Donald Trump isn't the problem

 Pussies are getting a raw deal from Trump

Last night I watched the news with a sense of something approaching horror. There was a feature on how Donald Trump has been overreacting to various events. Firstly he overreactd to the actions of the cast of a Broadway musical to his running mate Mike Pence. Pence had been subject to a "lecture" from the cast. Pence wisely said that it was great to see free speech in action. As an experienced politician Pence realised that he had to take it with good grace. Then Trump overreacted to a comedy sketch featuring him wildley googling "ISIS". Trump demanded equal air time fo his views. It isn't clear who he wants comedy shows to lampoon, but a man so thin skinned must ring alarm bells.Back in the 1980's UK politicians were mercilessly lampooned by Spitting Image. It became a badge of honour amongst them to be picked on. The cabinet were hilariously displayed as vegetables, Kenneth Baker as a slug and David Steel as a midget in David Owens pocket. They just ot on with it. One has to wonder if Trump gets so upset over this, what will happen when he has to deal with Kim Jong Un or Vladimir Putin. It can only make you a bit edgy.

But Trump isn't the problem. Everyone knew what he was like long before the election. No one could be in any doubt that he'd be tetchy. His whole campaign from start to finish was unpleasant. When Hillary Clinton questioned his judgement, he told her he'd "lock her up", even though the President has no role in the judicial process of the courts. This should have rung alarm bells for the electorate, but they seemed to lap it up. Trump has ushered in a new and very unpleasant age. This is nothing to do with his Politics, it is the style and tone that worries me. It doesn't matter what you think of someones Politics, for a role such as the President, you need a sound temperament. Trump has never displayed this. But he is not the problem. The problem is that enough voters (although not actually a majority) thought he was the man for the job.

The Tweets of the week - 20/11/2016

I didn't do the list last week. TBH, there weren't 10 tweets I could find that really warranted a list. Fortunately this week, the Barnet Twitterati have done us proud! Don't forget, if you see a great tweet, follow the tweeter and you might see a few more!


1. Did you see the Supermoon? Barnet_Rebel did

Too much high cloud yesterday as #supermoon #BeaverMoon rose over London @Spicey_Spiney @DawnSunrise1 @SarahReesTV @__Revel @LondonSnowWatch pic.twitter.com/LHBrT4uXjA

— Donald Lyven (@barnet_rebel) November 14, 2016

2.  My Fellow Barnet Blogger, Mrs Angry has found something that tickles her fancy!

'Setting the nunnery on fire': fascinating ... one for recovering former convent schoolgirls: https://t.co/TF3cIgGeTQ

— Mrs Angry (@BrokenBarnet) November 19, 2016

3. VictoriaParkFinchley are worried about a proposal to prune a maple tree!

Application for Field Maple with TPO at VictoriaParkLodge to reduce it by 30%! Object by 2morrow at https://t.co/wryqYiKije Ref: TPP/0620/16 pic.twitter.com/hyptKekJwi

— Victoriaparkfinchley (@victoriaparkfi1) November 16, 2016

4. Great to see that the 19th Hendon Cub pack is thriving!

Welcoming 6 new Cubs to 19th Hendon! pic.twitter.com/7LyUhE18Rj

— 19th Hendon (@19thHendon) November 18, 2016

5. Congrats to the Hendon girls basketball team. (This was one of the few great tweets from last week!)

Well done Team Hendon! Winners of the U16 basketball tournament! @BarnetSport @hendon_pe @Hendon_School pic.twitter.com/QOPGatRiTg

— Hendon Girls Can (@Hendongirlscan) November 8, 2016

6. The Londonist was in Golders Green

Enjoy some pictures of Golders Green: https://t.co/JmziCYgKxe pic.twitter.com/Yr6sEQtOzA

— Londonist (@Londonist) November 20, 2016

7. Great picture from Jen Campbell of Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath was looking lovely today. ❤️🍂🍁🐿 pic.twitter.com/SAXuLuD4QG

— Jen Campbell (@jenvcampbell) November 19, 2016

8. Regulars will know we always like a great historical piccie!

A couple dancing on ice-skates on Whitestone Pond, Hampstead, London, 1933. pic.twitter.com/HNLGpmrj6f

— ClassicPics (@History_Pics) November 16, 2016

9. Down at the clubhouse, Mill Hill Rugby club players were wipping their conkers out! (fnar, fnar)

The return of the annual concker carnage competition! Fun you can't get on the playground anymore! pic.twitter.com/IbwPzh7i3K

— Mill Hill Rugby (@MillHillRFC) November 15, 2016

10. We had some great live music this week at The Chandos Arms!

@ChandosArmsPub live folk music! pic.twitter.com/y6v7wVOUhJ

— MillHillMusicComplex (@MillHillMusicCo) November 14, 2016

The Saturday List #105 - Ten trees pictured in my garden this morning - Can you name them?

