Friendly fun & liveliness at LINK co-operative.

Now we begin to build up LINK co-operative and it’s various ventures...  Membership is free and all we really ask is that when you can you make an effort to attend our meetings and share your experiences.  - They happen as  FRIENDLY FORUMS every month. Usually on Fridays, occasionally Thursdays; details are in this paper or visit  www.bizbodysoul.com 
     I’m John Broadhead, editor and ‘co-ordinator’ - it means to try to make sure everything happens as planned and of course that’s impossible; but we are here whatever and it’s all part of the friendly fun & liveliness of LINK co-operative.
    Working together on the events and getting people along when they need transport, is Steven Jhakra, who runs
E Comm community transport. We met outside the ‘every little helps’ shop and Steven helps more than a little in many ways!
    Evans Gallo is our political editor - he talks, rightly, about ‘checks and balances’, definitely a politician!  Sometimes we do politics and hope to have a benficial influence on life in general , in finding jobs and homes.

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Adventures with The Trailer. .

A little time ago my able assistant and I were heading towards the local tip with the trailer well loaded.  All was well and this was not the first time we had made such a journey. Then, as we got near to our destination, I imagined I could smell burning, and suddenly there was a terrific bang!  I thought at first ‘engine trouble!’  -- but on stopping to inspect discovered the tyre had been catching against the trailer side, got very hot and so burst!  The solid axle had twisted to cause this to happen and a major repair was needed.

So what could we do?  We could not leave the disabled trailer here on a public road and it would be very expensive to get it removed. Our first task was to empty the trailer. We loaded the contents into the car and took them the short distance  to the Tip.

It then took more than two hours to get the empty trailer back home. This including picking up the spare wheel, freeing the jammed wheel hub and lots of ingenuity to keep the axle in approximately the right position so it could be towed. We had to keep stopping to realign the axle and I/we really thought the mission was impossible! But finally, by some miracle, we got the trailer home and into the back yard. Here it rested for two months or more and the axle was taken to a local garage for some patching together,

Then recently, after lunch, we tried again to fix up our old friend. We added bolts to the axle to help keep the patched welding together. Also we ran a piece of angle iron from the axle to a wooden  block to stabilizer the angle and stop axle movement.

“Why don’t you just buy a new trailer’ people have asked me. Well” I said “I like this trailer it’s been with me for so long and while I have had 3 or 4 different cars ---    ‘Now  I decided to go to Lidle and take the trailer, empty, for a trial run.

I get onto that twisty lane near the church, there is sudden scraping noise and I notice a small wheel overtaking me on my LHS, running in the grass and foliage at the side of the road! I realise that the nuts on the wheel hub were not tight and so the wheel had come off! At first I thought our under carriage repair had failed - so it could be worse.
So think I “ it’s poss. to borrow 2 nuts from the wheel still in place to fix back the wheel now in the hedge. I ring DMB who comes along with the correct wheel wrench. On Dorrette's arrival she manoeuvred the wheel in position while I lifted the trailer up. We went home and wheeled the trailer to it’s parking spot.

Just another day and the Trailer, with lots of TLC, is back in use.  

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WAS IT A DREAM?

I DO NOT LIKE RADIO 4 ALL THAT MUCH,  it always seems so negative and my wife is always listening to it!!! “Come on turn it off – you like radio 4’s drone  better than me –  ‘ yes I do’ Says she.. 

Then , on that venerable station, I heard something new about mortgages – It went something like this  ‘And government have decided on this policy and told the banks that people should be allowed to pay less rather than be evicted. The economy is in such a dreadful state and this allows people to keep on borrowing to keep the economy moving and it looks better this way for those in power.’

The banks do not want to take their share of responsibility for this . They have  provided  money for many houses in the hope of high profits and without proper research into the future of the economy.  

Now, in the completely changed economic landscape, they must do as other landlords do and take the lower rents that people can afford.  If they evict they will get less and lose disgruntled and disappointed customers they have helped to produce. Also there will be lots of wasted, empty and degenerating housing stock.

The signs are not good for returning to days of plenty and money wise I do not see things getting any better. The challenge now is to find  ways that, people may deal with the unavoidable austerity measures that have to be taken.

So WAS IT A DREAM? ---this ‘something new about mortgages’       I think it was not. 

What is vital now  is a new time of transparency and truth to relieve people from the trauma and stress of the more austere times that are coming.

This may well encourage us to work for the recovery of the UK. But it can only  happen when we have a caring and fair concensus government without partisan interests.    

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DANGER! the almost real excitement of the internet.

I walk to Wetherspoons for ‘ breki’.    It is not bad, but not to my ‘new diet’ standards. Sometimes, however, we need a change and let someone else do the cooking – or put it in the microwave!

On box is Levenson enquiry.   I’m not too interested but note that perhaps 30 people are involved in running the court room and many more in preparing the rooms---

Also I note that Sky is apparently giving a whole channel to relaying this to ourselves the interested public. Why are we interested? – it may well be because of the virtual world we are slowly but surely being sucked into.   Here is a great danger – a sort of media infection of the mind, our minds.

I read somewhere that this virtual world that revolves around facebook and twitter and the like, is dangerous because instead of intelligent conversation we talk only with typing ‘yes’ or ‘no’. 

No longer do we have mates around because they are all busy typing away to their ‘101’ or many more 'friends' on the computer.

This makes the likes of Bill Gates and Facebook happy and gives the Stock Exchange something to report on. But is it really good for the likes of you and me?

