tony ryder

your real weekly wage

2012-01-25T16:22:00.000Z

Arguments are raging about the minimum wage.
If, for one moment, we leave aside the question of
what age a ’man should be, and for the sake of argument
assume the case for someone who is about 30 years old.
What gives? From a ’mans wage we have to deduct

tax and other stoppages
the cost of accommodation mortgage/rent
food
power electric/gas/oil/etc
rates council tax/water/sewage
travel to work ( bus, car, train )
pension
clothes
furniture & household goods
buildings & contents insurance cover
maintenance
medicines
cost of any accidents
TV licence

telephone
car running/repairs/tax/insurance/AA/etc
holiday 2 weeks abroad?
christmas & birthdays presents/cards/fare/etc
books/magazines/newspapers

drink/cigarettes/gambling not considered

Try this for yourself
add up all the deductions and
subtract these from your total annual income
divide what’s left over, if any, by 52
that’s your real weekly wage
divide this by, say 40, or whatever, and this will give you
what you earn per hour in expendable income
that is, expendable on what you want
as opposed to what you have to spend to live.

slavery?

2012-01-25T16:10:00.000Z

Does anyone else feel the way I do about work?
It seems to amount to no more than legalised enslavement.
Pay them just enough to buy the essentials.
Just keep them alive and able to work.
Don’t worry too much about their health,
if they’re knackered when they get home then
all they’ll have the energy for is
to watch a bit of TV and then go to bed.
Keep them all quiet, depressed, badly fed & badly paid,
and you can keep them under control.
On TV keep on showing them the poor in other countries
and they’ll continue to count their ’blessings’.

Of course, if we all had the same standard of living
throughout the world
then the amount of pollution would be enormous.
Maybe that’s why the world governments don’t want to help the poor?

to reduce rubbish

2012-01-25T16:09:00.001Z

when i was a child there was a deposit of 2p on every lemonade bottle
these were always returned to get 2p off the next purchase
boys would collect abandoned bottles to increase their pocket money

if the greek government introduced a deposit on plastic bottles of 10 lepta
( to begin with ) people would begin to return empty bottles
if after, say, 1 year, sufficient were not being returned to reduce rubbish
then the deposit could be increased to 20 lepta,
more people would return bottles = less rubbish
the deposit could be increased every year
until all/most plastic bottles were being returned

a 20mm red D could be added to all labels
with the date of production and the necessary deposit
( needed if deposits are to be increased in future )
bottles brought into greece by travellers would not have the red D
so would not have a refundable deposit on them

once it had been established that this system works
deposits could be put on all sorts of packaging that ended up as rubbish
cans, cigarette packs, glass, etc
this could be phased in adding a new package each year

this would cost the greek government very little, or even nothing, to introduce
bottles would be returned by consumers, children, tramps, etc

manufacturers and traders who sell these products make profit from sales
and are part to blame for all the rubbish in greece
they have some responsibility to collect the empties
and return them to the factories or waste collection centres
( after removing the red D from each package )

shares not grants

2012-01-25T15:50:00.001Z

The government gives grants to help businesses
to get started or to get out of difficulties,
but wouldn’t it be better to give this money
in return for future shares in the company?
If a company succeeds then
it can afford to pay dividends for government shares held.
The income from these shares would gradually increase over the years
and could be used to help other businesses.
The fund account would have to belong to the people of Britain
and not to the MPs of any party.
The shares would not be for sale by anyone,
only a referendum could produce a decision to dispose of them.
In a hundred years or more there may even be
a large enough income to help reduce the tax burden of the state.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

social security advisers

2012-01-25T15:49:00.001Z

Proposal to ease the problems of social security claimants.

Even an educated extrovert, with a high IQ, can find dealing with social security hard going. Most claimants are none of these, if they were they’d probably be working. Some claimants can’t even read and some of these are too embarrassed to ask for help. So, instead of the current system of folk going into the imposing? smelly, dirty office buildings of the DSS; having to struggle to obtain basic benefit from staff who (let’s be honest now) sometimes behave as if the cash was coming out of their own wages; we need something better. And if this system also benefits the staff, we can kill two birds with one stone.
Unless you have ever seen confrontation between a claimant (no; they are definitely not customers - it is an insult to call them this) and a member of staff you won’t understand this bit…claimants should no longer have to sit opposite someone ⁄ behind ⁄ a ⁄ protective ⁄ barrier asking them for money. DSS staff should no longer have to deal directly with the public. Instead…there could be social ⁄ security ⁄ advisers, a bit like solicitors. One would go into their office and sit down next to them, discuss circumstances and be told what claims can be made. The forms could then be filled in by the social ⁄ security ⁄ adviser on behalf of the claimant to ensure the full entitlement is paid. This would also relieve DSS staff from the pressures of dealing with antagonistic claimants.