#10

A list with a difference. A free pot noodle to any reader who can name them all.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

When will passengers get a proper apology from Thameslink management?

Thameslink disruption again

Yet again the Thameslink service collapsed yesterday. Yet again, I'll be submitting my claim for £2.40 for the privelidge of standing on a platform for an hour or so as chaos ensured. Yet again I had to rearrange things, ask mates to pick up my son and take him to football. In the end, I got the tube. I had to ring my missus and ask her to collect me from Colindale, so I could make an 8.30 commitment. And for my hassle, I will get £2.40 if I'm lucky. Now if this was a one off, I wouldn't even bother claiming, but last week we had chaos. In fact ever since Thameslink took over  from First Capital Connect, a poor service has become intolerable.

It is rare for a week to go by without some sort of disruption. I have taken to leaving ridiculously early when I need a train, getting the 07.17 to be in my office near Farringdon for 9am. It should be 20 mins. It is the only way I can guarantee to be there. It means most days I can enjoy a leisurely start and a cup of tea. It seems that after the 7.17, the service is chaotic more often than it's not. As for coming home, I employ one of two strategies I either leave earlyish and get the 16:49 from Farringdon if it's not disrupted or I go to the pub and drink myself into oblivion when it is and stagger home as and when they fix it. Often this means sampling the delights of the Northern Line. This means a walk to Moorgate and a bus from Burnt Oak.

A season ticket from Mill Hill to Farringdon costs £1256 per annum. That is not a small sum. If you had a customer who gave you £1256 wouldn't you value them? Wouldn't you try and keep them happy? What do I get? A load of hassle and a process where I have to scan my season ticket (despite them having my details on file), and fill in a long online form detailing my journey. Twenty days or so later, I get a voucher for £2.40 which I have to cash in for a new ticket at my local station. Most people can't be bothered. When the problems are down to Network Rail, Thameslink get compensated by Network Rail, but this is only passed on to those who claim it. The rest goes to Shareholders of Govia as dividends on profits. That is why I always claim.

Before First Capital Connect took over, there was a different system. If you bought a Season ticket, you got a discount if they'd failed in the previous period. In short you paid less, without any hassle. First Capital Connect twigged that they could trouser the cash if they put in a system where people had to claim it. For me it is quite simple what should happen. When you buy a season ticket, you should register and set up a payment mandate. If they fail, you should get a BACS payment. The payment should be for the period of your ticket. If they only run 88% of services on time and they have a target of 95% then we should get 7% of the ticket price back. This should automatically be paid into our account. No if's no buts. I've discussed this with dozens of Thameslink passengers and all agree. For one off journeys, clearly there will have to be a claim process, but most people who use Mill Hill are regular commuters and have some form of season ticket. This would give the train company a proper incentive to perform. I am not surprised that a greedy train company would not like this, but we have an MP. His name is Matthew Offord and he is meant to represent us. He should be demanding that the Rail Regulator insist that Thameslink have a proper, user friendly system of compensation. He hasn't said a dickybird. If you ask him to take action via Twitter he'll block you. If you ask him at a public meeting he'll tell you that being nice to train operators is "more productive" (it maybe for him, but it hasn't been for his constituents). I daresay that six months before the next election in 2020, we may see some action, but there is no interest from him to do it now.

And finally, the managing Director of Thameslink should send a proper apology. I'd like to see him come to Mill Hill and apologise to commuters in person. Most companies that people like me spend over a grand with try and at least pretend they care. Train monopolies don't give a monkeys.

The Friday Joke 18/11/2016 - Dirty dogs

Have a great friday - here is the Friday Joke, I think it is a rather good one (thanks Colin!).

That's a bit ruff!

A dog lover, whose dog was a female and 'in heat', agreed to look after her neighbour's male dog while the neighbours were on vacation.
She had a large house and believed that she could keep the two dogs apart. However, as she was drifting off to sleep she heard awful howling and moaning sounds,
rushed downstairs and found the dogs locked together, in obvious pain and unable to disengage, as so frequently happens when dogs mate.
Unable to separate them, and perplexed as to what to do next, although it was late, she called the vet, who answered in a very grumpy voice.

