Blue Witch

The mystery of the unshrivelling contact lenses and the black letterbox

Well, actually, two separate mysteries.

Last week I found what appeared to be a soft contact lens on the carpet. Which was strange because it wasn't one of mine, and I couldn't think who else might have been in the house who uses contact lenses who'd have lost one, let alone lost one and not said anything. While I was out visiting one of the country's most expensive public schools last Thursday (where the students couldn't be bothered to hold doors for those following them through and dropped crisp bags on the floor which a teacher then picked up, while some of the older male staff wafted around in academic gowns and had their tea and coffee poured and brought to them while they read the newspapers in the staff room at break time), Cleaner BW found another one.

But, neither of them has shrivelled up, so I can only assume they are contact lens imposters: right shape, right curvature, right sort of plastic, but non-shrivelling after 6 days. I suppose they must have come out of some sort of packaging, but again, I have no idea what.

This afternoon I needed some pharmacy oddments and, it being bitterly cold and spitting with snow, and me being at the opposite end of town to the places I usually frequent, I went into a small independent that always looks rather dingy. My purchases came to £6.27, and I paid with a £10 note and the odd 27p, so that I wouldn't have a purse full of change.

The teenage assistant handed me £3.90 back, rather than the £4 I was due. I stood and stared at the change in my hand, and pointed out that £10.27 minus £6.27 was £4, and she'd got the change wrong. She then proceeded to tell me that I'd only give her 17p, so the change was right. On asking why she thought I'd given her 17p, when the odd amount was 27p, she shrugged and said, "People do strange things!" Not liking the implication that I was either a liar or stupid, or both, and being absolutely sure that I had given her a 20p, a 5p and a 2p, I suggested, politely, that maybe she should have queried the amount of the odd coins I'd given her, and that I would like 4 pound coins as my correct change.

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll go and do a till audit then, if you're right, you can have your extra 10p." I stood my ground. "How long will it take to do a till audit? And how can you be sure that you haven't already given someone else incorrect change, so that the till is accurate? We're not talking about £10 here, we're talking about 10p." The older woman assistant standing nearby, who, up until then had said nothing, said, "Oh give her the bloody 10p Nisha!" Nisha gave me 10p, I put all the coins down on the counter. "I'll have four pound coins please Nisha, as I intended." Needless to say I got them, and she got a very hard BW hard stare. Such attitude from one so young.

I was very, very tempted to say, "If you took that bloody stupid black letterbox off your face, you might stand some chance of seeing what you are doing!" As I walked out I saw the name on the door and realised that it was the same place where Good Friend BW told me she had had a problem with a mis-dispensed prescription last week, and, the young assistant, rather than apologising profusely for Good Friend BW's wasted time and return journey, had accused her of having taken some tablets out of the packet and switched them for some others (that she'd never been prescribed, so obviously had no access to) herself.

Why do people in small independent shops lose customers over such stupid things?

Thought for the day

The secret of success is constancy of purpose.

- Benjamin Disraeli

Formspring, Me?

With an academic background like mine, an inexhaustible thirst for factual knowledge and propensity for spotting interconnectivities (that others usually miss), within my areas of interest, and an enquiringly creative mind that can't say yes or no without asking why? umpteen times first, I've always been unnaturally fascinated by the reasons for everything. I want to know what lies behind everything. What makes social systems and the people who exist within them, tick, and, particularly, what makes them trick.

I am sometimes accused of being cynical, but, as I always reply, cynics are rarely disappointed, and it takes a lot of research to be a well-informed cynic. Cynics do have to try hard not to say, "Told you so!" some time down the line, though, when the rest of the world finally catches up with the information or analysis that drove the original assertion that was deemed cynical.

A few years ago now, Mr BW did several years of OU MBA stuff on business managment, and shortly after moved role and found himself heading up c0mmunications, in its broadest sense, within a multi-national company. He doesn't have a background in market1ng or PR, but, he's a very fast learner. This new world increasingly opened his, and my, eyes to the way in which the world really runs. Or rather, is manipulated, and coerced. And a few more similar adjectives.

