DJ360

And in other news.. what do we think of Sunak's environmental back tracking on North Sea Oil? I wonder how much that cost the IEA and other Tuffton St lobbyists? Then his desperate attempts to 'woo' the motoring lobby with gimmicks and even opposition to his own party's emission reduction policies.? You won't be surprised that I see it as pure hypocrisy, born of a combination of both externally directed electioneering, and internally directed attempts to placate the Tory far right.

1. OK. 2. But are for e.g. council re-cycling schemes enforcement, or enablement? 3. I'm not so sure about that.. It would make me a 'Green', yet I'm not quite there yet. I reckon many more than you recognise now see the clear symptoms of environmental interconnectivity in warming, changing/more extreme weather/ population movements, species movement, melting glaciers, shrinking poles, etc.,etc., etc., which are mentioned pretty much daily in the media. Well yes, but clearly many did hear her and I suspect awareness is growing..if not of her, but of the underl

Well yes.. my example, thinking about it, reveals one of the tensions in Taylor's theory.. He invokes managers to seek ways to 'enable' workers, but simultaneously instructs workers that there is 'one best way' to carry out a specific task... But.. as I think I've at least tried to say above.. all important works of theory have internal tensions. For e.g, Rousseau really struggled with the idea that his Social Contract might not lead to all citizens embracing his route to freedom, such that he said some might have to be 'forced to free', which led to later accusations of 'proto fas

Even though I don't like sycamores invading my local wood, which is typical Oak/Beech/Birch .with odd Chestnuts etc.. I'm appalled by both the act and the mentality which led to this outrage. That said, I'm not sure we yet know who is responsible. Yes a young lad was arrested and may be responsible, but I doubt he acted alone. It's all very odd. On the same topic, but if I may be allowed a brief return to 'systems' talk. Yesterday on Radio, a tree specialist was asked about what can be done. He claimed he could get a large replacement to the site and planted. But..

Agreed. Equally, both Civil Servants and Public Sector workers suffer from a similar attitude from politicians, who often confuse policy and delivery.

In a miss-timed but classic example of system failure leading to unexpected consequences... we've just had yet another brief power cut. The result was my loss of a brief but telling reply..which I will try to replicate... Firstly, they do have a choice. One of my neighbours has never chosen to use any of the recycling bins we are all provided with and continues to just chuck everything into the bin assigned for 'general' (i.e. not currently re-cycled) waste. In a wider context, some choose to make compost, some don't..some choose to chuck litter everywhere, some us

I can quote an example which validates both Taylor and Gilbreth. I worked in a Lead Refinery, on a Rotary Furnace. When we 'tapped' the furnace, the contents poured into approx 2 foot square moulds. We were instructed to use an overhead crane to move the moulds onto the shop floor, with two men guiding the moulds and another operating the crane. the moulds were then laid out on the floor in neat rows. Thing is, they mostly contained red hot slag, which took a while to cool down and therefore was a huge risk if spilled, or if a mould was stepped into. It was all very u

The bottom line to all of the above, is that none of the thinkers mentioned have come up with what might be termed a 'Complete Answer', or a 'Unifying Theory' etc.. even within their own field, or specialism. They are all open to valid criticism. Much less have they come up with anything which offers a way of completely understanding and even managing both human socio-political relationships and our collective relationship with our environment I.E. our finite planet. I encountered most of those mentioned whilst at Uni in the early 1980s. We were introduced to the works of the

That's one of those arguments I can both agree and disagree with at the same time. I've not read the specific book you refer to, though I am familiar with the rudiments of 'systems theory', mostly from encounters with the work of Talcott Parsons and others. Whether or not Meadows argues that 'everyone', should think systems.. isn't really the point. She provides an additional tool, or method of thought and analysis which can be utilised in order to try to understand complex issues and propose potential strategies to resolve, or at least mitigate those outcomes which would be mutual

I can't argue with that. Although not 'party' political as such, the discussion of Meadows, her supporters and detractors, those whose theories preceded, followed or competed with hers, etc.. is I suppose 'small p' political. That said it is relevant to many other areas which in the old days would have come under the general heading of 'Political Economy' and these days tend towards more specialisation under Sociology, Economics, Political Theory, Environmental Studies, and numerous 'sub sets'.

I also recall a 'wakes' in Bulwell, on a field through a gap in the buildings roughly opposite where the King Billy pub was. Probably roughly the area which now has 'Holborn Place' Car Park.

As I recall, all through my childhood, it opened at midday on the first Thurs on Oct, and ended at midnight on the following Saturday.

I simply posted it as a 'summing up' on the current housing crisis.

Help me out here.... How does Pavlov's demonstration of 'classical' conditioning in dogs relate to Meadows, or Malthus for that matter..?

Not sure what that means. Do you agree that in an absolute sense, we live on a finite planet with finite resources? If you agree that, then surely we have to go from there to understanding how to deal with that issue, when the whole World is intent on limitless economic, industrial and population growth. Clearly, in 1972, it wasn't 'blindingly obvious' that there was a problem..much less a need to start considering solutions. 'Population Growth' was still being used by Malthusian thinkers as a crude measure and a source of alarmist rantings, especially since 'The We

I think we may hold the record... until we had our new kitchen 5 yrs ago..we had a jar of Schwartz Ground Bay Leaves. It had a sales label from The Schwartz Spice Centre, The Octagon Shopping Centre, High Wycombe...where I met Mrs Col in 1971.....

Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship ?

We still have a part used tin of Colman's Mustard powder in the cupboard. As far as I can see the sell by date is 2011. I used to prefer it in my famous cheese sauce, as it mixed easily into the flour when making the roux. These days I just stir the made up stuff in after making the roux, but before adding milk. Works either way, and a cheese sauce without a good dollop of mustard is a feeble thing...

One of the worst offenders is Colmans, of Mustard fame. They seem to have gone rapidly downhill since being bought out by Unilever and re-located from Norwich to Burton Upon Trent and Germany. They first tried changing the recipe for their English Mustard to something akin to a 'mousse', which didn't go down at all well with customers and elicited lots of complaints. I think they've bowed to pressure and reverted to something like the original, but I've since discovered that perfectly acceptable alternatives are available from the likes of Aldi ('Blackwell's' Brand) etc. Next

The voice of reason as ever WW. I don't recall us ever flying En'suns' of any colour from either end of the rowing boats on Highfields Lake, or when navigating our two man fabric kayaks through the vicious rapids of the Derwent near to Whatstandwell, or even on a windy day on lake Bala. We just didn't care!

Yep.. Lots of call for adolescent lads with nautical skills in Beeston.. what with the open ocean being so close an' all. Of course he would be too old to feature in the St George's day parades I went to in the early 60s, but I wonder if, like his successors, he marched the streets of Nottingham on what amounted to a glorified Church Parade, armed to the teeth with knives and axes hanging from his belt?

Once again, thank you Mr Engineer. Did you listen to the prog and what did you think? I'll put some time aside later and have a good listen.

Of course Jill.. I wasn't a Boy Scout for nothing...

There you go.. though I can't find info on date(s) of issue etc.

Indeed, I had a couple of those, but I also seem to recall one with a Union Flag on it, which means I'm now going to have to research that before I can get on with doing something useful with the day...