Running my Merc on chip fat

Well, perhaps not chip fat - biofuel is about to break through the barrier and be acceptable to motorists. 5% of biofuel will be mixed in with 'ordinary' fuel, to help with the environment. According to the press, my Mercedes will be pootling along [at the legal speed limit] with the smell of popcorn coming out of its exhaust. If it helps the environment - bring it on...

Graduate work?

Do you really need a degree to be answering the telephone in a call centre? I think not! Many UK firms have jumped on the band wagon and are outsourcing their call centre work to India where eager graduates flock to earn 'good money' and deal with bad tempered Brits who don't like the idea that the person they are talking to is thousands of miles away. Even if these graduates have undergone training to eliminate any trace of an accent, and to gain familiarity with British culture, I still maintain that they are vastly over qualified to do this work. Call centres are the equivalent of battery cages for hens - with targets for answering the phone, dealing with the query as quickly as possible, and then going straight onto the next call, all under constant 'monitoring'. Graduates have lots of transferable skills that employers want - burning them out in their mid twenties isn't the way to treat your workforce. Nor is making them work shifts that don't correspond with their time zone to answer queries about motor insurance, billing errors etc from people who would genuinely be horrified at the thought that they weren't talking to a local call centre. Perhaps firms should stop looking at the cheapest option, and think about genuine customer AND staff care. Free those graduates!


Painful truth of the call centre cyber coolies

Too much caffeine?

Wake up and sell the coffee

We used to be a nation of tea drinkers. Now, with a coffee house on every corner, caffeine is our daily drug of choice. But is the bean habit bad for us? Simon Garfield goes on a 20-shot binge to experience the highs and lows of the new ristretto republic

I like coffee - but tend to go for a latte, cappachino or mocha. Espresso is a little bit too much for me - so perhaps I am not going to experience such dramatic caffeine withdrawal symptoms. My vice is tea - and from what I can remember, that contains nearly as much caffeine as coffee - so perhaps I should cut down on that and be boring and drink water. The new coffee shop in the foyer of the university isn't that much of an attraction anyway, as the coffee comes out of a push button machine, and I doubt very much if they grind the coffee beans they have stacked on the shelves in vacuum packed bags [but it looks impressive!]. My coffeeshop time is when I am shopping - not much beats curling up with a book you have just bought and a very large latte.

50th birthdays

It is that time of life. All the people I was at school with will reach their 50th during this academic year. The season started for my particular group of friends this weekend. Virginia came over from the Isle of Man and a group of us went for a meal. It was supposed to be a quiet evening - so she was shocked to see loads of helium balloons on the table, and at the end of the meal while we were having coffees, the waiters carried in her birthday cake, complete with candles! Its so nice to surprise people. Another friend who was 50 earlier in the month didn't escape either, as some of the balloons were for her, and she had several surprise presents and cards as well. Fun evening, catching up on gossip, and in one way, marveling at the fact that we still all keep in touch, even after all these years

The 'worried well'

Talking to my friend, who works as a practice sister in Bath - she has been inundated with the 'worried well' in her clinics, all demanding a flu jab. She feels that the press has whipped up too much concern over avian flu - and has lost count of the number of times she has had to tell people that there is very little danger from avian flu this winter, and that the flu jab she is able to give is not specifically aimed at it either. What concerns her most, is the fact that a lot of her elderly patients who DO need the jab, have not yet made it to the clinics - and if they don't get there soon, she will have run out of vaccine.

She also gave me short shrift, as I still haven't made it down to my surgery for my jab... so I will HAVE to make an effort soon.

Beauty and the Beast

Searching the country to salvage his lost fortunes, a once-wealthy merchant seeks shelter in a mysterious castle, where invisible forces tend to his every need.

The merchant's older daughters have demanded gold, jewels and fine clothes; the youngest, Belle, has asked for a single rose. But when the merchant plucks just one bloom from the garden of the castle he unleashes a fearsome Beast, who exacts a terrible forfeit: in return for the merchant's life, he must send his daughter Belle to live in the castle.

As the dazzlingly beautiful Belle journeys to meet her beastly captor, she must prepare to discover for herself the meaning of true love.

Looking forward very much to seeing this. Can't wait really - but I have to!!
Birmingham Royal Ballet are great, and I just love the informality at the Hippodrome compared to the formality on display when you do splash out for ballet tickets at Covent Garden. An added bonus is that you don't have the hassle of getting to and from London, which bearing in mind my previous post, will please the puritans out there.

No

It's all my fault - according to the new puritans, I should be ashamed of myself for not being thin, and super fit, for using my car to get to work, and not buying the healthy option every time. Well, to be honest I don't care. We all know that yes, it is best to buy organic, be thin, be fit and use public transport, walk or cycle, but sometimes it just isn't possible. I know somebody who is rapidly becoming a new puritan - so I will just have to be prepared to be nagged at even more, while I do what I can to do MY bit to save the planet.

