words

Word : Blackamoor

Time for another interesting and fun word, so I give you:

Blackamoor

1. A black-skinned African, an Ethiopian, a Negro; any very dark-skinned person.

and thus by association …

2. A devil.
3. Black-skinned, quite black.

The OED gives the earliest written citation as 1547. The word was used for several centuries without the deprecatory or pejorative connotations we may infer given that it often referred to slaves or servants; it merely served as being descriptive. While, like piccaninny, the word itself has fallen out of use, largely due to it’s perceived pejorative inferences, one can still find a significant number of public houses in the UK with the similarly inspired appellation The Black Boy(s).

current affairs, thoughts

Reforming the NHS

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Now that’s better! These are the sort of initiatives that the NHS needs to become efficient and save money.

I maintain that the NHS already has shed-loads of money to do everything it needs to, and which we, the patients, need it to. But it also has shed-loads of waste — and in that I include a superfluity of managers and bean-counters — plus far too much political interference.

Initiatives like those in the linked article are sorely needed, and are in my opinion (one part of) the way forward. But they should not have to be coming from above or from the National Audit Office. They should be coming from the “workers” (for want of a better word to cover clinicians, nurses, admin staff, cleaners, etc.) at the grass-roots level, who need to be empowered to do things; to make decisions; and make changes like this without fear.

However empowerment like this needs some radical paradigm shifts, and it is a two way process. The managers have to allow the workers to be empowered; inded the managers have to encourage it by trusting people! Equally the workers need to embrace that empowerment and make it work while also trusting the management. And the barriers around all the vested interests and private hegemonies (in which I include the trade unions) have to be broken down.

There also has to be a paradigm shift in attitudes. I see too many NHS staff (mostly on the admin side) who appear not to give a toss about either their jobs or the people they serve: they are inefficient, unhelpful, rude and lackadaisical; too many appear, frankly, not to be up to the job but there because the Job Centre has told them to be. Others are interested in doing the bare minimum to survive the week and draw their pay, and bugger anyone else.

Certainly not all NHS staff are like this — it would be hugely unfair of me to suggest they are. Very many are excellent, dedicated and caring, but so often hamstrung by the rest.

These poor attitudes have to change or they will sink the organisation even further. And the waste is something we now cannot afford, if we ever could. This change can be done; I’ve seen it done in a multi-national company where the company’s very survival was on the line; we changed or we got out. It wasn’t easy, or comfortable, and it will take a bit of time. But a determined CEO with a vision and some balls can do it.

It has to start at the top with a vision clearly explained and ruthlessly chased down. But it has to be embraced by everyone from the top to the bottom. And those who don’t want (or can’t) change have to be moved aside and if necessary replaced by people who can and will change: either by retraining those whose jobs are no longer needed or by some very selective hiring. (This is not an exercise in job/people cutting unless absolutely necessary.)

It will also need some very long, hard and critical looks at expenditure, waste and job requirements. Everyone has to take responsibility for reducing waste and being flexible; “we’ve always done it that way” is no good any more. Management have to set clear, workable, cross-organisation policies and enforce them.

There will have to be properly specified and managed IT efficiency projects. They will be big projects, needing a range of top class IT industry professionals who have to be listened to and trusted. They have to be properly funded, and the money will have to be released by the efficiency savings they generate along the way.

Do all this and it can be made to work. It will take time: probably at least 5 years and maybe 10. But you will end up with an efficient and effective organisation which fulfils all it needs to, at a reduced cost.

Yes, it will be uncomfortable and difficult for many, if not most. I know; I’ve been through it; I didn’t think I could change, but I did. So yes, it does work and people will change. If you want proof, ask anyone who worked for IBM throughout the 1990s. Ask Lou Gerstner, the CEO who made it happen and saved the IBM Corporation from self-immolation.

Yes, that means the NHS needs a top flight CEO. One with a vision and a lot of balls. One who will not be bullied or cowed by the politicians, the unions or the vested interests within. One who will run the organisation as a company; a company where every employee is a shareholder whose job and whose end-of-year dividend is on the line. And a company where every patient is treated as a valued customer who can (and will) take their business elsewhere.