After she explained the problem to him, the vet said, "Hang up the phone and place it down alongside the dogs. I will then call you back and the noise of the ringing
will make the male lose his erection and he will be able to withdraw."
"Do you think that will work?" she asked.
"Just worked on me," he replied.

How to be successful with no talents at all

Last night I was performing the monthly audit I carry out of my studio business. It is an extraordinarily successful organisation, both artistically and as a business.
I keep a list of issues, developments and projects and review it monthly. This enables me to ensure that we continually move in the right direction.

As a dyslexic, with no qualifications, I got to thinking about why my business is successful, when so many similar ventures fail. Here is my top five tips for running a successful venture.

1. Build a great team. Surround yourself with great people who you trust.

2. Be organised and have a plan. Make a plan, track your progress against it and analyse why you fail to meet targets.

3. Adapt to change. The world constantly changes, make sure your business changes as well.

4. Stay calm. Things go wrong, people will always let you down. Calmness is always the best strategy.

5.Have a vision. Be clear in what you are doing. Analyse why people need your services and work out how they can find you. Make sure your customers understand how you meet their needs.

I've also learned a few things that may seem counter intuitive, but are true. For instance, difficult customers are your greatest asset. You know the ones, complain about everything, never happy,always finding fault. They are the ones who have the key to making your business better. They tell you what the customers who smile sweetly but never come back are thinking. Another important lesson is to realise you can't do everything and that if it's important, then it is worth calling in an expert. For me this was starkly demonstrated when we redeveloped our business. For a year, we failed to hit targets and lost shed loads of money. I then engaged a website designer and within a year we were back meeting targets. We saw 60% growth in a year.  Although I've written blogs etc for years, I found that this is totally different to a commercial website.

The biggest lesson though is to ensure you enjoy life and don't become a slave to your business. I have many friends who have got their work/life balance wrong. It has destroyed families, bankrupted people and caused depression. If you run your own business, you have more responsibility and you will have to do things at unsocial times. Sometimes, you will have to dip into savings. If you have no time for family, no holidays and making no money, then you need to change what you are doing. There will be periods when this is inevitable, but if this is how it is all the time, with no prospects to change, then cut your losses and do something else. The key to success in business is hard work, but what will sustain you and your business is a happy and fulfilled life. If you are not achieving that, you are never going to succeed.

The Wednesday Poem #4 - The Six word story - No News is Good News

Telephone rings.

Trepidation.
Wrong number.

Relief.

Copyright 2016 - Roger M. Tichborne

Every Wednesday, we feature a poem and a picture about our neighbourhood. If you have a poem and a picture you'd like to feature, just email to me using the link in the sidebar. I've written poetry for many years, for my own amusement. It was suggested that I share some of it. I hope you enjoy it, I'd love to feature anything you have written. 

Is Jensen Button now driving the 303 Bus?

Last night, I had a real white knuckle ride home from the Chandos in Colindale. I had a masterful experience of the highest quality of rally car driving. The only minor problem was that I was on a 303 bus. Standing passengers were hanging on for dear life as the bus accelerated and braked with high precision at great speed. I thought I'd pay a compliment to TFL, letting them know that I appreciated their efforts to get me home in record time. Here is my tweet and their reply.

This is brilliant. On the 303 bus back from Colindale and we've got Jensen Button driving! Bravo @TfL just as well I've had a few beers!

— Roger Tichborne/RogT (@Barneteye) November 14, 2016

10hTfL Bus Alerts‏ @TfLBusAlerts

@barneteye @tfl I'm pretty sure that we fitted that particular bus with wet tyres...

It is great to see a bit of humour. In light of the Croydon Tram disaster, maybe however we do need to just have a look and see whether there are any safety issues. Of course it was great to get home a minute earlier, but I'm not really sure that if I want to go rallying, I want to do it in a 303 bus.

(Note : TFL removed the tweet yesterday)

A miracle occurred this morning!

Sit down, make sure you are prepared for some astounding news!

As a long time citizen of the Republic of Mill Hill, I have seen many strange sights and heard many unusual tales. Today tops them all, the Bunns Lane UFO crash, the Lawrence St ghost and even the mythical tale of when Pete Trayling bought a round of drinks at The Hammers!

But my friends, it is true! I was there and saw it with my own eyes. For us priveliged few, there were laughs, smiles and high fives! Yes I was on platform one at Mill Hill Broadway, this very day and the 7.17 service was ALMOST ON TIME!!!!

I know that it is hard to believe that such an occurrence could occur on a Monday morning in the year of our Lord 2016, but trust me friend, it did. Not only that, but the driver APOLOGISED for leaving the station 90 seconds late!