Shareholding

2012-01-25T15:47:00.000Z

Workers in a company should be given shares to ‘hold’ while they are employed by that company. On leaving they would have to surrender their shares. Shares could be gained each year for not being late, not being sick, overtime done, special contributions to the company, self improvement (training, first aid, fire warden, etc) and years service. The longer one stayed the more shares one would hold, loyalty would be encouraged. The worker would have the dividends from these shares but the shares would always belong to the company. There would also be an incentive to help the company do well to increase the dividend.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

road safety

2012-01-25T15:45:00.000Z

as a safety measure at traffic light junctions
could we have a 1 meter circle drawn at the centre of the road
whenever the lights fail
the junction can then be treated as a roundabout

at the exit of one-way streets
it may help to have a row of 300mm triangles
( flat sides out - maybe with a line to re-inforce the meaning
just like those in the centre of roads - single line and broken line )
to show one cannot drive into the road

2 square dots, or 3 or 4 could be painted on the road
in the middle of each lane at say, 500m intervals or more
to remind drivers of the speed limit
these could not be stolen for their aluminium content
and would only be covered occasionally by snow
( trees grow over signs much more often )

these days we see hatched strips down the centres of roads
to improve safety ?
how about a 1metre wide hatched strip along motorways
between the inside lane and the hard shoulder
to increase safety when cars break down ?

police aid - simms

2011-05-15T14:29:00.000+01:00

police aid - i'd like to suggest

a version of the simms that can be used by detectives in the police force

to help solve serious crime

all the witness statements are created in a simms program

which is run to see if everything ties up

lies ( and inconsistencies ) may be easier to spot

not all detectives may have the ability to hold all the facts of a case in their head

this may help those and also improve the chances of all detectives

to solve more crimes

if birmingham police force was the first to set up the program

and it worked well

it could then perhaps sell this to other forces in the uk

and throughout the world

more than covering the initial costs

pay rise

2011-05-15T14:28:00.000+01:00

2011

now, while everyone is being asked to tighten their belts ( financially )

is possibly a good time not to ask for a ( big ) payrise,

instead,

why not try to get pay pegged to the national average pay ?

if pay is, for example, £20,000 pa and the national average is £25,000

then to get it pegged to the national average at 80% would be the first step

each year after this pay would rise naturally with the national average

without the need to go on strike

or negotiate for a rise every few years ( with all the hassle that entails )

all effort could be put into trying to get small increments in salary

( real, permanent increments )

now is the time to do this

Mortgage Bonds

2011-05-15T14:26:00.001+01:00

Proposal to ease the problems of local Welsh folk buying homes

When the locals in Wales want to buy a home
they often find that they are competing with much better off buyers
from cities in England and maybe even abroad.
To help them bid/buy on an even footing
it should be necessary for all house-buyers in Wales
to use mortgage bonds.

Each bond would be valued at £1
and locals should be able to buy them at say, 40 pence each, perhaps
if you’re Welsh but from another part of Wales, 60 pence each.
If you already have a home then you should have to pay a premium,
say, £1.25 or more. Foreigners would have to pay even more,
maybe £1.50 or £2? This would enable the local Welsh worker to buy a home.

the next is an old idea - you may remember the welsh problems

Another possibility is to compel homeowners from outside the area
to split their homes in two ( upstairs and downstairs ? )
part for their own use and part to let
to a local couple or family at a fair rent
(for the wages paid in that area).

