LOCATED ON THE PENINSULA OF THE ARABIAN SEA, OMAN OFFERS WARM WATERS, DRAMATIC COASTLINES AND AN INCREDIBLE SPECTRUM OF MACRO LIFE.
With vast deserts and rich history, the Sultanate of Oman is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. Until the 1970s, the country was almost completely closed to outside visitors but since it opened its doors, the scuba diving world has become richer because of it.
Oman's coastline is relatively untouched and there is some fantastic diving near the capital of Muscat. You can also head to Oman's northernmost region of Musandam, which juts into the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. This rugged, remote land has nutrient rich waters that support a massive amount of diversity and abundance of marine life. Here divers can relish the opportunity to dive on gorgeous reefs with mesmerizing marine life, including the elusive whale shark.
Far to the south, the area around Salalah has a pristine coastline with seemingly endless bays and beaches. Kelp forests appear here during the summer, made possible by a cool upwelling during the monsoon, and then slowly die back in late September. This makes it uniquely possible to dive in kelp and on coral reefs at the same sites for a short time.
The best diving here is from October through May when the seas are calm and the water is warmer.
Perhaps it's time to take a scuba diving holiday to Oman before the secret gets out!
The PADI Drift Diver and PADI Boat Diver courses will help you enjoy diving the many offshore islands. The PADI Cavern Diver course is also a good choice for the sites with caverns, tunnels and swim-throughs. The AWARE – Fish Identification course will help you appreciate the diversity of fish species.
Through October to February, the ideal months for both diving and land excursions, the water temperatures reach 83F (28C). The winter months are an ideal time to visit Oman due to the improved visibility and more varied marine life. The average visibility on dives hovers around the 50ft (15m) mark, however with favourable upwelling and currents the visibility can exceed 85 ft (25m). Although the visibility does not seem vast to some, the reason for the visibility is nutrient blooms that attract shoals of fish.
This string of small, rocky islands north of Muscat are encircled by coral reefs and are a nature reserve and an important turtle nesting site. You'll be surrounded by abundant fish and glide over lush coral reefs down to 30 metres/100 feet. It's not uncommon to see turtles, of course, but also rays and reef sharks.
Several dive sites are located within a series of coves and bays southeast of Muscat. The diving is predominantly on relatively shallow coral reefs, but the area also features a few drop-offs and one of the best wreck dives in Oman - the Al Munnassir. The Oman government sunk this 84-metre/276-foot vessel as an artificial reef and she now lies upright on the bottom in about 30 metres/100 feet of water. Giant morays, large schools of snapper and goatfish as well as turtles and rays all now call the vessel home.
This small limestone island offers excellent diving with swim-throughs and reefs down to 40 metres/130feet. It's also known by another name – Shark Island – due to frequent sightings of sharks on the adjacent sandbanks.
Normally accessed from the United Arab Emirates, at this site you'll find that the ocean has eroded a series of chambers and tunnels into the surrounding limestone rock, which provide hiding spots for spiny lobster, cleaner shrimp and other creatures from the turtles cruising by. The sandy bottom of the caves is the perfect daytime resting place for rays and sharks. Be sure to bring a dive light.
The two dives sites at Lima Rock are normally accessed from the United Arab Emirates. Here, you'll find coral encrusted walls to depths of 20 metres/66 feet along with caves and crevices created by erosion of the limestone substrate. Schools of jack and tuna prowl the open waters adjacent to the rock and you may spot whale sharks in the cooler months.
Many of Salalah's dive sites are reached safari-style by four wheel drive vehicle, but there are also boat trips available. You'll tuck into a small bay to access the coral covered rock outcrops populated with morays, sharks, octopus, snapper, turtles and occasionally, dolphins. Sites will look very different when kelp is growing versus when it's completely gone.
You can often encounter huge schools of fish and colourful and healthy reefs. Due to the Sultans progressive green policies, the marine ecosystem is improving annually.
At particular dive locations around Oman you have the opportunity to encounter white tip reef sharks, green and hawksbill turtles and even spinner and bottlenose dolphins.
The reefs off the Omani coast can contend with the reefs of Egypt, with beds of vibrant table and bush coral. Although the visibility is not as clean as the Red Sea, the sheer amount of mackerel fish that school in the thousands is stunning!
Located on the peninsula of the Arabian Sea, Oman is much more than a dry desert country. Warm waters and stunning macro life await you!
The landscape of Oman is as beautiful above the waves as it is underneath. Endless deserts, wadis, valleys and mountains hold a regal beauty.
Muscat is the capital of Oman, located on the east coast, once famed as one of the most powerful trading countries in the world with a strong influence in the Indian Ocean.
The majority of Omani people practice Islam with the spoken language being Arabic, yet with a strong British influence English is spoken widely and well throughout Muscat in particular.
Like many countries in the Middle East, Oman is a monarchy, ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. Due to the Sultans forbidding of religious fanaticism, Oman is a stable country with no evident sign of Islamic extremism. The local Omani people are humble and hospitable, with no animosity to foreigners.
Oman is perfect for a multi-activity holiday due to the close proximity of great dive sites to Oman's other must see destinations.
Day trips that cannot be missed include Wadi Al Shab, 86 miles (140km) from Muscat on the Qurayat – Sur Coastal Road. Here fresh water collects in tranquil turquoise pools lined with palm trees and vast canyons on either side.
To immerse yourself into the real culture of Oman, visit the Muttrah Souk, located in the heart of Muscat, this is where you feel the bustling energy, a place where street stores are overflowing with frankincense and jewellery, and around every corner you will smell a new and fragrant Omani spice. This is truly the heart of the city.
For those who love nature there is one sight in particular that is special. Ras al Jinz, located on the Sharqiya coast, where hundreds of green turtles haul themselves up the beach to lay their eggs on the beach.
Oman is more than just diving; it holds so many treasures that can be benefited by all.
Muscat can be reached directly by virtually all main international airports, however there are cheaper options when you fly via Dubai.
Once in Muscat, Oman Air flies regularly to Salalah the only other airport in the country. Buses are a safe and cheap option for those who do not hire a car or have transport organised for them. Buses travel regularly between Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Sur and Mizwa.
By far the easiest and best way to see Oman is to hire a car, where you can cruise across the country through vast mountains, wadis, ancient villages and glistening seascapes.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two same sized greased parchment paper sheets for step 5. Also have a baking sheet readily available.
Add sunflower seeds to a food processor. Process 2-3 minutes to create a flour like consistancy.
Add the sesame seeds and pulse to combine.
Slowly add water, stirring or pulsing until a thick paste forms.
Place the paste between two greased pieces parchment paper. Roll out the paste as thin as possible. Remove the top piece of parchment.
Lightly score the batter into squares with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Bake until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then gently breaking into squares as scored.


text:
Let 3 je hrvaška rokovska glasbena skupina z Reke, ki so jo ustanovili leta 1987. Frontmana skupine sta baskitarist in pevec Damir Martinović »Mrle« (rojen 15. julija 1961) ter pevec Zoran Prodanović »Prlja« (rojen 18. decembra 1964). Zasloveli so zlasti v državah bivše Jugoslavije, vključno s Slovenijo; poznani so po svojem alternativnem pristopu k rockglasbi in razvpitih nastopih.

Svoje prve pesmi so objavili leta 1987 na kompilaciji Rijeka-Pariz-Texas, leto pozneje pa so izdali debitantski album »Two dogs Fucking«. Doslej so skupno izdali 10 albumov. Kljub kontroverznosti in provokativnosti so v dolgoletni karieri prejeli več glasbenih nagrad, med njimi kar nekaj prestižnih porinov.

