Order of the funeral service

• Music:  HMS Pinafore, Overture, Gilbert and Sullivan
• Welcome and introduction:  by Alex MacLeod
• A Tribute To Edna Welford
• Condolences and tributes from family and friends:  read by Iain Cram, grandson-in-law
• Pause for Reflection
• Music: Für Elise, Ludwig van Beethoven
• The Committal
• Closing thoughts and thanks
• Music: “I could have danced all night” from My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Edna’s Celebration Of Life

Music: “HMS Pinafore, Overture”, Gilbert and Sullivan

Welcome and introduction: by Alex MacLeod

Good morning and welcome.

We are here to remember and to celebrate the life of Edna Elizabeth Welford who  died on the 21st of December 2011. You have come to say your farewells together  and to share these quiet moments in tribute to her. She was unique and so is her  ceremony. With reminiscences from her family we will share some of the defining  moments in her life and some of the happy memories you have of her.

My name is Alex MacLeod and I am honoured to have been asked to conduct this  ceremony. I am from the Humanist Society of Scotland and this will be a Humanist  ceremony. Humanism has ancient roots and is not concerned with religion; it is a  philosophy which focuses on making sense of the world using reason, experience,  compassion and shared human values. Consequently there will be no religious  content in this ceremony but there will be a Pause For Reflection, a quiet interval  when you may wish to say your own farewells privately according to your own  convictions.

There may those among you for whom religious faith is a central part of  life and who are familiar with a different form of ceremony. However I hope that we  can agree that there is a common human bond that unites us in support for each  other at times of difficulty, and in sympathy and compassion at times of grief. I hope  that when we leave at the end of this ceremony you will be glad that you have taken  the opportunity to say your farewells together to someone who in the course of her  life has touched all your lives in one way or another.

A Tribute To Edna Welford

Death is the inevitable consequence of being born and living, every living thing has a  beginning and an end. We all know this, but even with this clear and certain  knowledge the death of a loved one is still the most distressing and stressful of all  experiences. Grief is the price we pay for loving and caring. This is a time of grief; it  is a time to mourn. However by expressing and sharing grief and sorrow and in  comforting and supporting each other you may eventually come to accept what has  happened and come to treasure the true riches of a full life well lived.

In doing this  there is no greater honour that we can pay to those whose lives are over, no greater demonstration of our love for them, than to turn back to life and to live it to the full.  This does not imply lack of respect or forgetfulness. It simply means that we have  learned, through living with them, that life is for the living. The best way to face the  reality of death is to turn back to life and to embrace it with all our power. This is  especially true when thinking of Edna, one of her defining characteristics was that  she was “full of life”.

This sense of acknowledging loss while recognising life goes on is expressed in a  piece based on the writings of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh.

We should not speak of our love in the past tense. Love is a thing that does not fade  in a faithful heart and our love for someone does not die with them. This being true  our lives must be a continuation of theirs, with all its significance. We must reflect on  all that was beauty and nobility in that person and make sure that those around us  and our surroundings do not lose anything through their death so that the seed that  has fallen onto the earth may give a hundred fold harvest in the hearts and lives of  others.

Living together on this planet we are all members of a global human community and  through this we are all concerned, directly or indirectly, with the life and death of any  human individual. In the course of our lives we may fill many different roles within  this great community. Thus Edna was variously, amongst other things, daughter,  sister, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; schoolgirl, shop-keeper  and, especially, friend. It is through this community that there is continuity in spite of  death, continuity in the form of our lineage and our heritage.

Our lineage is those to  whom we are related, our family. Our heritage is the various ways in which the lives  of others both within and beyond our family have been shaped, to a greater or lesser  extent, by our attitudes and actions. Thus each of you holds a part of Edna’s heritage  in the various ways in which your lives have been affected by knowing her and in the  memories that you have of her. With this each of you remains close to her.

You are here today as members of the community shared with Edna. By your  presence here each of you is paying a great and most eloquent tribute to her, to the  woman and her life, and the esteem and affection you had for her. Now, together, we  will remember Edna, the story of her life and her great joy in being alive.

Edna Was Born In Hartlepool

Edna had a long and colourful life. She had mostly a good and enjoyable time but  certainly also faced significant challenges. She was born on the 27th November 1913  to Samuel and Mary-Ann Payne living in Old Hartlepool on Teesside. Edna was the  youngest of their four children, following her sister Emily, the eldest, and brothers  Edward and Howard. Edna was 13 years younger than Emily and was essentially  brought up by her as their mother appears to have been a chronic hypochondriac for  much of her life and was content to leave the management of the household to her  daughters.