This might also ensure that the house was not burnt down by nationalists.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

school improvement

2010-03-24T18:38:00.000Z

how about the following ?
test all 11-year olds for sensitivity to food and additives
( advise those necessary of a diet to avoid unwanted foods )
ensure all children have checks for eyes, hearing, colour awareness
ensure all can read to their age level
a breakfast 'club'
fruit/milk drinks at break
wholesome attractive food at dinner time
8am start to the day - 2 shifts and 2 deputy heads ( 2 heads ? )
- academic studies 8am - 1pm
- art, sport, drama, etc 2pm - 6pm
- no homework
45 minute periods always split into 2 parts of 20 mins
( for max retainment of learning )
the 5 min break should be something totally different
( this one is difficult ) all desks in a circle(s) not in ranks
occupational guidance tests for all 14-year olds
only foreign teachers to teach foreign languages

justice

2010-03-24T18:35:00.000Z

Justice isn’t justice...

...if it costs money.
Justice should be obtainable
without having to expend one penny,
or it just becomes a commodity,
a product, to buy and sell,
the best quality going to the highest bidder.
And when the cost prohibits justice for the wronged, then justice becomes nothing more than a joke,
a method for those in the legal trade
to earn their daily cake...

...where’s the justice in that?

Will we always have law over justice?
or can we ever expect to have justice over law?

Tony Ryder
01 216 806 832
70 Rowheath Road
Kings Norton B30 2EX July 1997
England

democracy should be abolished

2009-12-18T14:15:00.001Z

democracy should be abolished -

it only lasted for a short time in ancient greece -
today it is abused -
a "parliamentary democracy" is not what most folk think of
as democracy -
today "parliamentary democracy" is like an oligarchy -
600 MPs rule us -

so -
what to replace it ? -
how about this -

aged about 24 each citizen applies to vote -
certain categories will be excluded -
criminals, those who have avoided paying their taxes ? etc -
'he sits a test to determine if 'he -
is suitable to vote on world and state issues -
pass the test and 'he can vote ( if 'he wishes ) -

the state is divided into about 100 or more demes -
each deme would have about 100,000 voters -
everyone ( eligible ) who wanted to, could vote on any issue -
using the internet - not all would want to vote every time -

voila - panocracy

religion / philosophy

2009-04-14T16:49:00.000+01:00

i considered the religions i'd so far come in contact with
the following seems, to me, to be a better alternative
its based on three tenets ( and only three )

no priests
no garments
no books
no hymns
no prayers
no obligations
no buildings
no money
no pictures
no statues
no candles
no meetings
no laws
just the following guide

assume that each of us is an eternal spirit,
in a temporary body, on test, here on earth

expect that when the body dies,
we realise all the harm we’ve done,
and that we suffer disconsolation,
in proportion to the total harm done

don’t harm ( help? )
that is, don’t harm other people, animals, birds,
fish, insects, plants, the environment
or even ourselves

August 1997

tax - tax - tax

2009-04-10T14:18:00.000+01:00

Homeless

2009-03-10T22:59:00.000Z

Proposal to help the homeless in Britain

The initial concept is that
Each council should set up sites for the homeless.
These can be landscaped to overcome some of the objections
that are likely to come from those who already have homes.
The landscaping could include small ‘hills’ to ‘cloak’ the sites.

Councils could then buy, or even rent, portacabins of c. 4m x 10m size
and put them in terraced rows, two high, on the sites.
they could even have front & back gardens.
Later on, the rows could be enveloped with cladding front & back,
brick walls at each end & slate-covered roof trusses
over the flat roofs for a conventional appearance.

If the scheme didn’t work then the portacabins
could be returned or sold back to the company.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

Tony Ryder
01 216 806 832
70 Rowheath Road
Kings Norton B30 2EX July 1997
England

four-day week

2009-03-10T22:53:00.000Z

For some time I’ve thought that if most people worked
a 4-day week unemployment could be reduced.

If there is only enough work to fill 80% of the working week
then as many people as possible should work 4 days a week only.
I realise that this isn’t practical, there are some workers
who can’t do 4 out of 5 days. For many, though, it is possible.
For example, nurses and doctors would greatly benefit
from working only 4 days a week and having 3 days off.
(maybe not enough doctors but why make the nurses redundant?)
This seems to me better than sacking hundreds of nurses,
but they would have to choose this option in preference to
some (10% or more?) losing their jobs.
The shorter week would mean less stress and more time to recuperate.

With most of us working 4 days then if, or when,
there was an upturn in the economy and full time work
was necessary we would all be trained and ready.