Leta 2023 so zmagali na Dori, hrvaškem nacionalnem izboru za evrovizijsko pesem, in s pesmijo Mama ŠČ! bodo zastopali Hrvaško na Pesmi Evrovizije 2023.

Zgodovina

Skupino Let 3 so na Reki ustanovili konec 80. let prejšnjega stoletja. Kmalu je postala prepoznavna po svojih nenavadnih, kontroverznih, mestoma nespodobnih nastopih, ki so odražali eklektičnost reške glasbene scene. Člani skupine so se zavzeli tudi za liberalne vrednote ter na primer podprli gibanje za pravice žensk in pripadnikov LGBT ter se uprli konzervativni politiki in katoliški cerkvi.

Prvi album »Two dogs Fuckin'«, na katerem je bila tudi znamenita pesem Izgubljeni, so izdali leta 1988. Sledila sta album »El desperado« in dvojni album v živo »Živi ku**c«.

1997–2000: albuma  in
Leta 1997 je skupina izdala svoj peti album z naslovom  (v prevodu 'Nezaslišano' ali 'Neslišano'). Izšel je na zgoščenki, ki je bila pravzaprav le kos plastike, brez česarkoli posnetega. Kljub temu so prodali 350 izvodov. Naslednji album  (v prevodu 'Edina') so leta 2000 sprva izdali le v enem izvodu, ki pa ga skupina ni dala v prodajo ali distribucijo. Nato je založba izdala nekoliko spremenjeno različico in skupina je iz protesta na Trgu bana Jelačića v Zagrebu uprizorila navidezen samomor.

Ob koncu leta 2000 je v Zagrebu skupina razkrila kip, poimenovan  (v prevodu 'Babičin kurec'), ki je prikazoval žensko s podkvasto oblikovanimi brki in meter dolgim spolnim udom. Kip so razstavljali po številnih mestih na Hrvaškem.

2001–2010: album
Po petletnem studijskem premoru so leta 2005 izdali singel Rado ide Srbin u vojnike (Pička), ki je izšel na albumu »Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka«. Album, na katerem so združili zelo raznolike glasbene sloge, je požel precej pozornosti že s samim naslovom in ovitkom, v videospotu za omenjeni singel pa nastopajo igralci v srbskih in albanskih narodnih nošah, sedijo na kavču in se samozadovoljujejo.

Decembra 2006 so bili kaznovani zaradi nastopa na prostem v Varaždinu, kjer so člani skupine nastopili goli. Na sodišču so se zagovarjali, da niso bili goli, ker so v dankah imeli čepe, kar pa sodnikov ni prepričalo in vsak od članov skupine je prejel denarno kazen v višini 350 hrvaških kun. 14. decembra 2008 sta dva člana zasedbe v pogovorni oddaji Nedjeljom u dva med predvajanjem v živo simulirala ejekcijo plutovinastih zamaškov iz zadnjikov, zaradi česar so prenos oddaje predčasno končali.

2023: Dora in Pesem  Evrovizije
9. decembra 2022 je skupina Let 3 objavila, da bo nastopila kot ena od osemnajst sodelujočih na Dori 2023, hrvaškem nacionalnem izboru pesmi za Evrovizijo, in sicer s skladbo z naslovom Mama ŠČ!. Za nastop se je članom skupine pridružil hrvaški umetnik Žanil Tataj Žak kot lik »« (kar pomeni 'Lenin' v šatrovačkem žargonu). Skupina Let 3 je na izboru 11. februarja 2023 zmagala s skupno 279 točkami (drugouvrščena skladba jih je zbrala 155) ter s tem postala hrvaški predstavnik na Pesmi Evrovizije 2023, ki bo v  Liverpoolu v Združenem kraljestvu.

Člani zasedbe

 Damir Martinović (»Mrle«) – baskitara, spremljevalni vokal
 Zoran Prodanović (»Prlja«) – vokal
 Ivan Bojčić (»Bean«) – bobni
 Dražen Baljak (»Baljak«) – kitara
 Matej Zec (»Knki«) – kitara

Bivši člani zasedbe

 Branko Kovačić (»Husta«) – bobni
 Kornelije Đuras (»Korni«) – klaviature
 Ivan Šarar (»Faf«) – klaviature
 Ivica Dražić (»Miki«) – kitara
 Nenad Tubin – bobni
 Igor Perović (»Gigi«) – kitara
 Zoran Klasić (»Klas«) – kitara
 Orijen Modrušan – kitara
 Alen Tibljaš – bobni
 Marko Bradaschia – bobni
 Dean Benzia – bobni
 Siniša Banović – bobni
 Ljubomir Silić – baskitara
 Raoul Varljen – klaviature

Albumi
 Two dogs fuckin' (1989)
 El Desperado (1991)
 Peace (1994)
 Živi kurac (uživo) (1996)
 Nečuveno (1997)
 Jedina (2000)
 Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka  (2005)
 Živa pička (uživo) (2008)
 Kurcem do vjere/Thank You Lord (2013)
 Angela Merkel sere (2016)

Nagrade
 1997: porin – za gledališko glasbo v predstavi »Fedra«
 2001: porin – najboljši album alternativne glasbe (»Jedina«, Let 3)
 2001: crni mačak – izvajalec leta (Let 3)
 2001: crni mačak – pesem leta (Profesor Jakov, Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – album leta (»Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka«, Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – glasbena skupina leta (Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – izvajalec leta (Prlja, Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – videospot leta (Rado ide Srbin u vojnike (Pička), Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – producent leta (Iztok Turk in Mrle, »Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka«, Let 3)
 2006: zlatna koogla – najboljši ovitek (»Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka«, Let 3)
 2006: porin − najboljši rock album (»Bombardiranje Srbije i Čačka«, Let 3)
 2006: porin − najboljši videospot (Ero s onoga svijeta, Let 3)
 2023: Dora – zmagovalna skladba (Mama ŠČ!)

Sklici

Glasbene skupine, ustanovljene leta 1987
Hrvaške glasbene skupine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How to put byte stream image data into JSON object? I want to  put multiple images in JSON object using byte stream format, i wrote the following code.
FileInputStream fin = new FileInputStream(pathToImages+"//"+"01.jpg");

        BufferedInputStream bin = new BufferedInputStream(fin);

        BufferedOutputStream bout = new BufferedOutputStream(out);
        int ch =0; ;

        sun.misc.BASE64Encoder encoder= new sun.misc.BASE64Encoder();
        byte[] contents = new byte[5000000];
        int bytesRead = 0;
        String strFileContents;
        while ((bytesRead = bin.read(contents)) != -1) {
            bout.write(encoder.encode(contents).getBytes());
        }
JsonObject myObj = new JsonObject();

I want to put encoded byte stream in myObj,but dont know how to do it.
Thanks

A: JSONObject myObj = new JSONObject();
myObj.put("1",encoder.encode(contents).getBytes());

I think this will work.