The eve of the first world war was certainly not the most auspicious of  times to have been born and this was certainly brought home to the inhabitants of  Hartlepool when on the 16th of December 1914 it was the first place on the mainland  of Great Britain to be attacked by German forces. Three fully armed battle cruisers  sailed into the bay and bombarded the harbour and the town killing 86 and injuring  424 of the townspeople.

Fortunately Edna’s family were not directly affected by this  episode and in general it appears that she had a happy childhood, she enjoyed a  great deal of freedom and recalled playing on the beach. She was lively and high  spirited, her family were not poverty stricken and she was well cared for. Although  the evidence of her later life is that she was clearly highly intelligent and bright  enough to have taken her education much further she was not selected for grammar  school, something which seemed to have haunted her for the rest of her life.

Edna’s life changed dramatically when she was 14. Her sister Emily married so Edna  had to leave school to keep house for her long suffering father and her two brothers  as well as her difficult and demanding mother who was clearly not going to do this.  Edna obviously felt this was highly unfair and it soured their relationship until her  mother died in 1956.

Edna Married Tom Welford

Edna met Tom Welford at a mutual friend’s 21st birthday party. They were  immediately attracted to each other and were married in 1936, setting up home in  West Hartlepool. At first Tom was a traveller for a confectionary firm, taking and  delivering orders to shops in the area. However Tom developed Type 1 diabetes at a  time when controlling the condition using insulin was only just becoming possible  and the management of the treatment was not well understood even by members of  the medical profession. Tom was the first patient in the area to receive insulin and his  doctor seemed to be prepared to proceed on a “suck it and see” basis. Edna was not satisfied with this and found a library book that gave her more structured  information about the condition.  So she became in effect an unpaid nurse,  keeping an ever watchful eye on Tom’s diet, his sugar level and demeanour.

With his diabetes, Tom was unable to continue his job as a traveller and so in the late  1930s he and Edna set up a corner and grocery shop at 92 Welldeck Road in West Hartlepool. At first they  lived in the fairly cramped accommodation behind and above the shop. They worked  hard and made a great success of the shop which became a focal point in the local  community. The shop had one of the few phones in the area which brought people  into the shop regularly to use it.

Edna and Tom Raise A Family

Edna and Tom’s children were born when the family was living at the shop, Barry in  1937, John in 1940 and Sue in 1944. Edna was a loving and caring mother, she was  proud of her children’s achievements and was pleased as they set up their own  families.

In due course Edna was delighted with the arrival of her grandchildren. And  she was later thrilled when Katie, Kim and Phil were followed by her great-grandchildren Aidan, Sam, Beatrix and Holly. She took a great and close interest in  all their lives and enjoyed their company. She certainly liked a good joke and a good  laugh so she enjoyed the occasion when her two young grandchildren visiting from  Canada discovered that her name was Edna. Their only previous knowledge of this  name was through the cartoon character the mean minded “Evil Edna” and so there  was a lot of good natured fun over that discovery.

It is a tribute to Edna’s skill as a mother that in spite of working almost all hours in  the shop and with little money to spare her children recall very happy childhoods and  all three made it to Grammar School. Edna was a good cook and an excellent baker.  Her scones were legendary and people very much looked forward to spending the  morning at the Welford’s. There was a very strong community spirit in the area  around the shop and Edna and Tom were very much part of it. The adults had  fortnightly whist drives followed by dancing to gramophone records. There was a trip  for the children every year and at the end of the war there was a huge street party.

Edna encouraged her children to get involved in social activities, in the Scouts, the  Guides and the church choir. Barry and John went with the choir to sing at the  Festival of Britain on the Southbank in London in 1951. Edna was rather more laid back in her approach to running the shop than Tom was. Edna would grant herself  extended lines of credit when using items from the shop for the family. Tom was  much more rigorous about managing the shop, which was only closed on  Wednesday afternoons and Sundays, and he would even spend the Wednesday  afternoons doing the books. When Sue and Paul got married they had to have their  wedding on a Wednesday afternoon – early closing day.

Edna On The Go

Edna was a health adviser’s nightmare. Apparently she went to see the doctor during  her 40s and was advised to diet and lose weight. She never returned and continued  to enjoy her fatty food with a high salt content, her cigarettes and her regular glass of  sherry. With this she was physically robust and as we know lived to be 98.

In the late 1960s Edna and Tom sold the shop and Tom took a less strenuous job in  the Civil Service. It was typical of Edna that in her 40s in the 1950s she had learned  to drive and they bought a small car. This gave Edna a real sense of achievement,  she loved driving and was a good, confident and spirited driver. Freed from the  restriction of running the shop she was able to drive Tom on holidays to Scotland  which she came to love. She said she loved the Scottish people and scenery and  that she wished she had been born in Scotland.