Can it happen? Yes, it can, but it will need something else too: politicians with the vision to allow it to happen and who can invest in some long-term thinking, rather than short-term expediency. But isn’t that what we pay our politicians for?

arts, pleasures

Wallace Collection

Earlier today I had a meeting at The Wallace Collection in central London, which is just off Oxford Street near Bond Street tube station. While there we took the opportunity for a quick look at a couple of our favourite things.

The Wallace is a mine of all sorts of art eccentricities from paintings (famous and not so famous), through Sèvres porcelain and French furniture, to bronzes, metalware and armour. It describes itself on its website as a national museum in an historic London town house. In 25 galleries are unsurpassed displays of French 18th century painting, furniture and porcelain with superb Old Master paintings and a world class armoury. Their description used to be A Family Collection, A National Museum, An International Treasure House — and that is precisely what it is!

Apart from my meeting and the inevitable coffee and cake, we stopped to look specifically at three things: the current exhibition, Poussin’s painting A Dance to the Music of Time (of course!) and some of the Dutch naval paintings.

The current exhibition is The Noble Art of the Sword: Fashion and Fencing in Renaissance Europe. It contains some delightful examples of both functional and ceremonial rapiers from around 16th and 17th century Europe, together with a few artefacts and numerous contemporary illustrations.

Some of the metal work is stunning, but for me the highlight was the Parade costume of Christian II, Elector of Saxony which dates from the first decade of the 17th century. Costume from that date is rare, and something of this quality and in such good condition is just fabulous! With it was the Elector’s (ceremonial) rapier, the hilt inset with blue enamel and lapis to match the costume.

Having seen the swords, we made our way up to the first floor, past paintings by Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Canaletto for a quick look at Poussin’s painting A Dance to the Music of Time, inspiration for Anthony Powell‘s 12 volume magnus opus of the same title. Whenever I see the painting, which is always hung nicely at about eye-level, I am surprised by how small it is at just 82 x 104 cm.

On the wall opposite the Poussin is Frans Hals’s (wrongly named) The Laughing Cavalier, which today was amusing for having, left nearby on the floor, a reproduction lace collar complete with ye olde press studs.

Click these images for larger versions on Flickr
cav1 collar1

Finally we went to the newly transformed and restored Dutch Galleries, which look stunning. They contain some of my favourite paintings: the Dutch sea scenes of Willem Van De Velde (1633-1707). Many of these paintings, two of which are below, would have been done at a time when England was at war with Holland and Samuel Pepys (another of my “heroes”) was in charge of the British Navy.

Van De Velde
Calm: Fishing Boats under Sail		 Van De Velde
The Embarkation of Charles II at Scheveningen
This was the Restoration in 1660; Samuel Pepys was there

If you’re in central London and have some time The Wallace Collection is well worth a visit. You may not like everything it contains — personally I dislike the Sèvres porcelain and the ornate French furniture — but you’re almost bound to find something you like. The Collections are a nice size: worth seeing but not too huge. While to do it all in detail would take a lot of time you could absorb and enjoy the highlights in an hour or so.

The restaurant is definitely up-market, if not a little pretentious; the food is always good, although the service can be slightly tardy; our slices of coffee cake were gargantuan! There is the usual shop. Visitor information is here, and entrance is free.

All images except the two of the Frans Hals are © The Wallace Collection.

beliefs, current affairs, nudism

Stephen Gough

Interesting press release from British Naturism (BN) on the charade of the Stephen Gough case: Life imprisonment for dressing naturally. They’re right on the money. This is a farce, even if Mr Gough is being wilfully confrontational.

So “life imprisonment” is an over-reaction? No, because apparently a Scottish judge has made it clear that he will continue to be imprisoned until he gives in. Given that everyone agrees he is harmless, that is crazy and obscene treatment. Indeed I could suggest that under the international convention on human rights it amounts to (in the legal phraseology) “cruel and unusual punishment”.

Apart from the fact that Mr Gough clearly has little money, why has this case never been referred to the European Court of Human Rights?

Whether you like nudity or not, the whole affair is a disgrace of the first order.

natural history, science

Wasps

I know many people don’t like wasps. People are afraid of them because they buzz irritatingly and because we have learnt they sting — rather painfully. And yes they can be annoying little buzzers. Generally if you ignore them, they’ll ignore you; but if you annoy them they’ll order reinforcements (and yes they do — using pheromones!).