A: Assuming you are using Java 8, and the javax.json package:
Path path = Paths.get(pathToImages, "01.jpg");

ByteArrayOutputStream bytes = new ByteArrayOutputStream(
    (int) (Files.size(path) * 4 / 3 + 4));

try (OutputStream base64Stream = Base64.getEncoder().wrap(bytes)) {
    Files.copy(path, base64Stream);
}

String base64 = bytes.toString("US-ASCII");

JsonObjectBuilder builder = Json.createObjectBuilder();
builder.add("data", base64);

JsonObject myObj = builder.build();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package com.lms.service;

public interface LoginService {

	boolean login(String user, String username, String password);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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Harvard Law School to Scrap Crest Over Links to Slavery
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL has decided to drop its crest because of links to an 18th Century slave owner in the latest race row to engulf a leading university.
The Massachusetts law school, which is part of one of the world's leading educational bodies and includes President Barack Obama among its alumni, formed a committee to investigate the crest following protests and sit-ins by students.
Students campaigned for five months for the removal of the crest and established a group called Royall Must Fall, whose name is based on the Rhodes Must Fall group that campaigned for the removal of a Cecil Rhodes statue at Oriel College, Oxford.
The decision was announced on Friday that the crest should be replaced because it includes the seal of plantation owner Isaac Royall — a notoriously brutal 18th Century slaver.
The crest, which states "Veritas" and shows three sheaths of wheat, was modelled on the Royall family crest and was adopted as the symbol of the law school in the 1930s.
It is widely used on buildings, merchandise and stationery at the law school.
"We believe that if the law school is to have an official symbol, it must more closely represent the values of the law school, which the current shield does not," the committee said in its report to the Harvard Corporation.
The Royall Must Fall group said in a statement: "This does not represent the final destination, but only an advance in the struggle for racial justice against white supremacy at Harvard Law.
"'Royall Must Fall' will continue to fight . . . to ensure that this school becomes the justice school it holds itself out to be."
Royall was the son of an Antiguan slaveholder known to have treated his slaves with extreme cruelty, including burning 77 people to death.
The slave-owner and businessman played a key role in the establishment of Harvard Law School. He left land to Harvard College to establish the first professorship in law at the school and Harvard Law School was later founded in 1817, 36 years after Royall's death.
Dean Martha Minow endorsed the departure of the crest. "Its association with slavery does not represent the values and aspirations of the Harvard Law School," she said in a message to campus.
The row over the crest is one of several race-related issues that have triggered protests at the university in recent months.
Portraits of several black professors were found vandalised at the college in November, a day after a campus rally for black students.
Racially charged protests at the University of Missouri in November sparked a wave of demonstrations and frank discussions about race at many other campuses.
Harvard students have called on the law school to open a diversity office, among other demands.
Last week Harvard also decided to retire use of the title "house master" to denote staff who head up undergraduate residences, instead calling them "faculty deans" after students protested that the term harked to slavery.
In Britain, campaigners were furious in January when Oxford University's Oriel College refused to remove a statue of Rhodes, the 19th century imperialist, a white supremacist who endowed the Rhodes Scholarship, which has helped students from across the world study at the university.
Source: American Renaissance
Minority Crime is Caused by White Oppression
Right and Wrong: "Diversity" Destroys Morality
Racism and IQ
Jewish Supremacy
Blacks in America Owned Black Slaves
White Slavery: You Can't Debunk the Truth
Extremely Unwise Move: Sterilizing the Most Advanced Human Beings
Tags:DiversityHarvardProtestsRaceSlaveryUniversitiesWhite Supremacy
Failing Candidate Rubio Chooses Jewish "Vulture Fund" Billionaire Singer as Fundraising Chairman
Birds Can "Speak" in Phrases
The Blankos: Sucking Their Thumbs at the Back of the Bus
Dissident Millennial
CommentaryNews
Jared Taylor vs. CNN's Forthcoming Hatchet Job on White Nationalism
Christopher Strenta
10 March, 2016 at 6:35 pm	— Reply
Behind the smoke and mirrors, this kind of extreme egalitarianism always has the same ulterior motive: divide and conquer.


New information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones and the Internet are considered important instruments for advancing social and economic development throughout the world. The benefits of ICTs, however, have not been evenly distributed among individuals with different socioeconomic status. For example, few studies consider how ICTs affect men and women differently. The dearth of studies that integrate gender analysis is particularly true in the case of ICT interventions in the health sector, broadly known as e-Health. e-Health refers to the use of ICTs in different aspects of healthcare including healthcare delivery, administration, education and communication. While there is a growing focus on the potential impact of e-Health application and practices in the developing countries, little attention is given to how the technologies can address women's health concerns or how particular interventions affect men and women differently. The objective of this paper is to explore the gender dimensions of e-Health interventions in developing countries. A select number of projects funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are systematically analyzed to draw out good practices in integrating gender analysis in e-Health research projects. We conclude by summarizing the good practices and applying them to analyze new projects to ensure gender is integrated adequately. The paper underscores that e-Health interventions in developing countries need to better articulate the social processes of inequality that affect access and use by men and women.


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Camp vs. Kitsch: Wishing You A Joyous Life Day
Originally published on Camp vs. Kitsch
Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars Holiday Special, the timeless classic in which Han and Luke help Chewie return home to celebrate "Life Day" with his family on his home planet. The special starred all the original Star Wars actors, plus Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, Jefferson Starship, and she who had yet to become everyone's favorite Golden Girl, Bea Arthur. The special is best remembered for introducing the character of Boba Fett in an animated sequence, and worst remembered for generally sucking in every possible way.
I was only eight months old when the special aired, so I can't speak for what the hooplah around its original airing might have been. The special has taken on an unintended life as an object of fascination in part because it seems to be the only Star Wars artifact that George Lucas will not exploit to enlarge his coffers. So the question that plagues me is this: was the special originally created as a cash-grab to milk the then-new Star Wars phenomenon, or was this actually an attempt at artistic expression by Lucas (in which case, none of us have anyone to blame for our surprise at the suckitude of the prequels except for ourselves). In other words, does this qualify as Camp, or was it only ever intended to be kitsch?
And then there's Maude…
What could possibly hold up in competition against this… whatever it is? Clearly, I needed to go back to the well of Christmas Specials, and to level the playing field, I thought it would help to focus on pop culture obsessions of the late 1970s. And next to Star Wars, what was the biggest pop culture obsession of the late 1970s? Annie. And luckily, the original Broadway cast of Annie also produced a Christmas special. I've seen less of this one than the Star Wars special, but there's a clip on YouTube featuring the late Dorothy Loudon, the Tony-winning actress who created the role of Miss Hannigan, trying to coax the orchestra into playing at the Christmas party.
Friends of Dorothy?
So here's the thing: I'm pretty sure the Annie Christmas Special was definitely a cash grab, or at best a sort of infomercial for the show. But for my money, I'd say this clip is far classier and more entertaining than anything in the entire Star Wars special. To be fair, I am pitting what is likely the best moment of the Annie show from what is among the worst moments (of a show full of worse and worse moments). But, it's my blog so there you go. Want to argue? Click on the comment button. And whatever you think, cast your vote!
Get This – Survey Results – GlowDay.com


A meticulous documentary film, a point by point repudiation of the Ancient Aliens series. Well done, very compelling, and entertaining. You will learn quite a bit about ancient cultures and dignify their achievements with the veneration that they justly merit. We viewed it in sections, not the entire 3-hour documentary in one sitting.
If you have ever suffered through an episode of Ancient Aliens, or if you think that you've learned something from the series, you need to watch this – any part will do.
Intro, Puma Punku, The Pyramids, Baalbek, Incan sites, Easter Island.
Ancient building sites: Puma Punku, The Pyramids, Baalbek, Incan sites, And Easter Island. Ancient artifacts: Pacal's rocket, the Nazca lines, the Tolima "fighter jets", the Egyptian "light bulb", Ufo's in ancient art, and the crystal skulls. Ancient text issues: Ezekiel's wheel, Ancient nuclear warfare, Vimana's, the Anunnaki, and the Nephilim.
It was produced by Chris White and includes commentary from Dr. Michael Hesier.
It is distributed for free on the internet and is a completely non-profit project. Viewers are encouraged to share, and burn copies to DVD, as long as they do not profit from its distribution.
Feel free to upload this to your Youtube channels and similar sites without any permission, but beware of potential copyright claims from the History Channel (A & E) I believe that all the material used from them in this film is legal under "Fair Use," as it is non-profit, and for the purpose of critique. But they still may try to take the video down from the various site you have uploaded it to, and it could be one of the three strikes against your account (Youtube). You have my permission to challenge them if they do this through a counter claim (they ask if you own the video, so you have my permission to say that you do), I believe that they will back down and reinstate the video if you challenge their claims.