Edna loved music of all kinds, including popular classical music, especially Gilbert  and Sullivan and in her later years she welcomed the annual trip to the King’s  Theatre in Edinburgh to see the latest G&S amateur production. She also enjoyed  joining in any sing-song, for example when going on bus and car trips. One story  goes that the young daughter of friends of the family, Marion, preferred to travel with  Edna and Tom, rather than her own parents, “because the singing was better”.

Tom died in 1983, and then in 1992 Edna moved to Scotland to be closer to her  children and their families. At first she lived in sheltered housing but as her health  deteriorated she moved into the Thornlea Nursing Home in Loanhead where she  lived for the last six and a half years of her life.

Condolences and tributes from family and friends:  read by Iain Cram, grandson-in-law

Edna’s grandson-in-law Iain Cram will share a few  extracts from some of the many tributes and condolence messages received from the many people who knew her.

From her son Barry Welford in British Columbia, Canada

To her family, she was a shining example of how to enjoy life and we all learned from  her. It seemed as though she would live for ever and she almost did. Now we only  have great memories of all the good times together. We’ll miss you terribly, Mum,  but I’m sure you’ll be looking out for us as you did throughout your life.

From her nephew John Witty in Darlington

I liked her very much. She was always so kind to me: I particularly liked her happy  disposition and sense of humour. I have very happy memories of staying with her in  Welldeck Road.

From her niece Liz Roberts in London

So sorry to hear the sad news about Auntie Edna. She was a great lady and my  favourite auntie. She taught me all her bad habits, and her memory will live with me  for ever.

From a friend of the family Bill Orley in Teesside

Edna Welford was a common-sense, intelligent woman who was helpful and friendly.  She was very level-headed and had a great sense of humour -as well as baking  wonderful chocolate cakes! She will be greatly missed.

From another friend of the family Marion Agar in Hartlepool

She sends her condolences and recollections of Edna’s singing, especially in the car  on her holidays to Scotland.

And finally from granddaughter Kim Welford in Newfoundland, Canada.

I am grateful to have known my Gran, despite the distance that separated us.  There were fewer memories as a consequence but all so very dear.  It was a privilege to spend time with her.  Her wit, her good cheer, her social butterfly ways.  I only hope that I have inherited some of these traits to go along with our physical  likeness.

Marrying a Scot was the best thing I ever did; for among other things,  it allowed for more frequent visits with her over the last few years, and  it allowed for my son to meet his Great-Gran.  My only regrets are that she did not meet her Canadian great granddaughter and  that she never got her centenary letter from the Queen.  Trifles really when compared with the happiness that she spread  and the loving life that she led.  Rest in peace, dear Gran, with your fondest memories restored.  We will treasure your memory always.

Much love from those of us floating around on a rock in the North Atlantic,

Kim, Colin, Sam and Beatrix

Pause for Reflection

We have been remembering the character and life of Edna, a woman who loved her  family dearly and unconditionally. In spite of the many challenges in her life she  remained a remarkably cheerful and positive person. She was definitely a “glass  half-full” person although when it came to her sherry a full glass would undoubtedly  have been more welcome.

We will now take a short Pause for Reflection when you may choose to say your  own, private, farewells to Edna.

Music: “Für Elise”, Beethoven.

The Committal

With love and affection we have been remembering the life of Edna. We have  already committed her safely and warmly to our hearts. Now it is time, in quietness of  spirit to let her go. We move towards committal when her body will be taken from our  presence.

Every living thing has a beginning and an end.  For each of us there is a time to be born and a time to die.  And so death has come to Edna  Now as we bid her farewell,  we commit her character and personality to our memories  and her love and friendship to our hearts.  Finally we commit her body to its natural end,  To rejoin the great cycle of nature.

Closing thoughts and thanks

Edna’s family would like to thank all of you, family and friends, for your comfort and  support at this difficult and distressing time and for coming today which is greatly  appreciated. They would also like to thank the staff of the Thornlea Nursing Home  whose care and attention to Edna made her final years as pleasant and comfortable  as they could be. You are invited to join the family in the Toby Carvery, directly  opposite the entrance to this site, after this ceremony to continue your celebration of  Edna’s life. As you leave at the end of this ceremony in a few minutes there will be a  collection in aid of Alzheimer Scotland.

Music

The music we have heard today has been chosen by the family to reflect something  of Edna’s tastes and life. As we entered this chapel we heard the Overture to Gilbert  and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore”. During the Pause for Reflection we heard  Beethoven’s “Für Elise”. Tom was a pretty competent pianist and if the family were  going out once he was ready he would pop into the front room and start playing  while the rest of the family got themselves ready. This piece was one of his  favourites. When we leave we will hear “I could have danced all night” from the  musical “My Fair Lady”. Edna loved romantic musicals and also loved to go dancing.  This piece, with its sheer exuberance, mirrors Edna’s life-long joie-de-vivre and her  unquenchable enthusiasm for life and for living.