If most of us worked a 4day week more people would have
self-respect and maybe fewer would turn to crime.
(This cost can’t be calculated!) Would the extra numbers
paying tax and the lower amount of unemployment claims
off-set the loss of some/all current tax income?
Lower numbers of prisoners in jail would also reduce
public expenditure. If you ask a person in their 50’s, or older,
would they be prepared to work 4 days and give up one day a week
so that their child or a relative could have a job
I guess most would say, ‘yes!’

Unemployed folk should be given the opportunity
to register to seek odd days, loosing only one day’s
unemployment benefit (say 25% of a week’s benefit?)
for each workday they gained. They could even be given
a year-or-two’s grace to find up to 4 days, possibly in
different jobs. Relatives and friends might be willing to
give up 1 day a week. Some older folk don’t have such
heavy outgoings as youngsters trying to set up a home.
This form of job-share would enable some to offer
holiday and sickness cover for a week or two.
It may even give some the chance to go on extended holidays
of 3 or 4 weeks. The occasional bonus of work for a week or more
would also give the unemployed the chance to earn a lump sum
(for their holidays?) could special concessions be considered here?

If people in full time work (5 days a week) are willing to give up 1 day a week
then the government should allow unemployed folk to gather
4 days work from friends and relatives who are willing to do this.

Tony Ryder
01 216 931 905
70 Rowheath Road
Kings Norton B30 2EX July 1997
England

is a pimp a slaver?

2008-08-03T15:18:00.000+01:00

A pimp will beat a woman that he uses to earn money
if she tries to keep any of the cash.
And if she gets caught trying to run away she’s threatened with death.
Surely this amounts to nothing more than slavery?
If a woman can’t give up the game when she wants
then she may as well be locked in chains.
What’s the penalty for slavery today?
Far better for all prostitutes to work under the auspices of the council
in a controlled environment with a good doctor on hand.
A pension scheme would also then be possible.
These women won’t just vanish but that doesn’t mean
that they should be thrown on the scrap heap.
Just like any other citizen they need to be taken care of.
We don’t always, if ever, know the reasons they entered this profession.
Would stiffer sentences for pimps help at all?
If the women only worked for themselves
maybe their lives wouldn’t be so bad.

deputies

2008-07-16T22:38:00.000+01:00

this is an idea to help the police on the few occasions each year
when they need lots of ‘manpower

how about creating deputies ( maybe a voluntary position ? )
these would be ex-police’men, ex soldiers, first aiders,
members of the TA, cadets, firemen, etc - when something like
a wide search has to be done all of these could be contacted
and, jobs permitting, called on to temporarily swell the ranks
of the force they could also be bussed in from neighbouring
counties and towns if necessary they could also be used to
help the police when a large number of houses had to be visited
all at the same time ( search for drugs, illegals or sex slaves )
every one or two police’men could then be accompanied by,
say, 4 or 5 deputies
if the deputies could not be paid ( a retainer ? )
maybe it would be possible to get volunteers
could they be offered a tax discount in return for their service ?
i’m throwing you the idea but you may very well be able to improve it
if you don’t think that it will work, perhaps you could let me know why
and maybe i can think of a way around the objection ?
there could be 3 types of deputies
support deputies - strong/capable
search deputies - physically fit
observation deputies - anyone observant

constitutional representatives

2008-07-16T22:37:00.000+01:00

Proposal to re-title MPs

MPs should bear the title Constitutional Representative rather than
Member of Parliament to help them remember the reason they are there.
Currently, some MPs seem to think that once they become
a member of ‘the Club’ that’s it! It’s not a club and they’re supposed
to be working for the public. Many do work hard but the change
of title would help us all keep in mind what they are there for.

do MPs take an oath to serve their constituents ?
if not, maybe they should, every time they enter parliament
to remind them of why they are there