text:
Richemont to Buy Net-a-Porter
In addition to selling luxury clothing, Net-a-Porter has established itself as an online fashion magazine.
By Paul Sonne
Updated April 2, 2010 12:01 am ET
Swiss luxury goods maker Compagnie Financière Richemont SA on Thursday announced a deal to buy U.K.-based online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter Ltd., a transaction that signals the increasing importance high-end consumer goods companies are assigning to online sales.
Richemont, the owner of brands such as Cartier, Montblanc and Chloe, previously held a 33% stake in closely held Net-a-Porter, but agreed to acquire a majority of the company from a group of private shareholders for up to £225 million ($341 million). Richemont said the transaction values the overall company at £350 million.


However, many people don't realise that when they change their game the laws of time also change, so every change made in hindsight is not always as good as you think.
Now this is going to sound a little strange, and probably quite deep in many respects! However, I read something about time and our actions in life and how there are times we wished we took another route.
Some people say they should not have married a particular partner, but had they not, they would not have the children they love now. It's ironic that we would wish for a change in the past without actually thinking how it would affect the now.
The point is that if you perform one action or another, even right now, it can change the course of the future. For example, if I am sitting at a poker table, and I am losing, sometimes I will get frustrated and call a stupid bet where really I should have folded. I then proceed to lose my cash. Later on I get Ace Ace and win a huge hand. Had I not made the stupid move earlier, I probably would not got the pocket rockers.
Now many player would sit there and be thinking; "Dam, had I not made that stupid move earlier, I would be far more in profit now". Actually, that is not true because had you not played that stupid move earlier, your destiny would not have been the same. You would have folded, and the hand would have progressed a lot quicker thus the actions of the dealer would also have changed.
Like I said, this would sound strange and deep, but it is also very true. Nevertheless, that is still no excuse for playing poker or gambling your cash on the Blackjack tables recklessly.
Some would argue that I still should not have made the stupid and risky move I made earlier in my game because I am affecting my card variation in the wider scheme of things. This is also very true, but most of us are living for the here and now. We sign up for a casino bonus code because we want to do it at the time, we go all-in with 2-2 because we feel it is the right move at the time and so on.
Saying of all this what is my point? My point is that you should not always kick yourself for making a bad move, and the old saying goes "We learn from our mistakes"; well at least most of us learn from our mistakes at least, which is more than I can say for a few bidding poker players and gamblers out there.
Next time you make a bad move and then win later on, take pride in the fact that you never know what can happen. Sometimes you will make the wrong move that turns out to be the right move in gambling, but just learn from mistakes and learn to move on and improve.


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Tom Longstaff
longstaff@exchangechambers.co.uk
Joe Mawson 0161 817 2753
Tom Gornall 0161 817 7139
Practice Overview
"Excellent at what he does and puts the client at ease"
"Demonstrated a complete understanding of the matter from the outset – we were impressed with his ability to grasp the issues and address the salient points in a clear and precise manner"
"Handled himself well when opposing Counsel presented him with issues on the door and in Court which helped get the result the Client wanted. Truly a pleasure to work with"
"Very impressive – and user friendly as regards his manner with the client out of the courtroom"
BBP Law School, London – Bar Transfer Test (2017)
College of Law, York – Legal Practice Course (2011 – 2012)
University of York – LLB Law (2008 – 2011)
Inner Temple – Major Scholarship
Inner Temple – Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award
Sidney Sussex Scholarship – 1st in year
Called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (2017)
Solicitor of England and Wales (2014)
Local Government Councillor – Normanton Town Council (June 2015 – June 2016)
Director – The Normanton Freeston Foundation Trustees Limited (June 2015 – June 2016)
Northern Circuit
Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
Banking Disputes Quarterly (May 2016) – Borrowers defending claims on grounds of misrepresentation who seek rescission must repay outstanding principal as a condition to defending the claim
Tom Longstaff becomes a full member at Exchange Chambers
One of the biggest legal claims ever filed in a British court will be heard in Liverpool
Tom Longstaff secures mandatory injunction to ensure essential items are returned to NHS staff
Coronavirus: force majeure, frustration and illegality
High Court compels Defendants to make a Subject Access Request
Tom is a commercial and insolvency barrister with considerable experience of legal practice that has involved appearing in every tier of the English courts up to the Court of Appeal.
Examples of the cases in which Tom has been recently instructed include:
Acting for Oldham Athletic Football Club following an application to place the club into administration.
Acting for a former director of Bury Football Club in bankruptcy proceedings.
A successful application to revoke a Company Voluntary Arrangement.
A preference trial lasting several days, which raised issues as to the proper scope of sections 239 and 241 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
Acting for a liquidator in a misfeasance claim against a former company director.
Tom has particular experience of making applications for injunctive relief, particularly on an urgent basis. In the past 12 months he has obtained injunctions for a broad range of commercial clients, including to protect IP rights, for the return of goods, to prevent breaches of the data protection regime, and to restrain the presentation and/or advertisement of a winding up petition, most recently in respect of a £14 million debt.
Tom is also being led in a number of cases, including in s.423 proceedings between an American finance company and a guarantor, and a substantial SPA dispute relating to the sale of a well-known chilled and frozen foods business. He has also been instructed as Junior Counsel on some of the largest group actions currently litigated in English courts, relating to both the VW Emissions scandal and the collapse of the Fundão Dam in South-eastern Brazil.
Before being called to the bar, Tom was a member of the Dispute Resolution team of a magic circle law firm in London, and has acted on behalf of large organisations and high net-worth individuals in their most complex and high-profile disputes. He has particular experience of complex litigation in the field of banking and finance, and is able to bring significant commercial experience to the cases he works on.
Tom has a keen interest in pro-bono and has previously worked with a Florida-based charity which assists inmates on death row, and has also participated in numerous initiatives designed to encourage wider access to the legal profession.
Download PDF CV
Tom's recent practice includes:
Advising on the practical effect of the Recast Brussels Regulation and Rome I, and the ability to enforce the judgment of a foreign court in the UK.
Successfully acting for the Claimant in the trial of a contractual dispute in which the Defendant raised various allegations as to misrepresentation and forgery.
Successfully acting for the Claimant in the trial of a debt claim which involved a number of issues, including whether: (1) notice of an assignment from a company in administration to the Claimant was defective; (2) the Defendant had an equitable right of set off; (3) the assignor had appointed the officers of a separate company as their agents with authority to agree a write off of the debt before it was assigned.
Successfully acting as led junior in an appeal which determined whether a commercial contract was an enforceable Damages Based Agreement.
Obtaining an injunction against a former employee of an IT business.
Obtaining relief from sanction in a variety of circumstances, including as to the failure to file witness evidence and the non-payment of court fees.
Advising on claims against high street banks pursuant to the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
Advising a business in respect of breaches of a Joint Venture Agreement relating to shared rights over agricultural property.
Advising a West African company on civil bribery law and data protection policy.
Further, in his practice as a solicitor before being called to the Bar, Tom was involved in a variety of high profile and high value cases, which include:
Defending a major German bank in a £500 million dispute between a lending syndicate and high net-worth individual which alleged 'front-running' and conspiracy.
Acting for a Belgian entity in a Judicial Review of a decision by a UK public body to abort a tender process after a multi-million-pound rail infrastructure project was abandoned.
Acting in an arbitration on behalf of an American client against a Ukrainian hotel owner in a dispute as to the interpretation of a foreign-exchange mechanism used in a Deed of Indemnity.
Regularly appearing in the applications list to apply for administration orders, and to extend the term of an administration.
Acting for the Creditor in contested bankruptcy proceedings.
Acting for the Liquidator in various claims against the former directors of a company relating to unlawful dividends and preferences.
Responding to an application to set aside a statutory demand.
Making an application to restore a company to the register and place it back into administration after further realisations were received by former administrators.
Before being called to the Bar, Tom was part of the team defending a major clearing bank in a £81 million claim in which it was alleged that it had conspired with an insolvency practitioner to force the Claimant into Receivership.
In addition, Tom has been involved in numerous cases with a substantial insolvency angle, which includes acting:
For Sir Philip Green, in the investigation undertaken by The Pensions Regulator following the administration of BHS.
In Blue Mango Investment Holdings v Bank of Ireland in which the Claimant company unsuccessfully applied for an injunction to prevent a sale by a Receiver on grounds of misconduct.
Tom also has experience of acting on behalf of a Trustee in Bankruptcy to recover losses occasioned by antecedent transactions, and in matters where a bankrupt seeks to challenge the conduct of the Trustee.