Conclusion

Family and friends, the comfort of having Edna as a close, caring and loving  companion and friend may indeed be lost, but the consolation of having known that  love will never be lost; the consolation of having known her, of having shared in her  life and of having shared yours with her. A consolation of which you become  especially aware at this moment as you fix her living image in your minds and recall  the personal qualities that made her unique, that made you love her.

Continue to  remember her and to talk about her, recall her in anecdotes with a laugh, she would  have liked that. You know her better than I do and I have no doubt that you can tell  the stories better relaxed together in your own homes. Hold on to the things about  her that made you love her and you will find that she will never be far from your side.

With these thoughts of Edna in mind I would like to bring this ceremony to a close  with some lines by Anne Brontë.

Farewell to Thee! But not farewell
To all my fondest thoughts of Thee;
Within my heart they still shall dwell
And they shall cheer and comfort me.

Life seems more sweet that Thou did’st live
And women, more true that thou wert one;
Nothing is lost that Thou did’st give,
Nothing destroyed that Thou hast done.

Music: “I could have danced all night” from My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Footnote: This video version features the voice of Audrey Hepburn. In the film version, this song was sung by Marni Nixon, which was the version played at the ceremony but cannot be embedded here.  You can watch the Marni Nixon version on Youtube.

Author Notes: The content above was written by Alex J MacLeod, who was the Registered Celebrant and who is a member of the Humanist Society of Scotland , which is a Registered Charity (SC 026570). You can contact him via e-mail at alex.macleod@humanism-scotland.org.uk  Click here for a printed version of this celebration of life.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Celebration Of Life – Edna Welford

Technorati Tags: celebration, edna welford, humanist, life, remembrance

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When you’re starting an online business, you probably have no shortage of ideas, motivation, and grand plans for the future of your enterprise. But there is one notable area where you likely have a short supply: finances. Unless you have personal reserves or an already-set collection of investors, there’s a good chance that your ideas will have to initially be implemented with a tight budget in mind.

This budget extends to your marketing efforts. While it is important to advertise your business and work to gain exposure, it is impossible to take out large ad campaigns or to simply throw money at the situation. Instead, you need to find approaches that maximize the benefits while minimizing, as much as possible, the costs you need to occur for them to be realized.

Along those lines, here are a few tips for marketing your startup, working to gain some initial exposure, and for accomplishing this without paying a dime:

Use Social Media

This goes without saying, but social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for boosting your exposure without incurring any costs. To this end, create a Facebook page for your business and open a Twitter account. Post status updates and Facebook and try to accumulate “Likes” from among your colleagues, family members, and friends. Doing so will insure that a larger number of people see your business on their News Feeds.

Study The Competition

Even if you aren’t in a niche industry, your business likely has a specific focus that is closely matched by only a few internet competitors. Study these competitors to get an idea of how they market themselves –especially, how they market themselves for free. Do they post articles on forums or other sites? How do they utilize social media? Does it appear as though they have mailing lists and newsletters?

Communicate

A successful marketing campaign cannot simply be done behind a façade of internet anonymity. Instead, it is important to talk to people in the industry, whether on the phone, at conventions, or through email. Ask them advice but also ask them to spread the world. You may even get some helpful tips in the process.

Go Offline

While limitless, the internet still has its limits when it comes to marketing. This is especially true for a small startup that is looking to gain traction and exposure. If you operate in a niche industry or have a determinable customer base, you may have more success looking to reach this demographic offline in the early going. Does your target consumer group interact offline? Is there a place they go (ie a given retailer) or a way they communicate? If so, you may want to make yourself a part of that community.

These are just a few tips for increasing your exposure during the early days of a startup, when visibility is low and money is tight. The options available in this situation may not be as appealing as those you could find on a larger budget, but when done correctly they can return dividends nonetheless.

Author Bio: Sam Peters is a blogger who frequently writes for entrepreneurial and tech blogs covering topics from online marketing to the newest gadget and mobile web news.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Free Marketing Tips For Internet Startups

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There is nothing quite like celebrating New Year’s Eve in Scotland. Whether you are in a local pub, on the streets of Edinburgh or enjoying a party with friends and family Scotland seems to be in its element at Hogmanay.

Hogmanay in Edinburgh

Scotland’s flagship Hogmanay event is in Edinburgh. With leading music events and DJs this is an all ticket affair. The concert is part of the larger street party in Princes Street. You can still have a great time in Edinburgh without buying a ticket - there are lots of great pubs in Edinburgh and many will be having parties to bring in the New Year. Alternatively there will be a torchlight procession from Parliament Square to Calton Hill with a fireworks display.

