If you never got to grips with metrication for some strange reason or other perhaps now you should.
That measurement of length, The Metre, is going to figure in your everyday life from now on for the forseeable feature because it is becoming the new social distancing minimum in England from next month.
It's about three adult foot paces and a smidgen and it's there because the previous distance, two metres was becoming more of solution in search of a problem making it difficult to conduct everyday life while not providing that much extra protection because our sneeze droplets can go as far as six metres and frankly a face mask is a much better protection at preventing transmission which is why in England and Scotland you have to on public transport.
It allows more things to open up because not only did the built up infrastructure not work well two metre distancing with delays forming as people wait to get in, also it made it potentially unviable to reopen some where a metre plus a few measures to control transmission would work better.
It may help with the mess which is trying to reopen schools for all five days a week.
It with masks and no dry hair cutting is allowing hairdressers and barbers to reopen from July 4th having booked my appointment already that would of struggled otherwise.
Just gotta relearn the distances after the last three months or so.
One increasing trend as retailers adapt to and reopen in the Covid-19 environment has been to change payment systems typically replacing traditional cash for contactless debit or credit cards for small transactions.
These are typically small stores that sell items of low value which traditionally we'd of payed for by cash such as Bakers like Chatwin's locally who sell marvellous bread and cakes and Greggs who famously sell sausage rolls following sector advice not accept cash in case the virus is on it.
That can be a problem for those who don't have bank accounts with cards or for shopping for others who may find it too difficult or are staying home because of extreme vulnerability to infection who even if they had a card should not be providing some one else their PIN number.
This might even had worked had such stores accepted regular credit or debit cards but these store are refusing to accept the UK's chip and pin system where a chip is read and you are prompted to enter a four digit PIN.
This is because they also fear transmission of the virus from your hands to others via the touch pads.
The contactless card currently with a £45 per transaction limit just requires being held and waved over a reader that then beeps when the transaction is made.
The problem is some typically older customers were never given the option of having the contactless sort at the outset and others were refused because they would not be issued to those whose credit score fell below a set figure.
Thus in this much altered world we've added social exclusion from certain shopping for sections of society.
After a half an hour trying to get someone at their bank because bank staff are working from home, my elderly folks were elated to get a person issue them new cards which are contactless as they were increasingly struggling to shop because of this issue.
This week Black Lives Matters supporters launched a campaign to remove any statute or name that in their opinion is racist, benefited from or supported slavery, imperialist and a host of other isms.
First to go with this.
Toppled by the group, Edward Colston like many Bristolians was involved in the slave trade to which no one today would argue was morally right BUT his money made from what was a legal business people accepted then was used to found school, halls, hospitals as he was benefactor, improving the lives of Bristol's residents, making the city what it is today.
That was what he was given the statue for, not his business.
How does daubing in red paint, pulling it down, vandalizing it before drowning deal with the inequalities of Black and Asian Bristolian's today?
Under threat of removal and vandalized, Winston Churchill's statue because of his support of the Boer War.
He has always been a controversial person however without Churchill, this country would of been occupied by Nazi's who would of murdered blacks, asians, jews and anybody not a nazi like the protestors themselves.
Would of you of been living today had it not been for this admittedly flawed leader?
I would of been murdered as a learning disabled person by Nazi policy had they of taken this country over.
This man means a lot to millions, Robert Baden-Powell founded Scouting a international, non racist inclusive movement that has made a massive difference on five continents and of all races and nationalities.
Today he is being removed by Bournemouth and Poole Council because Black Lives Matters say his involvement as a member of the British Army in the Boer War and his preparedness to personally see the German Hitler Youth, which he rejected means they have him down to be toppled and thrown across the sea for being racist .
How many Black and Asian girls and boys have benefited from what he did making men and women who made a difference to their communities and their own lives?
Millions but this doesn't matter to Black Lives Matter nor does it that the Scouting Association to talk about and support opposing racism, taking action if anyone tries it with the organization.
Shakespeare is synonymous with English literature and the theatre and yet his plays were written to appeal to an Elizabethan audience and patronage do have anti-semitic characterizations by such logic should pictures and statutes of him be removed?
Should Stratford upon Avon be classed as a town that makes its money out of racism?
No, because we know he wrote for what people thought at the time, that he did a lot and actually it provides us an opportunity to explore, expose the attitudes for what they are and it shows us how we've moved on as imperfect as society is.
Something else to consider: If your families have lived here for centuries, grew up with any and all of them seeing the flaws and the good people did taking a rounded view, how would you feel if all your past is being removed even destroyed before your eyes by people, the majority of which only go back three or more generations without any reference to democracy or rule of law?
More to the point, try destroying the Egyptian Pyramids made on back of slavery or taking down the Great Wall of China because of the genocide of non Chinese Moslems and Buddhists in Tibet which they invaded in 1950 and see how they'd respond? Is it different and if so, why?
This week we bring you an emergency.
Chester Zoo, Established by the Moddershaw's in the early half of the last century may face closure soon because it is costing more than their savings to keep it running as like most other things it has been shut down thanks to Covid-19.
Thing is Zoo's are not like Primark or McDonalds just selling something you want, in fact the lion's share of what the zoo does is animal research and conservation as there's some nasty pieces of work in Africa, Asia and South America who kill animals for money often meat and bones.
This means whole species could become extinct and that is where this zoo like many come in, keeping them alive.
Unfortunately the UK government body that Zoo's come under is not treating them like research establishments underpinning the running costs but more as visitor attractions.