As we wait for the next dump it is sometimes easy to overlook beauty that surrounds us here in Niseko. Please take a moment to relax and watch this short video by Glen Claydon Photography shot at sunrise yesterday in Niseko.
A Golden Sunrise over Niseko, 18 November 2016 from Glen Claydon Photography on Vimeo.


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Can you create a winning design to raise money for local good causes?
We are looking for five winning designs to go into the official Barnet Giving Charity Christmas Card pack 2017. We will be selling the packs across the borough, in shops, at Christmas festivals, on our website and at offices, schools and sports clubs. All the money raised will help people in need, living in communities near you.
You could be named as Barnet Giving's Christmas Artist of the Year in your age category.
First your school must enrol in the competition by completing the enrolment form here. Once you have enrolled we will send out the entry pack which allows pupils to submit their artwork.
As well as raising money for local good causes, the competition aims to bring together communities across the borough. There will be a judging panel of local creative people and the winners will be announced at a gallery showing of all the shortlisted artists at one of the participating schools.
You can read the rules and conditions of entry here.


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Burwood East Swimming Pool Free Passes and Discounts Up to 90%
Templestowe Lower
Showing results in Burwood East VIC 3151 and nearby...
Pool Blackburn SouthPool Forest HillPool Box Hill SouthPool Vermont SouthPool BurwoodPool Box Hill
Swimming Pool near Burwood East
(~5 min from Burwood East)
(~17 mins from Burwood East)
Clayton Aquatics & Health Club Clayton
Cooke St
Why Clayton Aquatics & Health Club? The Clayton Aquatics and Health Club provides the local community with a great variety of health, leisure and wellbeing services. As part of the Monash city council's commitment to improving community lifestyle, the multi-functional purpose-built community facility was built over the former Clayton Fitness Centre. The new $24 million development was completed in 2007 in partnership with the State Government's Department of Human Services and includes: - A new 25 metre heated indoor pool with leisure play-water for children - A relaxing spa area with natural lighting through an urban-designed layout - A fully equipped...
75% Off - $29.95 for 14 Days @ Clayton Swimming Pool
Surrey Drive (~5 min from Burwood East)
Fraser Place (~12 mins from Burwood East)
8 Warner Ave (~17 mins from Burwood East)
Lifestyle Fitness Wheelers Hill
855 Ferntree Gully Road (~19 mins from Burwood East)
Why Lifestyle Fitness? Lifestyle Fitness Wheelers Hill gym has been servicing the Wheelers Hill and community since 1980, providing a place where community members can feel comfortable to start their new purpose in life - to change their health and fitness! Lifestyle Fitness Wheelers Hill gym offers the necessary support and encouragement for people from all walks of life and age groups to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The Facility provides: - A fully equipped Wheelers Hill gym - 2 fully equipped weight areas - 2 cardio areas - More than 55 group classes a week, including yoga, pilates,...
271C Belmore Rd (~23 mins from Burwood East)
Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre (GESAC) Bentleigh East
200 East Boundary Road (~28 mins from Burwood East)
Why Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre (GESAC)? The Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre (GESAC) is proudly owned and operated by the Glen Eira City Council and is one of Australia's premier sports and aquatic centres. It was built by the Council in partnership with the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments. Every Body is welcome at GESAC! The facility has been developed to provide leisure, recreation and wellbeing opportunities for all segments of the community – from people aged six months to 75 plus. Launched on May the 7th 2012, the GESAC facilities include: - 800 sq/m Bentleigh gym - Over 40 pieces of...
Busybodies Health & Fitness Centre Boronia
29 Erica Avenue (~33 mins from Burwood East)
Why Busybodies Health & Fitness Centre? Busybodies Boronia gym is a family-owned fitness centre built on friendly service, quality facilities and a relaxed and comfortable environment. Built upon these core values we encourage members of all ages and with all levels of health and fitness to achieve their long-term goals. We pride ourselves in offering our members a wide range of fitness including: - Fully equipped Boronia Gym - Two Cardio Rooms with state of the art equipment - Popular group fitness including Yoga, Pilates and Zumba - Boronia HOT Yoga classes - Dedicated circuit studio and boxing circuit room -...
Knox Leisureworks Boronia
Corner Tormore Road & Penrith Street (~33 mins from Burwood East)
Why Knox Leisureworks? Welcome to Knox Leisureworks in Boronia! Knox Leisureworks is Council's leading aquatic and recreation centre aiming to serve the Knox community no matter your age, ability or fitness level. If you want to focus on you, your health and fitness, Knox Leisureworks Boronia is the place to be! You will get access to: - A state of the art Knox Boronia gym - Over 90 classes per week inc. Boronia Yoga, Pilates Zumba and more - Dedicated aerobics and cycle studio - Functional training area with Adrenaline classes - 50m indoor lap and recreation Boronia...