There are many other events at the theatres and concert venues that make Edinburgh such a great city for a party. The Usher Hall has the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra – have you ever heard; Auld Lang Syne played by a fiddle orchestra? The Queenshall will do things in a traditional Scottish way with a Ceilidh hosted by the band Heeliegoleerie and with a piper to bring in the New Year.

Hogmanay in Perthshire

If all this sounds a little too much perhaps a more peaceful time in Perthshire might be the way to bring in 2012.  Auchterarder might be a good place to stay. There is a good assortment of pubs in town to choose from and there is a great array of shops. What better way to clear your head on New Year’s day than to stroll along the Oak Walk from the town?

Should you still feel you want a big party you can bring in the New Year at Perth race course. This offers a mixture of the traditional Ceilidh and disco at the racecourse just to the north of Perth.

Hogmanay in Pitlochry

Pitlochry is one of the Scottish towns that goes a bit crazy for New Year. They close their main street and have a proper party. The pubs and hotels of this beautiful Scottish Highland town make a special effort to welcome the guests.

There is something to do for Hogmanay wherever you stay in Scotland and you will find the Scots have the best parties you could wish for on New Year's Eve.  Why not plan on spending this Hogmanay in Scotland.

Author Bio: Abhishek Bhan is a writer for Mackay's Agency which has a range of self catering Scottish cottages to choose from in several of the places mentioned in the article.

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Hogmanay, New Year’s Eve Scottish Style

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Some Key Dates

Mum was born on November 27, 1913 in Hartlepool as Edna Elizabeth Payne. Given family circumstances, she had to leave school at 14 to look after her father, mother and two elder brothers.  In 1936, she married Thomas Midgely Welford and they had three children, Barry 1937, John (Tony) in 1940 and Susan in 1944.

In the late 1930s, she and Tom set up a corner grocery shop at 92 Welldeck Road in West Hartlepool, with somewhat cramped living accommodation behind and above the shop.  Eventually they moved to 31 Welldeck Road where Mum lived for much of her life.  Tom was a Type 1 diabetic (requiring daily insulin injections) at a time when diabetes was not fully understood, and so Edna often had to function as an unpaid nurse, keeping an ever watchful eye on Tom’s diet and his sugar level and demeanor.  He died in 1983 at the age of 69.

Nine years later Edna moved up to Scotland to be nearer to her children – John in Edinburgh and Sue in Penicuik.  From 1992 to 2005 she lived in Castle Rock sheltered housing in the village of Roslin.  When she could no longer look after herself she moved into the Thornlea Nursing Home in nearby Loanhead.  She settled in very well, and receiving excellent care from the staff was able to spend her final six and a half years there before dying peacefully on December 21, 2011.

Edna had a great many friends and was a delight to be with.  She had many talents, not least her great cooking.  There were many favourites, but I really enjoyed the super-fruit-filled cherry cakes she used to send me at university.  However if I had to pick three qualities I would name the three which follow.

Her Positive Attitude and Humour

This would probably be what most people who knew Edna would put at the top of their list.  She had a hard life and her mother, who was ‘not a well woman’, was a real burden.  Helping to run the shop during the War years while raising three kids was very challenging but nothing phased her.

She was a very social person and loved music of all kinds throughout her life.

Her Kindness

Another strong characteristic was her kindness and readiness to help those in need.  For a time she took in her aged and ailing Uncle Tom who was no longer able to care for himself.

She and Tom raised some great kids

The emphasis here is on the raising and not on the great kids.  Or as my brother, John, said, present company excepted.  They both went out of their way to encourage us to get out and get involved and so we did in singing in choirs, scouting and a number of other activities.  We all had a great upbringing and will be forever grateful.

Here she is in 2009 with my brother John and some of her grand-children (Kim and Katie) and great-grand-children (Sam and Aidan).

Celebration of her life

Although Edna has by now outlived most of her close friends, there will be a Celebration of her Life on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 12.30pm in the Pentland Chapel at the Mortonhall Crematorium, Howdenhall Rd, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH16 6TX.  The celebrant, Alex Macleod, is a member of the Humanist Society Scotland.  He has now provided a full account of the Celebration of her life.

Those attending are invited to meet for coffee from 11.30 am onwards in the Toby Carvery in Howdenhall Road directly opposite the entrance to the Mortonhall Crematorium.

Donations and Comments

A collection at the Celebration will be taken for Alzheimer’s Scotland.  No flowers by request, but please send donations in lieu to Alzheimer’s Scotland.