All my worst expectations and assumptions about huge corporation, media and government manipulation of our world were not only confirmed, they were added to, a million fold (and I exaggerate not).

Sometimes I come out with a comment about a news story that most people I know would think was very cynical. And then Mr BW drops in a fact or two about how the press release has been constructed, or the pre-media briefing of the company spokesman has been handled to get acrosss whatever message the company (rather than the interviewer's) question wants. And another layer is spread onto my already deep bed of conspiracy theories.

Free will? In today's world? Don't be silly.

When you put this sort of knowledge and background together with what people in your circle of acquaintances tell you happens within their industries, the world suddenly becomes much less comprenensible, within any terms of reference at all.

As I result I now trust almost no-one and almost nothing. That isn't a problem to me; it's actually a very useful skill.

I am endlessly fascinated by social networking. I have no desire whatsoever to particpate (other than here, where it's on my terms, at my convenience), but I am an endless watcher and theoriser. Not of the content (I'm not a stalker, although I probably know far more about some of you than you realise, or would like me to, if you thought about it), but of the motivation, and of the way it is changing interaction, and society as it existed pre-internet and pre-mobile telephony and pre-24 hour world.

So, when the Formspring Formomenon started appearing earlier this week, I immediately wondered, hmmmm, there's no advertising, so exactly what is the motivation of whoever's put it together?

My initial thoughts were that it was a data-collection exercise for someone's PhD, but further investigation revealed that it seemed to be much bigger than that.

I wonder how many people who've signed up for this semingly innocent bit of fun have read the (lengthy) T&Cs? Actually, I also wonder how many people have signed up, but I don't think there's any way of finding that out yet.

For example,

"By submitting content through the formspring.me service, you grant formspring.me a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such content in any and all media or distribution methods. Such additional uses by formspring.me, or other companies, organizations or individuals who partner with formspring.me, may be made with no compensation paid to you with respect to the content that you submit, post, transmit or otherwise make available through the formspring.me service."

In this world, 'services' like Formspring are not provided for free from the kindness of someone's heart.

There are 'plans' for all this data that people are busily giving away for free, methinks. Otherwise, why write T&Cs like this?

It may not be a concern for people using it anonymously, but, for those busily giving away personal data who are identifiable, and less circumspect, I hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.

Always remember, just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they're not all out to get you :)

The Friday Question

Oh how I long to be able to throw open the windows and get some fresh air into the house without letting all the warm air out, and to be able to dry the washing on the line outside, rather than on the airer inside. I did see people with their windows open in the brief sunny spell last Saturday afternoon, but we were out nearly getting killed in Mi1dred then, so missed the opportunity.

Talking of cars brings me neatly to today's Friday Question:

How many cars have you owned (ie that have been registered in your name with DVLA or the appropriate authority in your country) in your life?

In the 25 years I've owned my own cars, I've only had 4 (which I only count as 3).

Bright BW Blue Mini 1000 (September 1985 - September 1988, 3 years old at purchase), BW Blue Peugeot 205 (September 1988- September 2001, new at purchase), very bright BW Blue Peugeot 206 (March - November 2000, new at purchase: caught fire in a flood when 30 weeks old, never liked it because the garage wouldn't let me choose its number plate), dark metallic blue (but only because I needed a replacement vehicle immediately and it was the only colour, other than solid red, available) Peugeot 206 (November 2000 - present, new at purchase).

I wish I could have the 205 back. I loved that car. It did nearly 180,000 (or was it 190,000? Or maybe 170,000?) miles and was still good for a lot more, although showed signs of getting increasingly expensive to maintain. We still sold it for £575, and the young lad who bought it got a speeding ticket from the speed camera outside where Mr BW works, the week after we sold it to him. Luckily I checked the date before shouting at Mr BW.

They don't make cars like any of those any more, unfortunately.

How many cars have you owned (ie that have been registered in your name with DVLA or the appropriate authority in your country) in your life?

And, because I've been wondering (I do wonder about odd things, but you know that by now), does anyone know what's going to happen to how registration plates are formed from the September 2011 issue? Taking the current form of '5' for half way through the year, and the last letter of the year date, that will bring us back to a '51' number sequence between the letter strings, which would be the same as the first issue of this new format in September 2001, so therefore unlikely I'd think.

