Journal Entries
Car Park Rage
Posted Apr 27, 2005
My assistant parked her car in a shoppers car park across the road from the office about a month ago. She overstayed the 2 hours allowed but as there was no ticket on her car she thought she was lucky and thought nothing more of it.
Then... Today she got a letter through the post saying that she had overstayed and now owed them £170.00 but could get off with £85.00 if she paid within two weeks.
The letter from the private parking management company said that they operate within the voluntary code of practice given by the DVLA (A government department concerning driving and vehicle licensing).
We looked at the DVLA website and in para 3.2 it said that issuers of private parking fines should put a written notice on the car showing their intent to take further action. My assistant had no such notice on her car.
You may say, "She parked, she must take the consequences." The worrying thing for her is that she thinks she did the same thing several days between then and now. If they had issued her with a ticket on the first instance she would never have parked there again. If they send her 3 or more tickets this could be very expensive.
Should she pay the first one and hope she doesn't get any more?
Should she refuse to pay the first one reasoning that they say that they operate to the voluntary code and yet didn't leave a written note on the car, in line with the code.
Should she pay the first one and point out that they didn't issue a ticket and so refuse to pay subsequent ones should they arrive or should she just pay everything?
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Apr 27, 2005
Never Ending Children's PLay Song
Posted Apr 8, 2005
Another challenge for my friends.
As you know I work on projects with children and I have decided to ask people to take part in the Never Ending Children's Play Song. I think you may like it, but you never know.
The song is to encourage inclusive play. Every other line will be English. The lines in between will be in other languages.
The other language lines have to be written in such a way as they can be read by English speaking children. So, for instance, the "j" in spoken Spanish would be written as an "h" to get the nearest sound in English.
Your challenge, should you wish to accept, it is to come up with a couplet. The first line of the couplet is in English and is to rhyme with the second line.
The second line bust be a translation of "Let's play together" in a language we don't have. It must also be written in a way that when a child reads it out the child from the other culture hears a close representation of what it should sound like even if they wouldn't recognise the written words. So no going to internet translation sites and copying text. We need to know how to pronounce it!
How it will be sung. If you think of the standarfd Hollywood depiction of boot camps in the American Army consider the drill sergeant marching alongside the new recruits. He sings one line and they reply with the next. That's how this song will be sung.
So let me give you the first few couplets:
1, Now’s the time for us to play
Ow kalenay keleyay
2, You want me to play with you?
Ekata sellum karamu
3, We could also play with him
Gel beraber oynayalim
4, Playing alone would be your loss
Vamos a hugar huntos
5, Play with us before you go
Aynu wada iyarno
6, Stay and play! There’s no rush
Vamosh brinkar zhuntoosh
7, Fun’s in a big number
Run women eech wanba!
If you don't want to have a go that's OK but you can try and guess the languages for each of these. I have to say number 7 is my personal favourite!
Discuss this Journal entry [2]
Latest reply: Apr 8, 2005
Time for your close up...
Posted Apr 1, 2005
We gorra new videocamera at work yesterday. It's a little Sony number that takes 8cm dvd's. I love it already and I've hardly used it. So far I've managed to avoid taking close-ups of my eye or doing too much videoing of the carpet but there's still time.
Now then can you all stand in a tightly bunched group? Say panir and act natural.
Discuss this Journal entry [25]
Latest reply: Apr 1, 2005
Smoke Alarms and remembering your way!
Posted Mar 9, 2005
I was at a talk by a couple of fire firghters yesterday on fire prevention and precautions. There is some advice which sort of conflicts with itself around warning and protection and I wanted to share it with you.
A smoke alarm will detect the early stages of a smouldering fire when you could still probably put it out with a glass of water or by stamping on it. This is still about 15 minutes before it gets really dangerous - thus giving you plenty of time to get out if it has gone a little further.
BUT if you close all of the room doors (which you should as a protective measure each night) and the fire starts inside the room with the closed door (probably the room with the TV in it) the smoke alarm will still give you plenty of notice but the smoke will only get to the smoke alarm when the room is well ablaze and probably beyond saving. The door will protect you from the flames for plenty of time if you don't open it.
TIP if you or a loved one sleeps in a room with a tv, computer or other electrical equipment fit a smoke alarm INSIDE the room - otherwise the rest of the family will only be warned when that person is beyond saving.
In the UK they only cost about GBP4 so they are cheap enough!
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Mar 9, 2005
Don't Buy Vouchers
Posted Dec 21, 2004
My missus asked me to buy £20 worth of cinema vouchers for a close friend's son for Crimbo so I dutifully went along with cash in hand to the local cinema (Odeon if you really wnat to know).
The cashier game me 4 £5 vouchers and proceeded to write on a "valid until" date.
Now I may be wrong here but my money doesn't have a "valid until" date on it so why should the vouchers. They would get an interest free loan of my money until the vouchers are used anyway so why should there be a use by date on their vouchers. I asked if that was when I could get my money back if they weren't used and they said "No."
I'm going to invent a gift card that says "Universal Voucher" and put the money straight into it next time.
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Dec 21, 2004
Vestboy
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