But I happen to think wasps are wonderful creatures, unless you are one of the unfortunate very few who are allergic to them (when they are actually rather dangerous).

In fact all the social insects (bees, wasps, ants, termites) are amazing for the way their colonies are run and organised. But I am especially fond of wasps, because without wasps we would not have life as we know it.

That sounds like an overstatement. And until the other day I might have agreed.


Vespula germanica, worker

First of all, what I already knew, is that wasps are incredibly useful predators. Without them we would be knee deep in creepy-crawlies. Our common European wasp species, Vespula vulgaris and V. germanica, predate caterpillars, and indeed other insect forms, which they feed to their grubs. Most of the other social wasps do this; and many of the solitary wasps parasitise caterpillars. In fact almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitises it, making wasps critically important in natural control of pest numbers.

If you’re an insect, wasps are formidable predators with paralysing stings and razor sharp jaws. I’ve seen a common wasp catch a large bumblebee, sting/paralyse it, snip off it’s head, wings and legs and fly off with the body (which it could only just carry) — all in about 60 seconds.

Wasps will also take carrion to feed to their larvae. If you have wasps around, try leaving out small piece of red meat (raw or cooked) and if you’re lucky you can watch the wasps chopping off small chunks and taking them away. (By the way the adult wasps feed on nectar and sweet fruit which is why they become more of a nuisance in the Autumn when they look for more quick calories to keep them going.)

Wasps are also incredibly good at destroying dead wood. They use tiny slivers of wood, often chewed into paper, with which to build their nests. We have a handful of old pine logs in our garden and in a just 3 years or so the wasps have largely destroyed many of them. On a warm summer day you can watch a continual traffic of worker wasps cutting off slivers of wood and carrying them off.

All that I already knew. So now for what I didn’t know. Indeed what until recently no-one knew!

As if all the above wasn’t enough it turns out that yeasts, and especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae — that’s the common yeast we use for brewing beer, fermenting wine and proving bread — likely overwinter in the guts of hibernating queen wasps, ready to spread on the surface of fruit (especially grapes) the following summer. Yes, until very recently no one knew this, despite S. cerevisiae being scientifically very important as a “lab animal” as well as commercially (and socially!) valuable.

In a recently published piece of research (you can find fuller reports here and here) scientists worked out that many species and strains of yeasts were overwintering inside queen wasps, being transmitted in the Spring to their new larvae, which then as adults reinfected fruits. Wash; rinse; repeat.

Other mechanisms for yeast overwintering are proposed, so this may not be the only way. But it looks as if it may well be a very important way. And it is a route which was totally unknown until recently. (In fact the natural history of yeasts is generally poorly understood, despite their importance.) As always more research, and more questions, beckon.

This is why I love science. We are still making amazing discoveries like this. The more we look, the curiouser and curiouser the natural world is.

Moral: If you have wasps around, LEAVE THEM ALONE; they’re amazing little creatures which provide us some good service.

personal, ramblings

Five Questions #5

OK, so here is my answer to the last of the five questions I posed some weeks back.

For me there is nothing difficult about this one.

Question 5. Do you ask enough questions? Or do you settle for what you know?

No, I don’t ask enough questions. In my view you can never ask enough questions and anyone who genuinely seeks after knowledge of any form will always have another question to ask. But there are times when you have to settle for what you already know.

It is only by asking questions, looking for something new and pushing the boundaries that we ever make progress. That was as true for stone age man banging his rocks together to make fire as it is now. It is the fundamental of the scientific method: ask questions and don’t believe anything until you can reliably demonstrate it; be forever skeptical.

We learn and generate our views by asking the age-old question: Why? Yes children keep asking “Why?” for a reason — to gain more knowledge of how the world works. (So maybe “Because” isn’t actually a good answer, however tempting it is!)

Society’s morals, ethics and beliefs are essentially the consensus view of the majority (or at least of those in whom we invest the power to decide, eg. politicians, clergy, etc.). Progress is made by philosophers and people like me questioning this consensus view; asking why we have these beliefs; suggesting that there are other, better, ways. Sometimes our views prevail. Most times we are ridiculed. In neither case is it certain if we are right or wrong — indeed in many instances there are no right or wrong answers, just answers which currently work. When our views prevail the consensus moves, society’s beliefs change and progress is made.