Thought for the day

Too often we underestimate how quickly our feelings are going to change because we underestimate our ability to change them.

- Daniel Gilbert

Thought for the day

The best way to get approval is not to need it. Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

- Hugh MacLeod

When enough is enough

I've probably posted this before, I don't recall now. I'm sure that many of you will have read it elsewhere anyway, but, as I've just dug it out to send to an acquaintance, I'll post it again.

It's one of my favourite motivational tales, and. the reason why, depsite the opportunity being there, and despite having all the skills (or access to them from Mr BW) I don't run a successful large company, employing many other people, and making lots of money.

I just wish that more people would understand what it means, without having to learn the hard way.

The Greek Fisherman

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Greek.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you.”

"You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Athens, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”

- Author unknown

Thought for the day

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.

- Emily Kimbrough

Vision On

The Borrowers have returned my close-work glasses. Finally. after 35 days.

I think the prospect of the potential for Super-Strength Witchy Spells on today's momentous date must have scared them into putting them in a place they knew I coulnd't have looked. That is, on the top of the files in the third drawer of a four-drawer filing cabinet that was unopenable because the 4th drawer had spectacularly derailed, and disintegrated its metal runners. Because I wailed repeatedly that I wouldn't be able to replace it with the same model as its no longer made, so I'd have a non-matching set of seven, which offends my sense of order, Mr BW finally had enough and mended it last weekend, with judicious use of Dremmel, vice, bending, and reseating. Well, I suspect that's what he did, I didn't actually see.

In celebration of the return of vision (I now know how my older friends feel when they have their cataracts removed), I spent yesterday afternoon finishing off and sewing together various bits of p@tchw0rk that I've made over the past eighteen months, into a cover for the foam top for the blanket box that we use as a laundry bin in the bedroom, that we had made last April (separate compartments for whites, coloureds, and empty hangers when we take things out of the wardrobe to wear; saves hours of sorting every year).

No pictures yet, as I haven't finished it because medical crises with Grandmother Mr BW (nearly 97) and muddled messages from care homes and Mummy Mr BW, led to Mr BW spending half the afternoon dashing around the county trying to sort out why a locum weekend doctor, who wouldn't deign to go to the care home to see Grandmother BW, could direct that she was sent to hospital against the wishes stated in her Care Plan.

Anyway, Mr BW sorted it all out, and, having signed away his life on a disclaimer form, she is still ensconced in her normal place of residence, for the time being at least. The level of care is undoubtedly better there than in the dreadful geriatric medical ward at the local/regional hospital anyway, and all the nurses are fully qualified and experienced in geriatric care, so why move her to a strange and frightening environment, when there's nothing that can be done anyway? End of life care in this country is a complete mess. I dread to think of the suffering that those without advocates go through. I've decided I'd better cultivate some younger (informed and assertive) friends, to be on the safe side. I now see why I'm so in demand amongst The Older Set :)

While sewing yesterday afternoon, I heard a programme on Radio 4 that perfectly summed up my impressions, and past direct knowedge, of the phamaceutical industry, and the unethical pratices of marketing and research that drive it. There is interesting comparative evidence for US and UK practices too. File On 4 is available to listen again for the next 6 days, or as a podcast, and will probably be available as a transcript in the near future. Be afraid, be very afraid. But do listen to it.

Driving madness: two true stories from the last 24 hours

Scene: driving down a B-road (ie a comparatively minor road, but larger than a country lane), in Mi1dred, this afternoon in the freezing (literally) cold sunshine, while checking out a pre-planned route for a mid-summer run for Mi1dred and her cousins (yes, we seem to have been coerced into that role...).

Characters:

Us, driving at Mi1dred's safe maximum, particuarly in the conditions, of just over 30mph. A couple of cars were stacked up behind us, and we were driving down the main road, about 300m from a major crossroads.

Pink sports car, waiting to turn left out of the right-hand (as we were driving) road at the crossroads.

Black large/high car, about about 3 cars back.