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I . D O U B T . I T
Satire : Science : Shiny
Cosmography
Brighter Days In Ireland
Father and child playing hurling on the beach, or uneven duel with cudgels (Photo credit: Godo-Godaj)
A hot day in Ireland – more special than Christmas. That feast arrives once a year, like it or not. Hot weather is significantly less dependable. If it comes at all, you know not the day nor the hour. Where the wind and the water currents of the Atlantic collide with land, weather is about as predictable as a fruit machine. So hot days are precious.
Which is why I gave up any idea of getting work done and went swimming. I had no choice.
It was lovely at the lake. The water hasn't got very warm yet, but it was fine for swimming. Mostly young people there, throwing themselves and each other in. Some had brought hurls and sliotars (hurling balls) and were practising in the water. The ball landed near me at one stage and I threw it back – or tried. Ever thrown something while floating in water? It's weird, and largely unsuccessful. I was throwing myself backwards as much as the ball forwards. Embarrassing.
I was impressed though by this positive attitude. Galway lost the Leinster Championship final yesterday, to underdogs Dublin. (No Galway isn't in Leinster – it's a long story.) Some might have wanted to forget about hurling for a while after that, but here these young guys were not just practising, but apparently developing an entirely new tactical approach that involves flooding the pitch to a depth of over two metres.
It may be romantic optimism brought on by the weather, but I see hope for the future in that.
Dublin shock All-Ireland hurling champions Kilkenny with replay win (irishcentral.com)
Hurling! (daveshirer.wordpress.com)
This Is How It Begins
Dr James Reilly (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What James Reilly did was nothing special, just politics as usual. That's precisely why he has to go. What passes for usual politics in this country is the whole problem. Politics as usual is what we threw Fianna Fáil out for.
James Reilly is our Minister for Health, in case you're wondering. For the moment at least. And believe it or not, this has little or nothing to do with the Savita Halappanavar tragedy. There was a time when, as an actual doctor running the health service instead of a career politician, he seemed like a breath of fresh air. That chapter was brief, its ending a few months ago decidedly anticlimactic. His Labour party junior at the Department gave up, accusing him of manipulating health service priorities to bring investment and facilities to his own constituency. Documents released now appear to confirm this.
Is that not just the inevitable outcome of representative democracy? People expect their reps to bring back the goods. A little thumb on the scales.
No. A TD is not a warrior-champion, not a hunter. We're sending them to Dublin to represent us there, not to loot it. Government tends to look away when a minister slips some spoils to the folks back home. It helps keep the seat safe at the next election. For ministers, it helps them keep their job and its lavish pay – not to mention its influence. Public money is diverted for their personal benefit in an only very slightly indirect way. In other words, it's corruption. The sort of endemic, omnipresent corruption we used to mistake for normality.
But this is not a victimless crime. Favouring his own constituency disfavours the rest of the country. By taking a hospital from where it's needed most to where it's needed less he's reducing someone's chances of survival – and doing it for his own gain. Just like the worst sort of career politician.
We have had enough of this. He's got to go.
James Reilly Lies as he Distorts Reality (misebogland.wordpress.com)
James Reilly backer owns controversial primary-care site (independent.ie)
Fresh calls for Health Minister James Reilly to resign after latest 'stroke politics' revelations (irishcentral.com)
This – This – Will Fix The Economy
Estate agents insist that property prices in Dublin have stabilised. I remember the first time they said that, back in 2007. And they've stabilized regularly ever since.
But you can't exactly disagree. In a way, house prices are always stable. A house is always worth… about a house. A person can eat a lot or a little food, own a hundred cars or none, but houses tend to stabilise somewhere around the level of one per every two adults. Because try as you might, you can't live in much more than one house at a time. Logically then, housing ought to be one of the most stable commodities on the market. It's actually the rest of the economy that has been vigorously swung around this anchor point. During the housing boom, wages may have gone up on paper, but in house-buying terms they plunged through the floor.
Which gives me an idea… We need a new currency, right? The euro, well, it's lovely and all. I like the colours, and the handy map on the back. But the thing is, we just can't really afford it. Using the euro is like having a currency on the gold standard when the world is desperately short of gold. You can't have a functional economy when the standard unit of exchange is hen's teeth.
And what do we have plenty of? Why, houses! Too many houses, not enough euro banknotes. Think about it.
Of course you can't put houses in your wallet or bring them to the shops. There will still have to be tokens. But the base currency unit should be fixed to the value of the standard house – say the sort of small two-bedroom starter home that was produced like popcorn during the boom. Notes should be denominated in fractions of a house. That way, the price of a home can never run away from you. Save up 1,000 of the new thousandth-of-a-house notes, and you can exchange them for one standard house at your nearest branch of NAMA.
It won't stop people charging more than the standard house price of course, for bigger residences in better locations. But the existence of a perfectly adequate house at a fixed price – well, a price that money is fixed to – should act as a powerful stabilising influence. You'll be able to look at a property ad and say "Well it's a good house. But is it really worth two houses?"
The Land Of The Tree
My plan worked… well enough.
Of course I couldn't sleep on the bus in the end. But I had time to stretch in Dublin airport, drink a coffee to keep me awake until boarding and get my devices recharged. (The new terminal seems at first to be a building somehow designed without power points, but they do have them in the cafe upstairs in departures.)
I suppose I got about an hour's sleep on the flight. Slightly befuddled then, I managed to get lost inside Helsinki airport. I think due to a shortage of gates they let us out into the departures lounge; I should have realised this when the woman serving me coffee wished me a good flight. There was a lack of signage to the exit – people usually depart Departures in planes of course. I ended up in the international transfers sector, which had a door that only opens to you from the outside, presumably an anti-immigrant feature. I was trapped! The only logical escape was to take the next plane leaving the EU.
Fortunately, I wasn't quiet tired enough to be that logical. I waited. Some Chinese people entered, I snuck through and was free.
Not a lot to report after that. I met my friend, we played on the beach with her six-year-old daughter and her daughter's friend. We came home and I managed to stay politely awake through dinner, collapsing into bed around ten in the evening even though the sun was still shining.
It was still shining when I awoke. Well OK, I presume I missed a brief episode of darkness. Helsinki is not above the Arctic Circle. But it was now even hotter. We went to another beach, warmer and more sheltered, where Finnish families from the neighbourhood go to build sandcastles and paddle. This may be a colder country on average, but they have real seasons here. The summer they're complaining about is a hell of a lot better than the one we're complaining about.
I went swimming! In the Baltic. The water is lovely. Being almost enclosed it's a lot less salty than the ocean, so it was more like swimming in a lake. Except it was salty enough to allow me to float with no effort at all. Best of both worlds really.
And I arrived back to find that the world had changed. Though this was America's day officially (Greetings to the Home Of The Brave, from the Land Of The Tree) it was all going on in Europe. The EU Parliament has thankfully rejected ACTA, yet another attempt by Big Entertainment to curtail the Internet. They wanted us to choose between freedom and their profitability. We did.
But then at CERN they found the first solid evidence to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson. It's important? Well, it proves that the scientific theory we call the "Standard Model" doesn't have a huge flaw, that humans do have some idea of how it all works. It's a major step towards a complete understanding of how the universe works, and how it began.
Freedom, wisdom, and floating in a warm sea. Some days are OK.
Scientists Believe They Have Discovered the Higgs Boson! (electronics-lab.com)
Elusive "Goddamn Particle" Finally (Officially) Discovered by CERN's LHC (dailytech.com)
Higgs boson costs Stephen Hawking $100 bet (slashgear.com)
The Road To Finland 2
Dammit, I can't sleep. The hot sun won't stop streaming in through the window. What sort of lake-strewn, tree-befuzzed hell have I arrived in?
But wait, let's start at the beginning. Or at least, where I finished. Yesterday, in Café Wa, in Galway…