Capped wealth

2008-07-16T22:32:00.001+01:00

in this country of overwhelming wealth among some
about whom its dubious from where their wealth came
would it not be better for society to introduce capped wealth
once you amass a wealth of, say,£10 million all the surplus is taxed at 99 %
this would maybe encourage the rich to spread their wealth
around their relatives and friends

mini trust insurance/pension fund

2008-03-06T18:04:00.001Z

instead of leaving one's estate
to children and grandchildren ( and maybe even the taxman )
how about putting it all into a mini trust fund
each member of the family would then be encouraged
to pay premiums into an individual insurance unit of the fund
small claims would come from each person's own unit
a large claim ( building burnt down ) would be met from the base fund
set up with the deceased's estate
each person could then choose to use his unit or not
this unit would then build up over time
at the end of, say, 40 years the remaining sum
could then be transferred to an individual pension unit
each person could also be encouraged
to make payments into a pension unit
at the end of each year remaining cash
could be used to purchase shares
each family member would be encouraged
to donate their estate, on death, to the mini fund

most insurance needs could be met by this fund
obviously, not car insurance and a few others

family mini trust fund
individual insurance unit
individual pension unit

the NHS

2008-02-11T20:54:00.000Z

Is the NHS nothing more than a means to ensure
that there are always enough fit workers for the factories,
offices and the rest of industry?
Could it be that the prime purpose for their existance
is to ensure the smoother running of the market place
and not so much for our sakes?
Maybe that’s why only a limited amount of cash is put into the NHS,
so long as there are enough fit and able workers
why waste money unnecessarily?
And while we’re on the subject;
there are two ways to deal with ill health,
treat the patients or
teach them how to avoid many of the causes of their problems.
Which do you think is cheaper?

Could it be that governments are frightened of the idea of
a highly educated population?
Possibly we haven’t yet seen a government educated enough
to recognise the problem and/or work out how to solve it.
Perhaps too many MPs are selfish,
instead of putting their county first
they choose party, family or even their own pockets.

October 1997

schools ?

2008-02-11T20:50:00.000Z

Do schools exist just for the benefit of businesses?
To ensure that there are enough educated workers
to fill the vacancies in factories, offices
and other places of employment?
Look at the way GCE marks were allocated in the past,
each year a percentage of passes were allocated to those taking each exam.
This meant that if most students were working very hard one year,
borderline cases would fail, conversely,
if most students were lazy or off form another year,
borderline cases would pass.
So all that industry wanted was enough passes to fill their vacancies.
How many lives in the past may have been ruined
(or even just affected to an adverse degree)
by this callous indifference to
what passing an exam can mean to individuals?
So, it seems that schools, colleges and universities
are not there for our education
but just to supply the needs of the privileged.
Why else would past governments have allowed thousands of youngsters
to leave school without being able to read, write or do simple arithmetic?
They had enough, why bother?

October 1997

rape

2008-01-16T14:58:00.000Z

Rape of a female by a male.
Rape could be considered the equal and opposite of murder,
attempted rape the equal and opposite of attempted murder.
Each seeks to give or take life to or from the victim, against her wish,
Perhaps the rapist, if known, should be forced to pay weekly
for the maintenance of the child, if born, until the child becomes a wage earner.
Rape, by a large male, of a small female,
rape by a group of males,
rape by an unclean male can:
lead to health problems in the future,
cause cancer of the womb,
increase the chance of cancer of the womb,
later on in life, prevent a woman having children.
Should the penalties for rape and murder be the same?
Should the penalties for attempted rape and attempted murder be the same?
Have judges considered these points?
Is a female judge more likely to consider these points?

statehold land

2008-01-09T18:42:00.000Z

When a ’man goes to fight for hez country ’he risks loosing hez life to defend it. The partner and children could loose their loved one (and breadwinner). If war breaks out each ’man is expected to come to the defence of the country, but what do they get after? usually nothing!
Each citizen ought to be entitled to request and receive a ‘house-sized’ plot of land on which ’he can build a home. The cost? a nominal rent, say £1 per annum. This could be offered first to service’men, police’men and their kind, later to others who serve their country and gradually extended to most of the population. There would be exceptions... anyone who is earning above a certain figure, this sum could be raised bit by bit until it was about, say, twice the national average. Obviously, some wouldn’t need this option ( to have a statehold plot ), some wouldn’t want it and others wouldn’t be entitled to it.