If you have fond memories of Edna, it would be great if you wish to add them as comments here and share them with her other friends.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Edna Elizabeth Welford 1913 – 2011

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There has been growing support for the unfreezing of these pensions in Parliament. An early day motion (EDM) calling on the government to end the freezing of state pensions for expats, sponsored by Work and Pensions Committee chair Dame Anne Begg, has attracted 101 MPs' signatures.  This  affects around 500,000 pensioners.

Now a working group which includes Treasury officials and members of the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) will investigate the issue.

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Response Expectations

Most of us have got beaten down by the way things seem to get done.  Perhaps a non-scientific indication of that is shown by some quick searches on Google.  The number of items in the Google search is an indicator of the degree of public interest in the phrase that was searched for.  Here are the results we found at this time.

One might infer from these numbers that a slow response is almost inevitable and that more often than not inappropriate responses will be given rather than the appropriate responses one wished for.  Getting a fast, speedy or timely response is clearly a much less probable outcome.

IT

If rapid responses are the exception, does anyone regard them as a priority that deserves extra effort and resources?  In this article, we will discuss the two sectors that seem to feature most prominently in such online discussions.  All sectors of society now rely on electronic communication and insist on always-on availability of information.  It is therefore not surprising that the IT industry believes that the speed of response is critical.

You have to be fast in today’s marketplace and no department feels the heat more than IT, according to four of the Enterprise CIO Forum Council members.

People must have an attitude that ‘faster is better than best.’ Something that solves 33% of a problem today is better than something that solves 100% of a problem in 18 months. Many companies sacrifice speed for perfection or false precision. Often data or solutions can be ‘good enough’ to take interim steps and action.

Of course faster is also more costly and here the IT department must balance the need for a response with the cost of achieving that.  That is why a major computer supplier such as Dell offers Speed of Response Options.

Get parts and labor fast — upgrade from next-business-day on-site service, which comes standard with Dell ProSupport, to same-day or mission-critical on-site service.  This will help keep client systems up and running, and minimize data center downtime.  This  flexible approach to technical support allows you to choose the response time you need to support your business. This flexibility helps you not just keep your users up and running and your data centers operating at top speed, but also enables you to keep your IT budget under control.

Public relations

Another area where rapid responses are needed is that of public relations, for businesses and for governments. Adverse publicity is often utilized by critics who know how to work the media.  Unless prompt action is taken, what starts as a minor negative incident can mushroom into a very costly major event  A typical example of what is being done can be seen in Washington DC where the White House has beefed up on its online rapid response.

The Obama administration has created and staffed a new position tucked inside their communications shop for helping coordinate rapid response to unfavorable stories and fostering and improving relations with the progressive online community.  Jesse Lee will move from the new media department into a role in the communications department as Director of Progressive Media & Online Response.  This signals that the White House will be adopting a more aggressive engagement in the online world in the months ahead.

Lee's Twitter account could also become an interesting window into the status of the always emotional, occasional testy dance between progressives and the president.

The reason why politicians would aim to get involved in social media is that social media are giving individuals channels within which they can ensure their views are known and shared.  A major organization can either get involved as a participant in the debate or remain the subject of the discussion. This is an area that many businesses realize they should be involved in but they are unclear on how best to do this.

Lost Opportunities - Potential Customers

Given that most companies will take the easy way out and remain faceless entities that do not get involved, this is an area where a company can easily stand out from the crowd and from its competitors.  All that it takes is to think ahead and plan the resources and the format of your Timely Response, both for potential customers who may contact you and for important happenings in the market place.

An appropriate and informative timely marketing piece not only shows you understand an issue well (and are relevant and capable of addressing it), but also shows that you are a proactive person within a dynamic company that is not afraid to take a stance in their industry and with their customers. You can also offer potential calls to action that may trigger your customers to approach you for expert advice or information.

This is not a major cost activity.  All that it takes is that you are alert to opportunities (which you should be anyway) and that someone has the responsibility for acting as the voice of the company. The key requirement is that the response be rapid. Delay will mean that you're just lost in the crowd.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Rapid Response – When is it needed?

Technorati Tags: government, public relations, rapid, response, slow, timely

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The UK Treasury would benefit from a change in policy and it would correct a moral debt of honour.  However the number of MPs who support this long-needed application of the English principle of fair play grows only slowly.

Some UK Pensioners Can No Longer Afford To Stay Abroad

The effect of this policy can have a devastating effect on recipients of UK state pensions who have emigrated or who are thinking of doing so.

One of the hardest hit groups is those who emigrated many years ago.  Trying to live on a pension whose value was locked in at say a 1985 value gets increasingly difficult, as costs rise including the costs of medications.  Their only recourse is to return to the UK and have their pension restored to its true current level.  At the same time they can then draw on all the social supports and benefits that are available.  The cost to the UK Treasury is significant and they must try to make a new home but what other choice do they have.