The best part of a journey is not to travel hopefully or to arrive, but the moment that comes just a little after you set out. I mean the one when it hits you that it's too late now to worry if you have all the right underwear and cables, there's no point in once again checking your ticket and passport. That ship has, perhaps literally, sailed. Finally you sigh and stretch and let the vehicle carry you.
The worst part conversely is the one before departure, when searching through pockets to confirm the presence of items you know are there is still a live option. And that's the stage I've reached. Essentially I'm writing this to keep my hands busy.
I would have been on a bus to Dublin now but for a last-minute change of plan. My flight leaves at the unthinkable hour of 7:40 a.m., meaning they expect me to check in at 5:40 – about the time I'm usually going to bed. If that sounds convenient to you, consider that I'm the sort of person who can't sleep until they're too tired to stay awake. This means that I have to do the hardest part – actually making sure I get on the plane – when I'm at my least conscious.
My idea was to go to Dublin this evening, stay awake till about 5, get up an hour before that and head to the airport. There was a flaw to this plan. At the bus station though I found that they run all night. New plan then: instead of trying and probably failing to sleep in Dublin – our much worse, falling to wake up – I would leave here at about 2 a.m. on a bus straight to the airport, arriving refreshed and in good time!
Only one possible drawback to this brilliant scheme – It leaves me with hours before my bus, and absolutely nothing left to do.
I wonder if I have an even number of socks.
The Road To Finland (i.doubt.it)
Sea To Ocean
Dundalk Bay beckons
We spent a lot on roads in this country. Probably more, with hindsight, than we really ought to have. So I can't help feeling ungrateful when I don't use them. Motorways – highways, autobahns, what you will – are convenient, sure. You can cruise along at 120k (75mph), faster than on ordinary roads. You can steer like you're on rails. You can sleep.
No wait, not sleep. That's the one you're not supposed to do. But honestly, if they wanted you to drift off at the wheel this is exactly how they'd design roads. They're so safe they're dangerous.
I spent last night at a friend's near Dundalk, close to the M1 that runs Dublin–Belfast. The M4 and M6 take you from Dublin to Galway, so I could have gone home entirely by motorway. The route makes a perfect right angle, but nevertheless it's what the satnav recommends.
Edward J. Valentine's intriguing pub in Longford Town
I took the hypotenuse, the direct route across country via N-roads (national routes). At least, it would be direct if it didn't wind like a bastard. These roads live from bend to bend, forcing you not only to concentrate on steering, but to change your speed and even gear constantly. Though it must be said that these have also been the object of serious investment in recent years, with accurate lines and chevron markers on every bend. Driving them is hard, but not particularly dangerous.
This is the only way to see the country – insofar as there is anything to see in the midlands. Not counting a (very necessary) break then, it took me four hours to get from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic coast. I could've done it in an hour less by motorway, but dammit, it would've felt longer.
Here's some more pictures from the trip:
The most Zen front garden in all Ireland
Breakfast or something
Stuff on my friend's table - I just liked the colour combination
On The Road, On The Border (i.doubt.it)
Spontaneous Com… edians
Speaking of spontaneous things in Galway, our own Spontaneous Theatre People have gotten together with two other comedy outfits to form a sort of improv supergroup. I'm having a lazy Sunday, so here's their press release:
The Make-Up Artists Comedy Improv Tour – "A Tale Of Three Cities"
Hold on to your hats! If you live in Dublin, Limerick or Galway, 'A Tale of Three Cities' is coming soon to your City. Following an incredible impromptu 'improv jam' session at Electric Picnic in 2010, some of Ireland's top improvisers decided that there was too much fun to be had to leave it it that.
Plans were hatched, and they decided a three city comedy improv tour was in order. Members of No Drama (Dublin), Choke Comedy (Limerick) and The Spontaneous Theatre People (Galway) have joined forces and become the Improv 'Supergroup' known as The Make-Up Artists!
Improv Comedy is an incredibly exciting form of theatre. It is energizing for the audience and performers alike, and no two performances are ever alike.
The Make-Up Artists' show promises to be a great night of weird and wonderful comedy antics. All the scenes and games are unscripted, and many are based on the audience suggestions. It will have you on the edge of your seats wondering what could possibly come next, and delighted when you find out what does!
Dublin – Thursday 8th December, Doyle's Pub, College St
Show starts at 8.30pm, admission €10
Limerick – Saturday 10th December, The Belltable, O'Connell St
Show starts at 8pm, admission €10
Galway – Sunday 11th December, Upstairs @ The Townhouse Bar, Spanish Parade.
Doors at 8pm, admission €7/5
Any additional enquiries, email spontaneoustheatre (at) gmail (dot) com
Spontaneous Combustion Controversy Rekindled (i.doubt.it)
Galway's Other Arts Festival (i.doubt.it)
Star Stories – 5 (i.doubt.it)
The Value Of Nothing
Property prices in Ireland converted to 2011 currency. The red line shows the pre-boom average. ©RonanLyons.com
So house prices in Dublin have reached half what they were at the height of the boom. That's a good sign. If they halve once more they'll be back to what they were pre-bubble. Look at the graph (ganked from the very interesting ronanlyons.com) if you don't believe me. Converted to 2011 money, an average house cost about €100,000 for decades. At the height of the boom it peaked at nearly four times that. Well over a third of a million, for an ordinary home.
Just one question springs to mind. What the hell were we thinking? Houses costing the price of a house, plus three other houses? Cars didn't quadruple in price in just a few years. Food didn't, even drink and cigarettes didn't. During boom times, market prices are supposed to fall behind rising incomes. Otherwise they wouldn't be called boom times, they'd be called mysterious outbreaks of rampant inflation. But during ours the cost of housing left incomes for dead. Clearly, the housing market is a deeply flawed one – almost an object model in fact of how capitalism goes wrong.
In theory the price of something is set by supply and demand, which is both efficient and ethical. Well let's pretend it is for now, it works well enough for most things. Why does it go wrong here? Because the supply and demand of housing is almost irrelevant to the housing market.
What does a house cost? It's an interesting question. A house in an appropriate location can be a very important asset, so in general people will spend the absolute maximum on a house they think they can afford. That's clearly unlike wine or cars or dinners or phones. So in short, the answer to the question "How much does a house cost?" is "Whadya got?"
Or more precisely, what can you raise? If easier money is available therefore, people will borrow more. They'll pretty much have to, as prices will rise to meet the available credit. Of course they have the option of only borrowing as much as they would have before prices went strange, but if they do they'll get a much worse house than they could previously have afforded, while those willing to avail of the softer terms will get the shorter commutes, the better school catchment areas, the safer neighbourhoods. Competing for their and their children's futures, it is hard to blame them for taking all that the banks and other financial institutions offered.
Speculation happens in such runaway markets of course. People will buy houses in the hope of selling them at a profit, just as if they were buying shares or gold or currency. Capitalism teaches that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The vast, vast majority however are buying houses because they need a house. And while some postponed purchasing in the hope that prices would come down, far more rushed into buying out of fear that they would not.
There are other factors, but we shouldn't overemphasise them. People had become better off, yes. But did your income double? Mine sure as **** didn't. The euro facilitated the boom because such an influx of credit would otherwise have exploded the currency, but it didn't cause it. Houses were said to be "historically underpriced", but even if you can bring yourself to believe a thing could be consistently underpriced for decades without anyone noticing, could it seriously be by a factor of two, even four?
And there was net immigration, that could have been expected to fuel the market. After all prices go up when demand outstrips supply. Only… Supply vastly outstripped demand. People were building houses up the sides of cliffs.
There are no two ways about it. We had a housing price bubble because we had an oversupply of credit. The blame rests squarely with the financial institutions that offered these loans. That is, all of them. Major banks should have known better and could have resisted. Had just a couple of lesser institutions been left to their excessive lending the larger banks would have lost custom, yes. But they would have survived. And minor institutions could not by themselves have super-inflated house prices.
But these lending practices were adopted by the whole industry, and quite literally they forced people to pay too much – far, far too much – for houses. There is a clear case for debt forgiveness therefore. There is also a case for punishment – though of the lenders who made the irresponsible loans rather than the borrowers who had little choice except to take them. And by punishment, I seriously mean prison sentences. There must surely be some law against business practices so reckless that they ruin individuals, families, even a whole country.
