Helping with the cost of living crisis

We have talked a bit about the cost of living allowance here with the triple whammy of increasing energy, food and transport related expenses on top of high housing related costs.

Yesterday in an address to Parliament the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, he outlined his proposals following last weeks cabinet meeting here.

This followed warnings that millions could be left struggling if energy prices rise again in October as expected typically around £800 and that it was necessary for government to make a clear promise to help even if the plan wasn't quite ready in order that would feel they were not being left to struggle with matters.

 Eight million households on means-tested benefits will get £650 paid directly into their bank accounts in two lump sums - one in July, the other this autumn.

There will be separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households and £150 to individuals receiving disability benefits - groups who are "most vulnerable to rising prices"

The emergency Household Support Fund, which is allocated by councils in England, will be extended by £500m to £1.5bn. The Devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will receive equivalent funding.

The situation is fluid so if needed additional support could be announced at the next Budget and any tweaks when it comes to eligibility for help but to me it goes go a long way toward meeting the unparalleled financial challenges and rightly targeted at those who need it the most.

The package of new measures, worth £15bn in total, will also offer more targeted help to pensioners and the disabled and will be offset by a 25% "windfall tax" on the profits of the energy companies that have soared given the rises on the back of increased charges.

Pictured is the Chancellor (third to the right) with the Conservative MP's for Stoke On Trent.

Changing perceptions

 

Last week saw a Cabinet meeting here in Stoke On Trent at Middleport Pottery, which in recent years has had much investment in new equipment and work on expanding the visitor based heritage aspect.

Security that Thursday was tight, the very location being kept secret with just references to being "in the Midlands" and later on "Stoke On Trent" was mentioned although seeing footage of interviews with the public on the BBC, I could work out what part of this City Region they were in knowing the buildings.

It was unusual as while the Prime Minister has been here before and for that matter is known for visiting Wolverhampton in the Black Country where he worked for a period for the Express & Star, cabinet meetings have never been held here.

In this picture, Boris Johnston is talking with local business leaders - and note the number of women - about opportunities and concerns in much the same way Michael Gove went to talk people on new housing development on the former Royal Doulton's site.

Traditional Oatcakes were on offer for lunch to in the café area

For me the important thing was it showed this area was able to host such high calibre events given our traditional tendency to underplay our abilities, that it offered a platform to raise the profile of some of our most important businesses, and it got people generally talking about us as we tend to be obscured by Big Brum in the south and the twin cities of the North West Manchester and Liverpool being equidistant.

It is obvious from what was said afterwards everyone was delighted with how it went being impressed with what the area has to offer.

Will they consider moving the Lords to here when The Palace of Westminster is being repaired - and it jolly well needs it - who knows but given the Treasury was moved to nearby Trentham Hall during WW2 it might just happen.

Coffee break randomness

It is a very wet and windy day as I sit writing this blog entry having been effectively kept in looking at  printed matter, specifically the Summer Specials of comics you just looked forward to in an era of muted colour on newsprint cos they were the "deluxe" product rather like many singles back the just had die cut company sleeves rather than the picture sleeves we saw more from the eighties and beyond.

For all that plainness though I felt I knew where I was and where the world was in so much as we paid any attention to newspapers and news casts.

I've always had issues with executive functioning and putting things off, sometimes I have to 'emit' almost silently instructions to myself because in the absence of I'd either become totally absorbed by something neglecting my other needs or never get something that needs to happen done.

Screwed up paper, tossed pencils and that are not unusual things to find when I'm in any kind of an office. 

Sometimes it seems a miracle this blog even happens given how I'm feeling at the start of the week!

Stylus options

Strangely enough there hasn't been much mention on this blog about records as in playing them apart from one from around 2013 which mentioned my then current turntable and the device that takes  the low output of your cartridge which tracks the groove to convert that to something that comes out of your amplifier and speakers.

These days a Marantz direct drive turntable used used with Ortofon Concorde SME bayonet twist and lock cartridges for all record playing duties being easy to replace the stylus - the bit that goes in the groove wall - when they wear out.

 

Basically it's the same internally as the regular screw in the headshell version and you would adjust the height so it sits correctly for the best sound.

Like a few people I tend to have a number about because the sharp bit that goes in the groove comes with a variety of different options such as models for mono lps made before the late nineteen sixties when stereo lathes were used to cut all regular records because the groove wall was wider.

You can get less noise on such a record if well played by using a wider tip.

Ever since the advent of stereo discs hifi as a hobby had taken off the battle was always about getting the most information from  from the groove so we moved from broadly speaking rounded tips to tips of an elliptical nature to go further down into the groove and more closely follow what was cut.

Generally that means the highest notes can be better reproduced because the stylus is more able to trace them which is fed into the generator system of the cartridge  and often this is a great thing on newer, well cared for discs.

Because it does go that much into it, it requires more care in keeping your records clean to avoid hearing any pops and ticks.

 

That is one reason perversely I did get a traditional spherical stylus for playing records that while not be scratched had been played on less exacting equipment such as the record player I had when I was young.

The Ortofon 5S is a high quality spherical stylus that tracks at a lower weight around 1.75 grams so it won't wear records but because it sits up in the groove a bit more tends to play those singles better for not seeing the slight wear.

It is offered in starter turntables with a cartridge because it does offer much better sound than many disco type models and causes little wear for little expense while allowing if a person chooses to fit more exacting styli just by pushing off the fitted one and adding a replacement.

Mr Hifi Bore apart from having issues with normal type I tapes and Mp3's often railed at such stylus's but actually not a few very high quality moving coil cartridges did come with spherical tips and were highly regarded.

I feel provided the stylus is well made, the balance between different types properties is a personal one and some may be prepared to trade a slight loss of the highest notes for quieter surface noise especially on singles and longer albums where the cutting levels tend to be low.