Plot:

Huge black vehicle decides it can't wait another second and pulls out to overtake the couple of cars in front of it, with us at the front of the queue. Pink sports car, having checked right and found no traffic, begins to pull out to turn left onto the main road. Something must have made pink sportscar man look left at the last minute and he braked, which just allowed the large black overtaking vehicle to squeeze between it and us.

And I mean just. We're so nearly not here to tell the tale.

One of the main things one learns when undertaking motorcycle training is not to ever think about overtaking (even with the manoeuvrability of a motorcycle, and even when the road is apparently completely clear) where there is a junction joining the main road, on either side. That and always checking in every direction several times before pulling out. Clearly neither Mr Black Gas Guzzler nor Mr Pink Sportscar had done motorcycle training. Or had any common sense...

Come the day of the BW Party, all motorists will have to learn to ride a motorcycle. I know it made me a better, and safer, car driver.

**********************************

Scene: driving down a narrow (but with room for two vehicles to safely pass), muddy, country lane late yesterday afternoon.

Characters:

Me, driving along in a normal road position (but not in the edge, with its hidden potholes and mud made by HGVs and 4 WDs from what used to be the verges), but leaving plenty of space for another normal/similarly-sized vehicle to pass,

Early 30s Nouveau Riche Male in white new BMW 11-series (or whatever is the biggest number they're up to these days), driving along, much faster than me, smack bang in the middle of the road.

We both stop. He winds down his window and leans out, shouting and gesturing. I lock my doors, raise my eyebrows, and shake my head slowly from side to side.

Dialogue:

Him: Oy! You'll have to reverse, my car is white and new!

Me: [ignores him]

Him: OY! YOU DEAF? YOU HAVE TO GO BACK, MY CAR IS NEW AND WHITE!

Me: [sitting nonchalantly, ignoring him]

He inched forward, pulling more onto his side of the road, until his window was almost level with mine.

Him: OY! I SAID, YOU NEED TO GO BACK!

Me: [pressing button to lower electric window slightly, very calmy, and very slowly] Yes, I know, YOUR car is new and white, and mine is old and dirty, so *I* must therefore be a lesser person, and so need to reverse because YOU don't want to pull into the edge in your MUCH LARGER vehicle, so we can pass easily. YOUR car may be new and white, but mine is driven by someone with a BRAIN at the top of their neck and NOT A PENIS. [dramatic pause] So [smiling in a sickeningly sweet manner] if YOU are in a hurry I suggest, YOU find reverse gear in your new large white car and exhibit a few manners, eh?

After about 10 seconds of BW hard stare and fixed smile and full eye contact he slammed his white extension into reverse and went back a few yards to where the road widened slightly. I drove past him, very slowly, rotating my hand even more slowly in a Queen-type gesture. He was bright red, and, had I chosen to look more carefully than I did, probably shaking with rage. I was totally calm.

Him and his ilk drive down our lane, with its much-battled-for 40mph limit, at about 70mph, all the time. I love forcing them into submission occasionally.

***********************

It seems to me that more and more vehicles are driving in the middle of the road, too fast, and with absolutely no regard for other road users. And as for safety, well, large modern cars breed complacency methinks.

The Friday Question

I've found some newish research on handedness, so, let's try it out. I'll put in a link to the original research early next week.

Imagine you are at the theatre or cinema, and you have free choice of seating. The room slopes gently up from the front to the back, in the normal manner. It is divided into four, with a horizontal gangway half-way up/down, and a vertical gangway centrally from front to rear (ie it's like an England flag, with the red cross being the gangways).

Using your left/right as you are sitting looking at the stage or screen, and assuming the room is otherwise almost empty, where do you choose to sit? Please give your top two choices, and your own handedness.

I'd go for front row of rear left quadrant, next to the right-hand gangway, then back row of the front left quadrant, again next to the right-hand gangway. I am right handed.