Just Say 'No'

They're the New Puritans. A generation of young, educated and opinionated people determined to sidestep the consumerist perils of modern life. So if you own a 4x4, spend all your time shopping, or are simply overweight - watch your back. Lucy Siegle meets the moral minority aiming to mend our ways

Birmingham Riots

Tensions have been simmering for some time in parts of the inner city, and erupted last night. Now, Lozells has never been a part of the city I frequent, but it must be frightening for innocent people caught up in this latest outbreak of violence. What makes it even to harder to understand, is the fact that the girl at the centre of it, still hasn't come forward.

One man killed, many hurt as racial tensions overflow

Autumn leaves

I just love walking through drifts of autumn leaves, and, if nobody is around, kicking them up as you walk through them. Seeing the cascades of bronze, red, orange, brown and the occasional green leaf drifting back down to earth is one of those unmeasurable pleasures that cost nothing, but the memory stays with you. Last week, I walked home through the local churchyard, and had fun...

It was an added bonus to find some fungi - I wish I knew enough about them to enable me to tell if they were edible - because they certainly were nice specimens.

Paris - for £13.58 return

Have booked a return flight to Paris for the princely sum of £13.58. Even with the addition of £42 in taxes and a 50p booking fee, I still think its a good deal. A few days in Paris with my stepmother will be a pleasant break - even though it won't be long enough to satisfy her. It's hard to explain that even though I get a lot of leave, I can't just take it when I want - and the autumn term is the hardest one of all to try and wangle a day off in. Oh well, at least I can stock up on winter tights and stockings - and they don't take up too much room in my bag on the way home...

Flu

Worrying to read about the possibility of bird flu spreading into the UK, and perhaps becoming an pandemic. I just wonder how many healthy people will panic and throng into GP surgeries demanding a flu jab, leaving those who really DO need one, without. As somebody who has had horrendous chest infections every winter recently, and working within a public organisation and spending lots of time in a one-to-one situation with students, perhaps I should get myself down to the surgery asap, and get mine - especially as I had a letter 3 weeks ago reminding me that I should have one!

Oh no!

I want to log on to my distance learning account to do some of my course work - and it won't let me log in!!
I have been very bad this week, and have ignored my online work, as I was teaching two courses simultaneously [don't ask how, but somehow I managed it], so decided I really must catch up this evening - to be faced with an error message.

I am obviously not MEANT to do any work this evening - but I will try again to log in later...

Another one completed!

As part of my job, I teach courses for unemployed graduates, and the first of the part time versions finished on Friday. They all felt it had been worth the effort; with increased self confidence all round, a greater awareness of what employers expect from graduates, and a thorough grounding in job search skills. As one of them said - "If I have to talk about myself for a minute, at least now, I know what to say and how to leave a good impression with an employer - AND I have the confidence to do it". Made me feel that all my hard work was worth it... and they gave me a box of chocolates and a card as well! [My colleagues appreciated the chocolates...]

In the meantime, the next course is underway up on the other campus. It is horrible having to get up SO early every morning, and drive 40miles before you even start! The students enrolled on this course are a very different bunch, and it is a MUCH bigger cohort as well. I am hoping to loose a few, as 27 is too many to teach effectively, but so far, they are all still hanging in there. At the end of the day though, if they all stay, it helps meet the overall project targets [180 by Dec 2006].

I had better get used to the drive though, as there will more courses up on the northern campus - but at least they pay my toll fees, so I can avoid the speed cameras on the main roads!

Digital or SLR prints?

Having looked at all the photos I took in Venice with my digital, and comparing them with the ones Patrick took with the SLR, there is definitely something about the SLR ones that is different - especially the B&W ones. I just wish I knew what it was, but the subtle difference escapes me. It's also pleasant to be able to look at actual prints, rather than have to look at them on the computer - I will miss them when I finally see Patrick again, and give them to him - but they are his photos...

Gay jobseekers guide

Stonewall has published a jobseekers guide for the estimated 150,000 gay and lesbian students. As a university careers adviser, I think this is a good step, but in reality, a person's sexuality has no bearing on their ability to do a job. I recognise that for many graduate job seekers, being 'out' in a new job is probably a scary thought, and the employers who are showcased in the guide, are ones that genuinely support gay staff, and I hope that in future years more employers will actively encourage applications from gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered graduates.

But, as a professional, I would also offer this advice - if your sexuality has no bearing on your ability to do the job, don't make an issue of it. If you feel that as a gay graduate, you need support within the workplace to help you to grow in confidence, by all means apply to an organisation that is open and honest, and has a positive view of your sexuality. As to interview tips - the same applies to a gay/lesbian graduate as to any other graduate jobseeker - be prepared, be professional, be honest, and back up your claims with evidence to prove it.

Stonewall publishes guide for gay jobseekers

Recognition for Harold Pinter

"I heard the news of the prize at 20 to 12 this morning, only 20 minutes before the official announcement. It had never occurred to me that I was a contender. They called me and said you're going to receive a call from the chairman of the Nobel committee and I think I said 'why?'. The chairman said 'You've won the Nobel Prize for Literature.' I was speechless and remained so for another couple of minutes. But I was very moved by this even though I hadn't really taken it in. Why they've given me this prize I don't know.