Other UK Pensioners Cannot Afford To Emigrate

Another group which is severely affected according to the Telegraph is those people from ethnic minorities who live in the UK and who would wish to return abroad to their country of birth.  The Runnymede Trust, a race relations think tank, has criticised the Government for refusing to inflation-proof the pensions of thousands of Britons.

The report's author, Phil Mawhinney, said: “It is clearly unfair that people who were encouraged to rebuild the UK after the Second World War... should risk losing their entitlements if they return to the Caribbean, or elsewhere.  The current system of overseas pensions uprating is arbitrary, with no logic behind a pension being uprated in Jamaica but not Trinidad, the Philippines but not India. We therefore call on the Government to uphold fairness and uprate all overseas UK pensions.”

Unfreezing UK Pensions Would Benefit UK Taxpayers

What is particularly surprising about this unfair lack of action is that it costs UK taxpayers to support returning expat UK pensioners and those pensioners who cannot afford to emigrate.  A comment on the Telegraph article cited above explains why.  Peter Morris offered the following facts:

Unfortunately the DWP don't talk to the Department of Health, who don't talk to the Department of Communities and Local Government, who don't talk to Treasury, who don't talk to the DWP.  If they did they would find out that they could save over £3,000 per pensioner per year, after tax, by encouraging people to migrate.

It is as if the government does not want to save money in  these difficult economic times.

Costing per pensioner per year:

Cost of uprating £1,000
Savings to NHS, Social Services and Housing £8,500
Taxation lost £3,500

Net saving to the Government £4,000

Even stronger logic applies to those who would like to stay abroad but are forced to return to live in the UK.  Undoubtedly the costs to the NHS, Social Services and Housing would be even higher than those averages above, since the returnees would be the older and more needy.

More and more MPs are gradually opening their eyes to this inequity but progress to a resolution is still far too slow.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

UK Frozen Pensions – the senseless inequity continues

Technorati Tags: expat, Frozen Pension, state pension, UK

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MapQuest, the competitor owned by AOL, was only a little better but that was no excuse for this less than stellar performance. 

Despite this, Google Maps has been showing reasonable growth.

On the Web, Google Maps drew 67.3 million unique views in February, according to Nielsen, while MapQuest tallied 24.7 million. Yahoo Local (YHOO) was third at 13.1 million.

Now in a major initiative, Google Maps has taken a commanding lead by taking Google Maps indoors.

A walkthrough of Google maps outlines what this offers

Go Indoors

Maps aren’t only for cities and countries — they’re useful inside buildings, too. Next time you’re running through an airport or shopping in a mall, use Google Maps on your mobile phone to find a specific place or discover cool spots nearby.

The Fortune article explains why Google Maps is headed indoors

By including indoor spaces to the Android version of its Maps service, Google is positioning itself to take advantage of two concurrent trends: the spread of mobile communications and the increasing privatization of public space.

As yet only a handful of indoor venues are included: stores such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's (M) and Home Depot (HD); airports in Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco; transit centers and other spaces in Japan; and malls including the Mall of America outside Minneapolis.

Any other private indoor space can provide the information to be included and the maps are 3-dimensional so it is possible to find your way around on any floor of a multi-floor building.  Clearly this will meet a real need since you can identify where you are in a building via your smartphone.  As yet it is only available on Android phones but an iPhone application cannot be long in coming.

Chapeau, Google, indoor Google Maps will prove to be a real winner without a doubt.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Indoor Google Maps

Technorati Tags: android, indoors, interior, iPhone, maps

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Some regard round penning as a controversial technique in horsemanship.  Indeed a Google search on round penning has a critical opinion as the number one choice.

Michael Gonzalez is adamant that he will not use a round pen in any of his demonstrations.

Round Penning
(And Why I Believe It Is Doing More Harm Than Good))

I don’t care for round penning at all. Round penning has become one of the most, if not THE MOST, abused tool in horsemanship today. Now that is a bold statement, but I will stand on that statement very firmly. It is, in my opinion, so abused that I refuse to work a horse in a round pen while performing demonstrations. Perhaps I should clarify that I refuse to do ‘round penning’ during my demonstrations.

Many others do not share the Gonzalez view.  For example Sylvia Scott is a strong proponent of round penning.

Proper round penning is not about mindlessly lungeing a horse around and around a round pen, but is about the opposite: it is direct one-to-one very precise communication with very specific cues and instructions. When round penning is done correctly, the horse will be quieter, more compliant, and a much more willing partner in all of your other training activities.  Round penning can be an invaluable tool in developing a happier horse -- and a happier rider!

Here in Langley another round penning advocate and expert is Jay O Jay..  Here is how he presents his views.