Tony Ryder
01 216 931 905
70 Rowheath Road
Kings Norton B30 2EX July 1997
England

’man = man or woman

’he = he or she

hez = her or his

hem = her or him ( I know, it could be hir, but it seems a bit clumsy )

repossessions

2007-12-07T20:02:00.000Z

many people have borrowed more than they should to buy a home
the money-lenders have encouraged this
because they have too much money in their coffers
and they want to make profit on it
they know that if payments are not kept up
all they need do is repossess the property and sell it
often just to cover the debt, so, the property is sold at a loss
at a loss to the ex-home owner and his family
the wife and children are not to blame but suffer
property speculators make big profits out of their misery

if legislation was brought in
to force lenders
to convert the mortgage into a lease until the borrower
was able to make mortgage payments once more
this would prevent families being made homeless
and may also encourage lenders not to make it so easy
for borrowers to go over their limit ( and get into debt )

why won't the government do this ?
and why can they not work together to achieve this goal ?

house contents insurance

2007-10-08T16:14:00.001+01:00

house contents insurance through the police

insurance companies make huge profits
which go into the pockets of the shareholders
would it not be better for the police to be the only ones
to issue insurance cover for house contents ?
they would then be the ones to make all the profits
which could then be used to improve police services
pay, pensions, cars, research, etc

2007

health insurance

2007-10-08T16:13:00.001+01:00

health insurance through the NHS

insurance companies make huge profits
which go into the pockets of the shareholders
would it not be better for the NHS to be the only ones
to issue insurance cover for health ?
they would then be the ones to make all the profits
which could then be used to improve the NHS services
pay, pensions, medicine, research, etc

2007

fire ( buildings ) insurance

2007-10-08T16:11:00.000+01:00

fire ( buildings ) insurance through the fire brigade

insurance companies make huge profits
which go into the pockets of the shareholders
would it not be better for the fire brigade to be the only ones
to issue insurance cover for buildings ?
they would then be the ones to make all the profits
which could then be used to improve fire services
pay, pensions, cars, research, etc

2007

traffic lights

2007-09-26T17:22:00.000+01:00

why not make the top 2 lights on traffic lights
downward pointing triangles
like warning signs

red = stop

red & amber = stop

amber = stop

green = go

this would help those who are colour blind
and may make it more obvious what the sign means
the triangles could be slightly larger than the circle for go
a space could be left at the top for a future addition
a blue light ( see blue wave )

2007

bottle domes

2007-09-26T17:16:00.000+01:00

Proposal to help the homeless overseas

The idea is to slightly change the shape of the large PET plastic bottles in which water and fizzy drinks are sold.
By altering the overall shape to that of a truncated cone, that is a slight taper, the bottles can be reused as bricks to build a dome.
With a taper of about 5mm a dome of about 3,000mm height can be constructed. If the bottles are used empty the dome will be very well lit,
but the bottles can be filled with earth, polystyrene, rubbish, or clay.
A bottle can be used as a mould in which to make clay bricks.
A plug of about 30 bottles taped together could be used to form a double-glazed window.
A doorway can be formed with two or three planks of wood making an equilateral triangle.
Once built the dome can be covered with a cement finish even using chicken-wire beforehand to add strength to the structure.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

July 1997

Blue Wave

2007-09-26T17:13:00.001+01:00

Proposal to speed up emergency services through heavy traffic

The initial concept is that
all existing street lights in busy roads of major city centres could have a blue light added. In addition to this, a fourth, blue light could be added to traffic lights at junctions in these zones.

The ‘blue light’ circuit would be arranged in groups corresponding to sections between side streets - similar to the American ‘block’ system.

These groups would be linked into a central
emergency services computer.

Upon receipt of an emergency call, the switchboard operator would tap in the address, and the computer would calculate the optimum route for the vehicles, taking into account any existing road works, traffic accidents, etc. All blue lights along the route selected by the computer would immediately be activated - possibly in conjunction with an audible warning. All traffic and pedestrians along the route would then have plenty of prior warning to clear the roads and stay clear ensuring swifter access to an emergency. This could even be made a legal requirement. Traffic lights on the periphery of this zone could all be set to prevent ingress but allow egress from the zone helping to thin out the traffic.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement, for example, in roads without central reservations, two blue lines, about ten feet (3 meters) apart, could be painted along the road. Remember, we’re talking about busy streets in some town centres, not every village in the country. Every effort should be made to clear this area when the blue lights start to flash.

The public would have to be taught to use the system. In light of the increased, and increasing, density of traffic, ease of access along these busy routes by emergency vehicles is fast becoming a necessity.

