids Head has a very old name sign worked into the building itself
THE SETUP
All the stuff for the auction had to unloaded from the van and set up in the room we were using (the Erpingham room) at The Maids Head, and a few things had to be moved around for the room to properly organised for our purposes. That and a few technical hitches notwithstanding (mere trifles such as initially having no internet connection!) all was ready by 9AM when the first viewers started to arrive.
THE AUCTION ITSELF
The auction started quietly, with only a few people present at the venue and no one bidding online on the early lots, but the internet bidding started at just after lot 100, and was very lively at certain points – lot 204 with an estimate of £50-60 went for £260, lots 283 and 286 both went for substantially above estimate, and a sequence of sets of penny reds with Great Western Railway perfins saw some spirited bidding involving a room and an internet bidder, with half a dozen lots estimated at 10-15 actually getting three figures a piece.
These are some of the penny reds which caused such excitement.
Lots 597 and 737 both sold very cheap to yours truly (even with buyers premium there was change from £15 for the two lots put together). Here they are…
Lot 737 – a nice piece of railwayana
Lot 597 – an added personal factor – Stroud happens to be my birthplace.
In connection with these pieces of railwayana, a quick reminder of my London transport themed website, www.londontu.be.
THE CLEAR UP
The last lot went under the hammer not very long after 2PM, after which everything that had not gone to people in the room had to be loaded back on to the van. Then my colleague Andrew and I travelled back to Fakenham in the van. My initial plan had been to get the 17:38 bus on from Fakenham to East Rudham, but because we were ahead of schedule, but not sufficiently so for there to be a likelihood of me catching the 15:38, and because the weather showed its teeth when we just east of Fakenham, Andrew very kindly gave me a lift to East Rudham. I worked out that I had handled some of these lots seven separate times (carrying them to my imaging area, carrying them to the storage area, carrying them down to the shop for viewing, carrying them the shop to the van, carrying them from the van to auction venue, carrying them from the auction venue to the van and finally carrying them from the van back to the shop).
POST AUCTION
My early arrival at East Rudham proved useful – my parents had unearthed some silver spoons which needed to photographed with a view to selling them. I have two picture galleries in this connection, both created from the same set of originals – the first using Microsoft’s own image editing software, and the second, which I unveil for the first time, using my own image editing software, which was designed specifically for use with Nikon Coolpix cameras…
This is the set of images created using Microsoft software…
This was the result when I edited the same photos using my own software.
The bridge went well after a poor start – I emerged plus 13 on the evening (65p at Jolly Sailors stakes).
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY/ CALENDAR
Monday 1st February: James and Sons feature on Antiques Road Trip – episode on air on BBC1 at 4:30PM (should be available on i-player by 6PM) – I am the guy in the red jacket sat next to the auctioneer.
Wednesday 24th February: James and Sons auction at Fakenham Racecourse, starts at 10AM. This auction features a wide variety of lots, beginning with bonds, passing through banknotes, coins, stuff from HMS Britannia, Ephemera and Militaria before finishing with Stamps.
Friday 15th April: Positive Autism Awareness Conference, the Dukes Head Hotel, King’s Lynn – for more information check out the following links:
Yesterday’s blog post dedicated to this event
West Norfolk NAS’s facebook page
The Facebook event listing
West Norfolk NAS’s website
CALLING ALL LONDONERS
I have shared some of London mayoral candidate Sian Berry’s transport related ideas on www.londontu.be:
This is the official Fair Fares piece
Having provided these excellent suggestions Sian has turned her attention to London’s sky high rents, with this proposal for a London Renter’s Union
If you are eligible to vote in this election I urge you to vote for Sian Berry.
POSITIVE AUTISM AWARENESS CONFERENCE
An entire post dedicated to publicising NAS West Norfolk’s Positive Autism Awareness Conference, which will take place on April 15th, starting at 9AM.
INTRODUCTION
This brief post is the first of what will doubtless be many about this event, being put on by NAS West Norfolk.
AN IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES
West Norfolk NAS’s Positive Autism Awareness Conference will take place at The Duke’s Head, King’s Lynn. I have three images to share to complete this post, a screenshot of Claire King’s facebook post about the event and jpgs of a map and a google earth image showing the location…
Not mentioned specifically, but already lined up as part of the event is a photographic presentation by yours truly.
Birds of Stone: Avian Fossils from the Age of Dinosaurs
Another super post from the team at whyevolutionistrue!
by Greg Mayer
This coming Monday, February 1, at 7 PM in the Student Union Cinema, the University of Wisconsin-Parkisde will present Luis Chiappe, Director of the Dinosaur Institute of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, will speak on “Birds of Stone: Avian Fossils from the Age of Dinosaurs”.
Dr. Luis Chiappe of the LACM
Many of the features commonly associated with birds (feather, wings, hollow bones, wishbones) were inherited from their dinosaurian ancestors, and these features arose at various times during the birds’ long Mesozoic history. New fossils have laid out this evolutionary saga in great detail, allowing us to trace the changes from the earliest birds, such as Archaeopteryx, to the dawn of modern birds. The talk, part of UW-Parkside’s Science Night series, is intended for the general public.
At noon on Monday, in Molinaro Hall D 139, Dr. Chiappe will present a more technical…
View original post 250 more words
Auctions, Auctions, Auctions
Mainly concerned with today at work, this post also mentiuons the test match just concluded in South Africa’s favour and a piece by Why Evolution is True about a white giraffe.
INTRODUCTION
I will be mentioning stuff opther than auctions, but it is the auctions that form the basis of this post.
A TRIFECTA
Today’s work at James and Sons featured three different auctions, hence the title both of the post and of this section thereof.