I dare say the management of Thameslink are now in line for a huge bonus for providing such exemplary service, and well they deserve it!

I am now rushing out to buy lottery tickets, as it is my lucky day. Say what you like about President Trump, but at least the trains are running on time!

The Saturday List #104 - Ten reasons why The Robert Elms show is the best thing on radio

Robert Elms

If you live in London, you are blessed to have a great local radio station. This is BBC Radio London. It has many great shows and presenters. It is my radio station of choice. It plays great music and if you live in London, it is a portal to great things. Of all its shows, the best is The Robert Elms show. Robert calls it "Radio for Grown Ups". Roberts show is the one thing on the radio that you listen to and you are likely to learn something interesting or to your benefit every single day. This could be great new music, a new show in town, a new film, London events and all manner of interesting people, or just an amusing local fact. If you haven't listened to the show, check it out. It is on Mondays to Saturdays 10am-1pm. You can listen again to shows anytime.

It is high time a Top Ten reasons why it is the best show. These are mine, do you agree, here they are:-

1. Notes and Queries - This is where (usually) four listeners ring up with a query. It can be lost music, interesting architecture, a historical figure, an incident or event. Then other listeners ring up and solve the mystery. It is fascinating radio. I've rang up and found out all about a few mysteries that have intrigued me through the efforts of the listeners. Perhaps my favourite was when I asked about the Brevitt club, which I found my Dads membership card for. This was a club of rather interesting note, frequented by RAF officers.

2.  The studio Piano. Robert has an old beat up piano in his studio. It has produced some of the best live music you will hear. I am a musician. I love great well produced music, but I prefer the energy of a live performance. Roberts piano has elevated his show. For me, often it is the real star of the show. Numerous guests have come in and performed. One of the most moving this year was Carl Smyth from Madness this year. If you miss the best bits, Robert plays them again in the last half hour on a Saturday.

3. Maxwell Hutchinson. Max is the architectural expert. If you tried to sell the concept of a radio slot with a rather dapper posh bloke, talking to an oik from Burnt Oak about buildings, they'd think you were nuts. But it is fascinating. Max had a stroke a couple of years back. It was like an illness in the family. When he finally came back, I nearly shed a tear.

4. Cover to Cover. This is a weekly slot where Robert plays an original track followed by a cover and asks listeners to give their opinion as to what is best. It never ceases to amaze me what an amazing catalog of music the human race has built up. No other show would ask listeners to compare the Tom Jones and Smokey Robinson versions of "Its not unusual".

5. The Fourfar. This is a slot where four songs, picked by listeners on a theme, by an artist or with some other often tenuous link is played. For me, this has often introduced me to great tracks by artists that I've not heard before (and believe me, I listen to a lot of music).  Music is my greatest pleasure. Unlike football, there is no real downside (apart from when an icon like Bowie dies).

6. The Reggae track of the day. Robert plays a reggae track every day. Everyone should play a reggae track every day. It lowers stress levels and makes you feel good. On a more serious note, it is a genre of music that is neglected and Robert is spot on keeping it alive.

7.  The Listed Londoner. Every Monday Robert has a guest in. They are asked fifteen questions and talk about their lives. They are all people with strong London connections. It is invariably fascinating as Robert seems to only manage to select great guests.

8. The London weekender. This is the other end of the listed Londoner spectrum. A regular listener tells us their perfect London weekend. You simply ring up and ask. I've found all manner of great little gems through this.

9.  Funky Friday. Now I am not a funkster and I have to admit, this was not my favorite spot on Roberts show. He used to simply play a half hour of his favourite funk tracks. I used to hoover the studios then. Not because the music wasn't great, but it wasn't my thing and it just didn't do it. This year, Robert brought in a new concept. He has a co curator and they play alternate tracks and discuss them. It has revitalised it and although I am not a funkster, the widening of the funk gene pool and the stories from clubs around town has traansformed it into great radio.

10, Round your manner. This is the Tuesday slot. Robert picks a district of London and this is the theme for the show of the day ( Max comes in who talks about the architecture of the area). Now I've got to confess that of all his slots, this is the one that is most hit or miss. It is either brilliant or not. Sometimes, you get to find out the most fascinating things and sometimes there isn't too much. Being a North Londoner, the south London bits I don't really enjoy, but anything that doesn't take a chance is never going to hit the heights.

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All these ingredients add up to a great, informative show that is compulsive listening. BBC Local radio is under threat. Shows like the Robert Elms show are the lifeblood of our community. This is why we need local radio. It is important that we recognise the importance of Local Radio and such shows.