Update: As promised, the original report:

"Right-handers sit to the right of the movie screen to optimise neural processing of the film

Although our bodies appear largely symmetrical on the outside, the way our brains are organised and wired is rather more lop-sided. This is obvious to us in relation to handedness, whereby the brain is better at controlling one hand than the other. The idea that, for many of us, the left-hemisphere is dominant for language is also widely known. However, functional asymmetry between the brain hemispheres also affects our behaviour in more subtle ways that are still being explored. The latest example of this comes from Japan where Matia Okubo has shown that right-handers have a preference for sitting to the right of the cinema screen, but only when they are motivated to watch the film. The finding is consistent with the idea that in right-handers, the right-hemisphere is dominant for processing visual and emotional input. By sitting to the right of the screen, the film is predominantly processed by the right-hemisphere and the suggestion is that, without necessarily realising it, right-handers are choosing to sit in an optimal position for their brain to digest the movie.

Okubo presented 200 students with a grid showing the seats available in a cinema (a central area was shown as occupied; the screen was at the top of the grid). In the first experiment, all the students were told that the film was enjoyed by friends and critics, with half also told that the story was sad and depressing and to imagine that they'd rather avoid seeing it. For students who only heard the recommendation, the right-handers were far more likely to choose a seat to the right of the screen (74 per cent did so), whereas the left-handers and mixed-handers didn't show a bias for one side or the other.

For the students who were put off the film, none showed a preference for the right-hand seats, regardless of their handedness. This suggests that we only choose an optimal seat for our brain organisation when we're motivated to watch the film. Left-handers and mixed-handers are known to have a more balanced distribution of function across their hemispheres so this could explain why they didn't show the opposite bias to the right-handers.

A second experiment was nearly identical, but this time half the students were told the film was excellent and depressing, whereas the other students were simply told they wouldn't enjoy it. Again, when they were motivated to watch the film, even a depressing one, the right-handers showed a bias for seats to the right of the screen. 'People tend to adopt the most effective manner in which their hemispheric functions can be utilised,' Okubo said, adding that: 'It is tempting to think that some other undiscovered behavioural asymmetries can also be discovered through this approach'.

This new research comes after a past study showed that adults with a more artistic, less analytic thinking style (associated with the right hemisphere) were more likely to sit on the right-hand side of the classroom; and another that showed people are more likely to exhibit the left side of their face (controlled by the right hemisphere) when asked to express emotion in a family photo, but to show their right profile when asked to pose as a scientist.

Okubo, M. (2010). Right movies on the right seat: Laterality and seat choice. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24 (1), 90-99 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acp.1556

Author weblink: http://www3.psy.senshu-u.ac.jp/~mokubo/matiaE.html"

From the outset I didn't think I agreed with the research, and your comments (although comparatively few in number) also suggest that it is flawed. There seems to be at least one uncontrolled variable acting here, which, as Ham points out in the comments, could be the side of the road people drive on.

Please make some effort

Mr BW is currently interviewing for a new member of his team.

The second candidate who turned up today had his shirt top button undone under his tie, jacket pockets bulging with seemingly half his worldly possessions, and was generally scruffy and unkempt.

A fundamental requirement for the role is to be well presented, well organised, and an excellent communicator. Part of the test for the candidates is to correct a written statement for readability, grammar etc.

Mr BW emailed me the result of this candidate's test:

The companies current telephone system urgently needs replacing and this project has been given a high pryority. There are still outstanding problems with the [brand] link between the [x]s & [y]s sites.. This makes the requirement for new and improved tellephone system’s even more urgent!

I think there are more errors in there than there were in the original piece provided for correction.

Now, this isn't a junior role, for an inexperienced person. It is a job that will pay around one-and-a-half times national average wage, with commensurate expectations and responsibilities.

I thought there was currently a shortage of jobs?

And does anyone actually have a CV that is truthful any more? With more and more employers refusing to give ex-employees even oral references these days, it seems to me that a fundamental requirement to get on is to be a good and convincing liar. If no-one is going to be able to confirm or deny the Grimm's Fairy Tales you write in an application, why wouldn't you pretend you'd been a section manager when you actually only ever made the tea? And there are now so many different qualifications around that even *I* can't keep up (lots more new ones and replacement ones coming on-stream in the next few years too), and I've worked in education all my life, for the last 21 in an assessment, training, inspectorial, intervention and advisory role, so what hope have employers got?

The Wisdom of the Ages

I don't know how old you have to be before you realise that you don't have to take nonsense from the rest of the world.