TOMORROW’S AUCTION
(MAIDS HEAD HOTEL, NORWICH)
This played a comparatively minor role, everything having been done save for actually holding the auction. However, it was necessary to get the stuff loaded on to the van ready for being transported to Norwich tomorrow morning and I had to remember to disconnect the mouse from my work computer.
FEBRUARY 24TH (FAKENHAM RACECOURSE)
There were still a few items to be imaged for this auction, and one lot that needed special treatment so that it could feature on the front cover. Thus two photo galleries for this section…
These are some of the highlights from the unimaged lots.
The second photo gallery in this subsection deals exclusively with lot 450, which I was reimaging specifically for use on the front cover…
The photograph was fairly straightforward – although you will note that I edited it a number of different ways. The set of medals was more difficult because I had to prevent external light from intervening and they are attached to a display case that is about an inch thick.
MARCH 30TH (FAKENHAM – POSSIBLY TWO DAY SALE CONTINUING ON MARCH 31ST)
Towards the end of the day I made a start on imaging items that will go under the hammer on March 30th. Thus, here is another picture gallery…
This watch is lot 1
1 of the four images I did of lot 463
Lot 480
The cover of lot 480
Lot 460
Lot 460 closed
Lot 461
Lot 461 closed
The King’s Lynn page of lot 463
This map fis one of the images for lot 470
The front cover of lot 463
These pages happened to be where the describer had inserted the lot tab, and since they were also of significance to the imager here they are.
The title page of 470 – btw Wath-on-Dearne is a nice little town, although it gave the world William Hague.
Inserts in lot 470.
While this gallery brings today at work to a close I have one last James and Sons item to share…
JAMES AND SONS ON ANTIQUES ROAD TRIP
Regular followers of this blog may recall that James and Sons feature in an episode of Antiques Road Trip. I can now inform you that this particular episode will be shown on February 1st at 4:30PM (meaning that it will be available for watching on i-player by 6PM that day for those like me who refuse to pay for the ‘privelege’ of watching live TV)
ODDS AND ENDS
In a post I put up yesterday I expressed the opinion that England were headed for defeat in the final test match of their series against South Africa. This became reality reamrakably quickly – by the time I left for work at 8:30 this morning our time England had plunged from three down to six down, with Kagiso Rabada picking up his 10th wicket of the match just before I left (Bairstow, morally out twice – saved first time round one the TV replay umpire picked up a no-ball and then done in precisely the same way by the very next delivery). A discreet check while eating my sandwiches confirmed that end had come swiflty thereafter, with Rabada taking a further three wickets to give him 13 in thge match and, of course, the player of the match award. For full details on events please visit the official cricinfo report.
Also from the continent of Africa but otherwise utterly unrelated to the above, the good folks at Why Evolution is True have come up with this offering about a rare white giraffe which is now fifteen months old.
Some Sporting Stories
A couple of sporting stories, news of a bold new plan for London City Airport and an important petition.
INTRODUCTION
This is going to be a blog post of many parts. As well as the sporting stories in the title I will be sharing some other stuff that I have come across recently. I will cover the sporting stories first…
CRICKET
Two different stories from South Africa. First…
HAVING LOST THE WAR SOUTH AFRICA
LOOK LIKE WINNING THE FINAL BATTLE
England’s victory in the third test match gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four match series, so the fact that they took two sessions (SA 220-1 in 1st innings) to wake up in this match and have never been on terms is less of a worry than it might be. Going into the final day, extended to make up for time lost to the weather, England have 98 overs to bat and with seven wickets in hand need what would appear to be a purely nominal 330 more to win.
Kagiso Rabada who took seven wickets in the first innings already has another two, and one more would make him the youngest ever bowler to take 10 in a test match. Hashim Amla was one good blow short of completing twin centuries in the match and two South African debutants made centuries in the first innings, Cook (like his English namesake an opening batsman) and De Kock (wicketkeeper and middle order batsman).
Barring cataclysmic weather the final outcome of this series will be a 2-1 win to England.
My second cricket story concerns a rather graver matter…
MATCH FIXING
Gulam Bodi has been banned from any cricket related activity except attending anti-corruption programs for a period of 20 years for contriving or attempting to fix matches in the 2015 Ram Slam T20 series. A full account, by Cricinfo’s South African correspondent Firdose Moonda, can viewed here.
While I am pleased to see that a severe punishment has been dished out I can only concur with the thoughts voiced by Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special today – this is not tough enough. Anyone caught engaging in this kind of behaviour should be banned outright for life.
TENNIS
We are deep into the second week of a grand slam tournament (the Australian Open), and Andy Murray is not the sole remaining Brit in the main singles draws (he is of course still there). He has been joined in reaching the last eight by 24 year old Johanna Konta, the first British woman since 1984 to make a grand slam quarter-final.
SOME OTHER BITS AND BOBS
I have a few other items to share, starting with…
FAREWELL TO LONDON CITY AIRPORT (HERE’S HOPING)
I have already given this some coverage on my London transport themed website. Sian Berry (Green party candidate for London mayor) and her team have come up with an excellent alternative usage proposal for the site of London City Airport. Full details can be read here, while the original of the picture I reproduce below can be viewed here.
DON’T CUT BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE
LIVING WITH DISABILITIES
First, a petition which I introduce by way of a piece of text designed for use in emails:
I just signed the petition “Don’t cut benefits for people living with disabilities” and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.
This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition here:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/don-t-punish-the-sick-and-disabled-with-benefit-cuts
Can you also take a moment to share the petition with others? It’s really easy – all you need to do is forward this email or click these links:
Thank you!
For more detail please view this post from disabilitybenefitsconsortium.
A lovely tw**t on evolution vs. creationism
This is an excellent visual representation of the evolution versus creation debate!
aspiblog 