Is real life passing us by in the almost real excitement of the internet.    

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Get rid of cheap drink? For many this is a Coping and Relief mechanism

David Cameron talks of getting rid of cheap drink and putting on a fixed higher price per unit. Basically a good idea and should reduce binge drinking?

Perhaps he and his advisers in this matter need to look further. Why do people drink to excess? Is there a reason behind this apparently stupid behaviour?

Undoubtedly this is, for many , a coping and relief mechanism.

Now if, as government says, ‘70% of UK  people are happy’, why are more and more finding drink necessary? Do they find their happiness in the resulting oblivion; and what pressures are they trying to escape from?

It seems likely then that most people are far from happy. They are hounded by the bad news in the media,  with it’s penchant for negative reporting.  Lately some government action against media lies has been taken but these should be stopped completely – it is not a word game and a truthful media is essential.  

The next stress is the distinct possibility of interest rates rising in an already hard financial situation and annoyance that the banks  go free of any penalties when it was their irresponsible lending that suddenly brought on this hard situation.

We are ‘ all in it together’ but problems seem much bigger for the average person than they are for politicians and bankers.

So David et al’s plan  to impose higher costs on alcohol are helpful;  but as they must well know, far from the complete answer.

To move to a more full solution a strong influence must be taken over the banks.  Reduced interest rates and mandatory controls must be applied with suitable rental purchase schemes offered to those in financial difficulties.  The chance to carry on paying for their houses will help the banks business also.  If, under this pressure, they leave the UK so be it. In fairness they must offer a helping hand help to clear up the situation they have certainly helped to create 

Next a pragmatic effort to provide more jobs must be made; There are opportunities to do this e.g. Open up bio fuels green industries,  reopen many of the closed coal mines and their  support industries. Fund extra work in the building industry, start  and help fund good apprenticeships. Start new car industries , even refurbishment projects. 

All of this is not cheap but it will reduce benefits payments, help to start the economy moving and give jobs and self respect to those who are often forced to sit at home.

And last in my list of solutions ,  but first in importance,  provide an inclusive disciplined education so those many who do not fit the present narrow template that educationalists accept as ‘good’, may move out of school prepared adequately for the difficult task  of obtaining employment. 

Until a more caring  ‘giving approach’, encompassing many of the above ideas is taken there is little doubt the drinks culture will continue with all it’s accompanying social stresses and unease.       

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How to kick start jobs to liven up the economy – the reality and the solution --- continued—from 16 December 2011

Most important get education in order. Children with attention difficulties could be taken from classes as necessary and given suitable tasks - physical training, practical work, carpentry, building walls, cookery, simple electronics, whatever. But something as far as possible on a one to one level. Remember even Children who fill the university intakes are often mentioned as having to undertake remedial English courses!

This is the first and most vital point..

Next we must provide jobs/apprenticeships for youngsters. A starting point would be to open the coal mines that have been closed. Tis would also br good for the economy. Of course espensive but the jobs provided would be many and much other real industry would grow from this. It is not that youngsters without jobs are lazy. But most people be bored if asked to sit at a keyboard all day or give out endless useless papers or cut grass in parks.

Certainly also a car industry could be re-established. It might begin with refurbishing used cars and progress from there. Again mechanical and technical training would spring up from this.. And here is a little sub industry that already exists in the many garages that are all around us. If grants were made available to help those who were willing to share their skillls many youngsters who would take such training seriously and be given a valuable starting point.

Expansion not just to repair but also to develop lines in refurbished and even new specialist models would follow on.

Moving on to the stalled building industry. Here refurbishment of older properties, now standing empty would provide work. Again to say it is not that youngsters , those without jobs who are lazy. So often courses are not available -. Because not all work fits into the narrow template that educationalists accept as ‘good’. Government could provide loans to help purchase of new properties and reward banks for providing reasonable schemes to help people into their own homes.

In the private rented sector banks could be pressed to provide reasonable rates and extended repayment terms so that taking buy to let properties became viable and allowed decent profit margins to be made. Again this would provide work and experience for young people. and along with this rent to buy possibilities could be set up for those prepared to put genuine effort into getting a stake in their own homes.

Here are 5 kick start’ possibilities.all quite possible to do. Instead of sending youngsters looking for jobs that do not exist these real jobs could be created.     

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INTRO - to BIZ BODY and SOUL

to find out more go to www.bizbodysoul.com

I/ we believe and conclude that our own bodies and minds, when fed a good diet with adequate physical exercise and a settled mental background, are well capable of providing the healing and maintenance we require in most situations.

Then, if we can accept this, how best can we prepare so this holistic healing and maintenance of our bodies can happen?

It seems to me we must look closely at our needs. Though we have many different ones I think we can generalise them in this little picture of what we all need…

First comes a program to follow, days to busy ourselves and days to rest. Then a strong healthy body to carry us through is essential. And finally, for our minds, a belief and hope so that we can relax, be mentally settled and find wellbeing.

So our Site banner proclaims ‘LINK - biz,body and soul.’ -- And continues ‘We tirelessly research ---and aim is that more & more may join our ‘journey of discovery’. Our work is finding and supporting our elements of ‘biz, body and soul’, and getting them into a happy combination - a valuable, new holistic approach to wellbeing.

It is not intended as a substitute for any medical treatment you may be undertaking but to give a strengthening of energy so that you may find a brighter and well aligned approach to whatever you have to tackle.

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