The Round Pen

"A Powerful Tool"
"Get respect, gain control and achieve confidence"

The round pen is where I introduce myself to the horse. It is a place to listen and to communicate. It is a place to develop a leadership role, gain mutual respect and establish control. All without force, bad attitudes or impatience. This allows the horse to stay emotionally and mentally relaxed so he can keep his attention focused on me. This is how I get the horse to learn how to learn!

Round Penning With Jay O Jay

If you would like to make up your own mind on how well Round Penning can be used, then you have an opportunity on December 3rd and 4th when Jay O Jay is giving a Round Penning Clinic at the Highpoint Equestrian Centre in Langley BC. This is the same location where he gave a regular horsemanship clinic in October.

The six spaces for horses and their riders in the clinic are almost taken up.  However there is room to accommodate up to sixty visitors and this is a very economic way to learn a great deal about the correct way to establish a connection with your horse.

Here is how Jay describes what will take place:

• I work "one on one" in these clinics so that each person gets maximum value.
• Day One - I work your horse myself as I discuss in detail what I am doing, why I am doing it and how I am doing it. My goal is to get a respectful, focused and connected horse.
• Day Two - you are in the round pen with your horse as I teach you how to achieve the same success I did.
• I am taking a maximum of 6 horses. I will be doing 3 horses in the morning and another 3 in the afternoon.  Each session will be approximately one hour.

Round Penning Clinic Details

Timing:  Saturday December 3 and Sunday December 4 from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm.

Location:  High Point Equestrian Centre and Clubhouse, 658 200th St, Langley, BC.

The two day cost for a rider and their horse is $150 with coffee or $170 with lunch.

Spectator’s daily fee is $20 or $30 with lunch.

For More Information

Contact Kelly Brook Allen at canoa@shaw.ca or by telephone at 604-831-1519 or Annabel Young at 604-961-7541.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Round Penning Clinic Langley BC December 3 and 4

Technorati Tags: horse, Jay O Jay, Langley, Michael Gonzalez, round pen, round penning

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The Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes is a historical name in Britain since he plotted with twelve other conspirators to blow up Parliament with explosives and assassinate King James the First.  The plan was to install a Catholic monarch in the botched "gunpower plot" in 1605.

Authorities found out about it and caught Guy Fawkes guarding barrels of gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament.  He was tried as a traitor and the king's narrow escape is now celebrated every year on November 5th with fireworks and the burning of effigies known as "guys" across the country.

Guy Fawkes as Activist

This year Guy Fawkes Day has a distinctly political flavor, as protesters inspired by the folk hero marched on Parliament — though with somewhat different intentions than the 17th-century activist.

Stylized Guy Fawkes plastic masks — with a clownish, sinister mustachioed smile and features loosely based on drawings of Fawkes — have been worn by hundreds of protesters from the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street movement from New York to London. And before that, members of the international rogue collective of "hackivists" known as Anonymous had worn the now instantly recognizable masks during protests against the Church of Scientology.

The design of the masks came from the comic book and movie V for Vendetta, which features a violent, anarchist antihero who fashions himself a modern day Guy Fawkes and rebels against a fictional fascist government.

Bonfire Night

Many more people will of course celebrate the typical Bonfire Night.

Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some children even keep up an old tradition of walking in the streets, carrying "the Guy" they have just made, and beg passersby for "a penny for the Guy." The kids use the money to buy fireworks for the evening festivities.

On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the sky.

Rather ironically, some of these firework displays are the work of a descendant of the man who caught Guy Fawkes trying to blow up Parliament.  She is a top fireworks display expert and is one of the country's top pyrotechnicians.  Ellie Turner works for the Manchester-based fireworks company Walk The Plank, which has organised thousands of major firework displays.

A Penny For The Old Guy

Some may remember that phrase as a subtitle for the poem by T. S. Eliot called The Hollow Men.

Perhaps the most remembered part of this is its final verse:

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

I remember my mathematics teacher, Max Leason, was particularly fond of this and quoted it often.

However life does not need to end that way.  Indeed some have proposed that people's mortal remains could be fired into space or perhaps more reasonably be part of a beautiful fireworks display.  A number of companies such as Angels Flight will arrange this for you.

A final Image of Your Loved One You Will Cherish Forever.

As the music plays, the family looks skyward over the beautiful ocean waters, watching the fireworks carry their loved one’s cremains into the air. Bursting over the ocean in exquisite patterns and colors, the cremains are scattered into the sea.

What a way to go.  No whimper there. It is certainly the way cool seniors like Betty White will make their exit.

Post from: The Other Blokes Blog

Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes and Firework Displays

Technorati Tags: activist, bonfire, exposives, fireworks, gunpowder plot, guy fawkes, occupy

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