Tony Ryder
01 216 931 905
70 Rowheath Road
Kings Norton B30 2EX

July 1997

bloated

2007-07-23T11:52:00.000+01:00

Could it be that later on in life we don’t get fat, we just get bloated,
and not because of the foods we eat but rather
because of the combination of foods that we eat? Also,
could eating the same amount, but over an extended period,
help to reduce this bloating?
If we eat smaller quantities of food every 2 hours
does this help to reduce the swelling of the stomach,
even allowing the stomach to shrink in size a little
so that we don’t feel hungry so often, and
could we, in future, feel satisfied on smaller plates of food.
If we don’t eat a mix of food that creates gas
will this also reduce the tendency of the stomach
to swell as we get older?
Nomadic man used to eat all day long,
little snacks here and there as and when the opportunity arose.
Could this be part of the answer?
Would a mouthful every hour be enough to sustain us, eventually?

August 1997

religion - philosophy

2007-07-17T13:26:00.000+01:00

assume that each of us is an eternal spirit, in a temporary body, on test,
here on earth

expect that when the body dies, we realise all the harm we’ve done,
and that we suffer disconsolation, in proportion to the total harm done

don’t harm (help?)

that is, don’t harm others, animals, birds, fish, insects, plants, the environment
or even ourselves

2007-07-17T13:20:00.000+01:00

28-day club

2007-07-17T13:16:00.000+01:00

Or a better name, if you can think of one,
could help many small businesses in Birmingham.
It doesn’t have to be 28 days to begin with,
it could be 56 to start off and be
reduced by 7 days each year for, say, 4 years.
This would be better than the current situation.
The scheme would have to be started by the Council
and half a dozen or so large companies like Cadburys,
the top ten if possible.
They would agree to pay all bills by the 56th day
and would encourage other companies
with whom they do business to do the same.
They would try to persuade medium sized companies to join the club,
then later on smaller companies would also be invited to join.
If preference were given to businesses already in this club
it might be an incentive for others to want to join.
Not being in may indicate that you don’t pay your bills on time
and you aren’t someone to do business with.
Those who failed to keep their promise
would have their membership revoked.
A list could be kept at the Council House for members to consult.

I appreciate that the concept is open to suggestion and improvement.

An extended alphabet

2006-07-20T11:12:00.000+01:00

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
a b c d δ θ e f g γ h χ i j k l m n o p q r s $ t u v w y z

It’s been suggested that
there are about 44 different sounds
used by the human race, but let’s just look at
some of these sounds
to begin with.

The C could be withdrawn
and not used for a period of about 5 years.
It should be replaced by the K or the S
in all spelling. This alone would help many children,
foreigners and people with learning difficulties.
How are you supposed to pronounce the word Celtic?
Keltik Seltik Keltis Seltis
and the names Cyrus, Cambyses, Cyaxares?
for some it can be daunting!

The letter X can be replaced with K and S (eg fiks). . .

Later on, with the C & X now available,
we could assign a new sound to each:

X could become the ch dipthong
as used by the Scots in loch
& the Welsh in Llanelli.

C could be brought back into use
to represent the CH sound, as in the slavonic tongues,
possibly with a vertical line through it,
to help older readers to distinguish it from former use.
Alternatively
we could underline letters that have a new pronunciation.
Either method could also be used
with the S for an SH sound.
Many folk throughout Europe are already familiar with
names like Milosovic Lictarovic etc.

The dipthong PH could be replaced with F,
the Greeks never used two letters for this sound,
so why do we? Why do we need to show a Greek origin?
Our TH represents two distinctive sounds.
The dipthong TH could be replaced with
δ and θ as used in this thought (δis θought)
many schoolchildren are already familiar with most, if not all,
of the Greek alphabet as used in maths and physics.
These two Greek letters fit perfectly
the two sounds that we represent with TH.
And from where did we get our current alphabet?
Most of the Latin alphabet comes from the Greek.

[The Greeks could do with borrowing our B and D characters,
sounds that they have to show by using MP and NT,
(ask some Greeks to write bumpy dent
and see how many spell it correctly)]

If we aren’t going to pronounce the p in psychiatrist, etc
then why use it, it just confounds
those who struggle with their reading.

I’m not suggesting that we create
a fourtyfour-character alphabet; yet.
Not even that we implement all of the above changes.
But we could start with some of the simpler ones
(remembering that, generally,
changes take about 70 years to be fully accepted).
Tony Ryder
01 216 931 905

August 1997
England