Science works in the same way. There is a sum total of knowledge; think of it as a boundary. Essentially there are two types of researcher who attack this boundary, trying to move it forward, as an army moves it’s battle-front forward foot by foot, mile by mile.

There are the pioneers who forge way ahead with off-the-wall thinking: “Oh look! A happens, and so does B. I wonder if that means X97C also happens?” Sometimes it does and suddenly there is a breakthrough at the battle front.

Then there are the supporters, the completer-finishers (in Belbin terms), who come along saying: “We know A, and B, and X97C, and Z23XM. But is this also true for C, D, E … Z …?” And they fill in the gaps behind the pioneers.

Both are moving the battlefront forward in their own way. But they can do so only by repeatedly asking questions. Questions are how we learn and how we make progress. So unless you want to stagnate you cannot ask enough questions.

But there is a corollary. You can never have all the information you need to make a decision. If you did it would not be a decision but a fait accompli. Indeed you can never have enough (let alone all) information to make a decision.

But decisions have to be made; there often (especially in business) isn’t time to acquire more information, let alone all the information one would like. Management, in fact life in general, is all about making the best decision one can with the information available at the time**. The best managers get these decisions right (or at least not wrong) more often than the less good managers. Those who have successes in life make averagely better decisions for them than those who who are always stumbling from crisis to crisis in life’s basement.

[** This is also why it is pointless, and destructive, to regret something you’ve done. You made the best decision you could at the time; we all do; it would take an alien mind not to. You did your best; you cannot do more. Yes, by all means learn something from the experience, but regret serves no purpose.]

But even then there may be no right and wrong answers, because part of the available information is one’s outlook on life, and who is to say my cautious approach to investments is better or worse for me than your more risky approach is for you?

So to sum up. Keep asking those questions. But in life know when to stop, consolidate and make that decision. In searching for knowledge, just keep right on.

— ooOoo —

So there we are, five answers to five deceptively simple, but actually quite challenging, questions. Questions which have made me ask more questions, and in answering them pose yet further questions. Questions whose answers have turned into little philosophical essays. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed, maybe even been challenged by, this mini-series. I hope to do another sometime soon, when I have more questions, ideas or challenges. Meanwhile suggestions are always welcome!

photography

Gallery : Delicate

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Delicate. That’s the theme for Tara’s Gallery this week. So, I give you …

Frosted Roses
Frosted Roses
Click the image for more views on Flickr

This was one of the first really good digital photos I took. It is February and this is our large pink rose bush. Flowers still in February? Yes, that’s not so unusual as this rose is so prolific it just flowers and flowers and flowers — and it is unusual if it doesn’t have some blooms on Christmas Day.

And this image started a new tradition for us. We used it for our first home produced Christmas card in 2005. We now have our own Christmas cards printed, as large postcards, each year: it can be cheaper than commercial cards, people get something special (usually something I’ve taken that year) and there are no envelopes to fiddle with. Wins all round!

You can see our other Christmas card images on Flickr.

current affairs

Milking the Farmers

Does anyone else find this charade about the price dairies pay farmers for milk somewhat curious?

According to today’s Telegraph the four largest dairies — Robert Wiseman, Arla, First Milk and Dairy Crest — have all now cancelled a 2p/litre cut in what they pay farmers for milk.

Isn’t it curious that they all planned essentially the same cut, at the same time? And have now all rescinded it?

(OK, the latter is supposedly in response to the farmers’ protests.)

They’re still paying the farmers below production cost. So GOK how the farmers make ends meet. Presumably they have to find a way to cross-subsidise their milk production. But it beats me why anyone would want to produce a product on which they can’t make a profit. By rights the UK farmers should not be producing milk at all. But then I’m not a farmer.

Does this whole thing have the smell of a cartel amongst the dairies, because it certainly looks that way? And that makes one wonder what role the farmers (despite all their quite justified protest) and the supermarkets have in this.

Hmmm … Dirty tricks in agri-business again? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.