I was really pleased to read that Harold Pinter had won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and I think his reaction was wonderful. Perhaps now, we will be able to see more of his work here in the UK. I look forward to reading his acceptance speech, as he claims he has never had to speak for as long a time as 45minutes.

Early Doors

My colleagues have decided that once a month we should do an early doors, and go straight from work to a local hostelry. That's fine for all of them, they can walk home if necessary - I am faced with a 20 mile drive. Consequently, I went this evening, had my vodka well diluted with tonic, and was the first one to bail out. It was nice to be able to socialise out of the office, and I will go again even though I came out of the pub reeking of smoke, and drove home with the windows open to try and get rid of it. Roll on smoke free pubs.

An urban myth?

If they are not launching themselves at you in drug-fuelled desperation, their bloodshot eyes are searching for their next fix, pink paws scrabbling in the ground.

The idea of squirrels finding hidden stashes of crack made me laugh aloud when I read this earlier this week. Living in comfortable, middle class England - it was the type story that some of my neighbours would react to by wanting to round up all the squirrels, hold them without trial, and deport them back to their country of origin, regardless of their individual circumstances. I will look more tolerantly at the squirrels digging holes in my lawn over the next few months - and offer them refuge from the accusations of being high on crack...

Kamikaze pigeon

Had to go and get some new batteries for the door blipper for my car - driving back this pigeon was sauntering up the middle of the road as if he owned it. I assumed he would just fly away as I drove towards him - but no, he just gave me the evil eye and carried on walking up the road. I didn't run him over, even though I am not a fan of pigeons - as you just have to admire his nerve in defying a large piece of metal 50 times his size!

Earthquake

The earthquake in Kashmir has killed thousands of people, and no doubt the death toll will rise further as the days go by, but it was good to hear that the two governments of India and Pakistan would be helping each other to cope with the devastation caused by the sheer scale of the destruction. Let us hope that afterwards, the cooperation continues, for the benefit of all Kashmiri's, regardless of which side of the dividing line they live on, and their houses are rebuilt to a better standard.

Quake's terrible toll is revealed

Smoke free at last!

Smoke free pubs and clubs are on the way - hurray!!. It will make going out for a drink even more enjoyable when you don't have to breath in somebody else's cigarette smoke and end up smelling like a stale ashtray. As a non-smoker who grew up in a smoking household, and is now suffering from those after effects, I am really pleased the rights of non-smokers to breathe clean air are being recognised at last.

Smoking is set to be banned completely in pubs and restaurants in England after cabinet ministers united to demand a U-turn on plans for a partial ban.

Fire Alarms

We all know that fire alarm practices should be unscheduled, because you can't book a real fire in a specific time slot - but if the alarm goes off much more at university I will go mad. Yesterday it went off several times - eventually ending up with the fire brigade sending two tenders and the fire officer closing the campus, as it would take several hours to check and secure the buildings. Fires were ignited in 2 lecture theatres, a notice board and one of the men's loos. Are the students so daft that they risk burning the whole place down just because they are in a boring lecture, or fancy a fag break? The disruption to my preparation for todays 2 teaching sessions was immense and I had to go in early this morning to catch up. It was strange walking into an office with all the office machines already on at 8am - and then trying not to despair at the mound of cups in the bowl waiting to be washed up before I could have a drink! [Well, I cheated, I went out to La Dolche Vita and bought a latte as I didn't have the time to waste washing up, and the clerical assistant seemed more than happy to do the washing up as her first task of the morning when she arrived at 9!]. So, there I was supervising my students undergoing activities involved in an assessment centre - we were in the middle of a murder mystery exercise- when the damm fire alarm goes off again. Ushered my students out, reminded them of the instructions where to meet, had to go back for the class register [had only gone down one flight of stairs when I remembered I was supposed to take it with me!], found them outside in all the melee of students, and in the end sent them home when the fire engine turned up - luckily it was only another 30 mins standing in the sun before we were let back in - as they discovered it was the contractors stripping wallpaper, which had caught alight this time. So, another disrupted day - but it did give us women a second chance to look at the hunky firemen - and today was a different crew - at this rate, we will be able to pass judgement on all the fire crews at the station!!

But I don't really want any more this week thank you - I have too much work on - trying to continue teaching my course while also getting ALL the material together to start a new intake on Monday - on the other campus. Next week should be fun - I am technically teaching 2 courses at the same time on 2 separate sites. Luckily my current course will be in their final week - and most of the material is being delivered by external speakers, but I will be there for the final session to assess their toolkits and give out the certificates...

Excuse of the week

A driver stopped for speeding in the early hours of the morning told police officers "I didn't realise you worked this late". Doh!!! They were told " We are a 24 hour organisation"...

Crisis of the week

Tragedy has struck Santa - Rudolph, his reindeer has been killed.
The Sunday Times reported that the Danish Air Force have owned up to causing Rudolph to have a heart attack, after low flying F-16 jets were in the area. An air force spokesman said " we got a letter from Santa complaining about his reindeer's death and took it seriously. We are more than happy to pay [for a new reindeer] if it means children around the world will get their presents".

I am so pleased to hear that - how would we explain to all the children that Santa couldn't come because he hadn't got Rudolph to lead the way!!