This chap probably has more brains than that department and so because they cannot make up their minds about how to re-open zoos although Chester Zoo has devised a scheme to allow for reopening, they can't so they are unable to get 93% of their year on year funding.
This means by the end of 2020 they will be facing a £24 million debt.
It may not take long before it is wound up.
It's all about the hair although fashion appears to get a look in with plenty of summery dresses that might be best bet right now.
Hair is in the news. No, I haven't been arrested for the state of my hair which has seen much better days like a good number of us following this lockdown stuff kicked off in mid March growing out all over place and making hair hats difficult.
It's like when can return to a cut and a styling while at same time having time served assistance dole out advice in a all girl therapy setting?
H M Government is saying sometime after July 4th those sectors where people work very close to customers for longish periods - say fifteen or more minutes - they can reopen so long as they show how they are going to keep us all two metres apart, avoid cross infection and not have too many people hanging about.
This said one group who represents barbers and hairdressers reckons they can be ready following the government guidelines for after June 15 IF they let them as they're ready to go already.
Seeing there will be a pent up demand for trims, restyling and colouring from many of us to me it appear to make sense if they can open that early to let them as it may well take two or three weeks to work through all of that.
Meanwhile I'll polish my handbag to use to get my place to the front of the line on the day as I've had enough of my hair.
I'll bet ya this thing was invented by a man!
Well the last time we looked at this series was in November when we remarked about how long it had been for the original NOW albums to be freshly minted as cds for modern generations and a few issues with them.
Now 5 came out in August 1985 a good while after Now 4 which I remember well buying the lp on the day but was delayed until May 8th this year on cd thanks to that goddam Covid-19 virus slowing everything up.
One thing to do is compare and contrast with the original cover.
The first thing you'll note is that top cover tag line "Thirty Top Ten Hits - Double Album" isn't there but was on three of the four previous cd issues in this series.
The one that wasn't of course was NOW 3 as that one had two tracks removed as you might recall
Curious cos I'm a Neko of course I looked at the tracklisting per cd and notice there are only 14 tracks on the first cd which you'd know can only indicate one thing as 14+15 can only result in 29 when I was last in school.
Anyway look just to the right of the Number Five above Marillion for a clue.
Sure enough even in this scan you can see how the first disc had 15 tracks and the on that is missing happens to be This Is Not America by David Bowie with the Pat Metheny Group not his biggest hit but a notable one sandwiched between Slave To Love and Don't You (Forget about me).
Why it isn't there I have no idea as I know as a Bowie fan it made his 2007 Best of 1980-1987 cd compilation cos I bought it and that's like thirteen years ago.
Perhaps the co artists have a do not use on various artist albums clause in a contract???
So first off we have an issue from the start and they don't even address it by saying "We regret being unable to bring you This Is Not America by David Bowie with the Pat Metheny Group featured on the original lp/mc because ..." leaving people under the impression this is how the album was which is misleading.
As a Now album this was less hit laden than the previous four for two reasons, the first being two other groups of record company's had issued similar hits compilations only months before such as the CBS/BMG records Hits 2 that had hits by Paul Young, Foreigner and ZZ Top and their own excursion into compilations of hit 12" dance mixes.
Five 12" Singles per side of two lps. Wow!
That said while it's low in chart toppers what does contain are key tracks such as Don't You from the Breakfast Club film soundtrack, A View To a Kill from that years Bond movie, Walls Come Tumbling Down, the last biggie of the Paul Weller vehicle The Style Council , Walking On Sunshine plus some fine soul and dance tracks like Feel So Real by Steve Arrington and the unforgettable Magic Touch by Loose Ends.
It was a teen essential purchase in that year but as I said the tracks that would of made an excellent volume or two were being spread too thin to give the kind of overview we'd of loved but the MCA/Chrysalis Out Now series soon folded strengthening subsequent Now albums and the Hits series.
When it comes to versions as I expected a number of the original edited or remixed ones appear to be lost and have been replaced.
For instance tracks
by Scritti Politti, Stephen ‘Tin Tin’ Duffy, Paul Young, Marillion,
Bryan Ferry, Sister Sledge, Simply Red all appear on the CD in longer
‘album’ versions and not the 7” mixes included on the original.
By way of contrast ‘Cherish’ by Kool & The Gang is featured on the CD in a shorter version than the original release.To conclude I would say it is flawed cd version of a desirable Now album, enjoyable for the tracks selected even if the version differences may irritate those of us who know our records inside out but the bigger loss is This Is Not America which is a great reflective Bowie performance.
*Photo credits: Shropshire Star.
The week ends up on a different feel than when it started not least because in England and Wales people can go to garden centres to buy plants, seed, tools and the like for planting it home.
Planting things especially out of doors is acknowledged as something that helps people who are prone to depression as they can care for and grow things of utility such as vegetables or of beauty such as plants and flowers deriving much satisfaction from it.
Admiring some big gardens with lots of things growing has helped me stay more cheerful through this Covid-19 nightmare and now people can do more of that.
It also underpins people near me, like the local Nursery who had been struggling growing lots of things that no one could buy and inexplicably you could buy plants and flowers from supermarkets but not a garden centre which typically are less busy.
Some measures have had to be put in such as sanitizer for applying to hands and trollies, one way shopping systems to minimize people getting closer than the Social Distancing requirements and contactless card only payments coupled with online order for bigger orders that can be collected.
Judging by the overwhelming public reaction, this appears to be something that people feel matters.