Today I refused to sit all day in a village hall that was smelly, through being half-painted and filthy, because the local supermarket's charity team had messed up their repainting project (largely, I suspect, because they weren't supervised at all by the Village Big-Wigs who'd asked for their free services). Paint is one of the things to which I have developed a hyper-sensitiivity, and I didn't see why I should end up in bed for several days because of it. As it was, one of the other class members offered use of her local home to us, but the person in charge of bookings was rather upset when I told her we wouldn't be paying for the session, and expected the next session for free as recompense, if she wanted our regular booking to continue.

One of the same group of Texti1e Ladies told how her planned move had fallen through last Thursday as they were meant to be moving on the Friday. It cost her £1200 in wasted solicitors' and removers' fees. The writing had been on the wall for several weeks before (purchaser messing about asking really stupid questions), but they had ignored it, not wishing to give the purchaser an 'exchange or lose it' ultimatum, 'Because it will upset him.'

Last week I told a texti1e tutor that she shouldn't be trying to cater for 21 students (plus 4 spectators) when she'd been engaged (and paid) for a one-off session to teach 9. She was so unassertive and disorganised that I ended up saving (largely teaching and re-organising) the session for her. I'm not sure why I bothered, mind, because she cheefully took the money and hasn't even bothered to phone me or drop me a line to thank me for saving her bacon. But, given that one of today's Texti1e Ladies had heard the story, I think I made my point.

I'm forever hearing stories from my wide circle of acquaintances of this workman or that workman, or this company or that company, not meeting expectations. OK, so, if they don't, why pay them, or continue doing business with them? And why not then use The Power of the Internet to let other people know? (Aside: for those of you wondering, I've not heard any more from the weirdo a couple of weeks ago...)

A work colleague rang me this evening to seek sympathy, saying that she'd invested 30 hours in planning for a course, only to be told two days before that it was no longer required. She hadn't taken any money up front, and had not put any written T&Cs in place for such an eventuality.

Why do people let themselves be abused in these ways?

Maybe one learns from experience? Maybe I'm just mistrusting? Or old?

Or just hard and realistic?

Today

The sun came out for the first time in what seems like (and probably is) weeks. Bright but cold.

I noticed pink blossom just breaking on the viburnum. No snowdrops yet though.

The fictional figures seem to say that UK GDP has increased by 0.1% after six quarters in the red, so the Governmint are patting themselves on the back and saying what a wonderful job they've done in getting us out of this recession. I beg to differ.

I came to the conclusion that the very worst food for me is Scotch egg. Meat, wheat and battery-farmed egg. I've realised that I have a lifetime of eating garnishes off plates of unsuitable buffet food ahead of me.

And, a whole month on, I still haven't found my close work glasses.

This is an entry for The Most Boring and Pointless Blog Award.

Have your say

I generally despair of online petitions, consultations, surveys, polls and their ilk. They are usually badly conceived, badly constructed, and often totally pointless as one knows that no notice whatsoever will be taken of them.

Occasionally something vaguely reasonable comes along. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority are currently consulting on MPs expenses

I completed it when I first discovered it (via), and don't recall a section on MPs resettlement allowances - which, news at the end of last week showed could be as high as £65,000. How one needs 'resettling' when one has had two houses, and built up enough high-level contacts to have a cushy-ever-after lifestyle (directorships, speakers' circuit etc) I have no idea. I can't find a list of military resettlement allowances, but I know they're only a small fraction of that... I do recall a section in the questionnaire for 'any other comments', so, if you complete it, maybe you could add something on the subject of the necessity (or otherwise) of such huge resettlement payments.

The survey is here.

Anyone else learn a new word while completing it?

And I'm concerned about the placement of the apostrophe in the phrase "MPs' expenses." While it is a plural, it is the 'Members' that is the plural - turning it around the other way - always the best way of working out the correct placement of an apostrophe - gives, "The expenses of Members of Parliament", which would give, in full, "Members of Parliament's expenses," or "MP's expenses." Or perhaps there is a different rule in such circumstances? I'm not sure. And nor is Google. Such a thorny issue.

But, do complete it. Your views might just make a difference. At least you'll have tried...