Isn't there?
New Beginning – A mortgage pressure group
CSO publishes Irish residential property price indices for October 2011 – the declines continue and pick up pace (namawinelake.wordpress.com)
Irish banks face mortgage strikes [for those who had an inquiry about Ireland's financial situation] (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
Reindeer Sandwich
Two people about to make a "Reindeer Sandwich"
I'm having a reindeer sandwich. This is not some bizarre sexual practice. It's a sandwich with reindeer in it. Makes a change. It was all I could do not to hum Christmas songs as I buttered the bread.
I've wanted to try reindeer since I was in Finland over a year ago, but didn't know enough Finnish to chance it. Their supermarkets are great, but they stock such a vast range of meat products that you feel they can't all be the parts of animals we think of as edible. Yesterday though I was in Ikea, where reindeer is helpfully sold in English.
Ikea is weird, isn't it? A vast warehouse full of what comedian John-Luke Roberts might describe as perfectly adequate furniture. Absolutely nothing was actually ugly, but I hardly saw a single thing I positively liked either. Some of the ceramic sinks were satisfactorily solid. The mattresses seemed excellent value. But I was expecting more somehow. And the Swedish names were nothing like as amusing as people make out.
OK… Except for a set of storage containers labelled Slubb. I enjoyed saying Slubb.
Slubb.
The deli section was rather a letdown too. There just wasn't that much variety, and I was expecting, well, a smorgasbord. I did get some pickled herring of course, and some fish roe paste in a tube which I dubbed 'The Antitoothpaste'. And then the reindeer. Smoked reindeer slices, which look rather like brown ham and, disappointingly, taste rather like brown ham.
So much for reindeer then – or 'pigs with antlers', as they may or may not be called in Finnish.
Five Facts To Help You Forget How Crap Today Was
Little-Known Fact: Leinster House, the parliament building of Ireland, is on another f***ing planet.
Today yet another report on clerical abuse revealed yet more rape of children. The government says that child neglect is a thing of the past, but that the terms of the EU-IMF bailout deal require it to end the jobs of 200 Special Needs Assistants. That deal is supposed to get us back into the bond markets, yet following it has made these markets declare our bonds worthless. And the Euro is on the verge of collapse anyway, so it's actually all meaningless.
However the hottest news item of the day was a personal remark about someone's appearance made in parliament. Sometimes you just want to give up.
So I gave up. Unable to say anything meaningful about so much insanity, I went outside in the sun and painted the gateposts to match the wall.
I've decided that the colour is really 50% Grey – the shade exactly half way between black and white. I can like 50% Grey. (It's probably more like 53% really, but I choose to ignore this.) It reminds me of Photoshop, and it's a good mount card colour for black and white images. Anyway, it all looks nicer now that the walls and gateposts match. That at least was productive.
So here, instead of a proper post, are five things I learned today while drifting listlessly about the Internet:
1) There's a company in England that sells a handmade sports car called the "5EXi". Presumably this is a vehicle designed and built specifically for the needs of twats.
2) A disease called "nodding syndrome" is spreading in Africa. The symptoms include stunted growth, and a lack of neck muscle tone causing the characteristic nodding. No one yet knows what causes it.
3) Teapoy is a word of Indian origin meaning a three-legged table. By erroneous association with the word "tea", it is also used to describe a table with a container for tea. So if you were stuck on today's Irish Times simplex crossword, now you know.
4) There are now at least three people on Google+ posing as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Well I guess that should be "at least two". One of them could be real.
5) There's a fashion currently for women's pants with the crotch hanging down at the knees. A friend in the States was prevented from boarding a bus because the driver considered them unsuitable attire. They call them harem pants, I think because women in harems wore them when they wanted their Sultan to leave them the hell alone.
First, Some Phone Nostalgia – I . D O U B T . I T on Microsoft and Nokia: A No-Win Situation? (Part 1)
Richard Chapman on The Return Of The Google Stalker
What Phone Is Right For You? – Index – I . D O U B T . I T on What Phone Is Right For You? 8 – Nokia Not Dead
What Phone Is Right For You? – Index – I . D O U B T . I T on What Phone Is Right For You? 4 – The Business End
What Phone Is Right For You? – Index – I . D O U B T . I T on What Phone Is Right For You? 3 – Enter The Gladiators
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text:
Bellingham Lido – the 'finest in London'
Catford has lost many sports venues over the years – notably the Greyhound Stadium, but also a velodrome, The Mount which was once home to Charlton Athletic, a former ground of London Irish, another smaller greyhound and midget car racing track as well as a significant cricket ground in Penerley Road. Another of these lost sporting venues was Bellingham Lido which opened in July 1922, it was one of the first in inner London and was apparently, at the time, the longest pool in London. It was to open its doors during summer months for hardy swimmers for almost 60 years. We'll look at its development and demise, putting it in the context of other London lidos and open-air swimming facilities.
The backdrop to the development was the conversion of Bellingham from farmland to homes in the early 1920s. Interestingly at the time, it was referred to as a 'garden city' a 'new town of ten thousand' – based on principles adopted in the building of Letchworth twenty years before (1).
While Bellingham was a London County Council (LCC) estate, some of the facilities in surrounding areas were provided the Borough Council, Lewisham. The site, for those not familiar with it, was a slightly awkward one between the Ravensbourne and the railway – about a hundred metres south of Bellingham station, access was over the river – the map below shows the location and layout, just post World War 2.
What was initially referred to as either an open-air swimming pool or an air pool, cost between £8,000 and £9,000 over a period of about 9 months. In addition to providing swimming and bathing facilities for Bellingham 'garden city' and Catford it was used as a means of reducing local unemployment. The work was carried out in-house by the Borough Council with 38 unemployed local men being used to build the pool (2).
The Mayor, Cllr C H Dodd (of the still trading Blackheath solicitors, who started life in Eltham Road), opened the pool describing it as 'the largest and finest' in London (3). Kathleen Dodd, his niece, and the Lady Mayoress, was the first to take the plunge into the cold water accompanied by the King sisters from Forest Hill Swimming Club (4)– she is pictured below (5); a swimming gala followed.
It seems that the LCC watched its building with interest as around the time of its opening were asking for expressions of interest for building open air swimming pools form other Borough Councils (6).
While there is no evidence that she swam here it would be good to think that Hilda 'Laddie' Sharp, Hither Green's pioneering Channel swimmer might have at least done some training here – she swam the Channel in 1928.
Water initially drained into the Ravensbourne and there was no filtration plant initially built as part of the lido – water was drained late on Sunday mornings into the Ravensbourne and then refilled. Presumably the quality of water was poor by the end of Sunday morning's session. A new filtration plant was agreed in late 1929. Around £9000 was borrowed from the Ministry of Health for this along with increasing the 'number of first and second class slipper baths' from 31 to 57 at Ladywell and 12 to 25 at Bell Green. The inspector noted 'you will be quite clean in Lewisham.' (7).
Whilst Bellingham may have been the first lido in what was then the old London County Council area it was by no means the first open water swimming in what we would now regard as London. Several ponds that had been used for years for swimming, notably those on Hampstead Heath whose usage dates from around 1800 and the as well as the Serpentine soon after (8). Outside what was the LCC area were already several open-air swimming pools in South London including Erith (built in 1906), Croydon (1909), Wimbledon (1913) along with Tooting Bec (1906) (9).
At their peak in 1939, the leader of the LCC Herbert Morrison described London as a 'City of Lidos' – there were a staggering 67 lidos open that year (10). In neighbouring areas this included Brockwell, Danson Park, Eltham Park, Charlton, Bromley Southlands, Peckham Rye, St Mary Cray and Southwark Park (11).
In addition to issues around filtration there were serious problems with leakages – having to be refurbished over the winter of 1959/60 and opening a little late for the summer of 1960. (12). Fond memories of the lido from this era and a bit later often appear in Facebook threads in the various Lewisham reminiscence groups.
The lido closed in 1980 (13) – presumably as a result of the public expenditure cuts that most councils had to make in the early years of the Conservative Government led by Margaret Thatcher.
It was a similar fate that beset most of the local lidos – Danson Park and Bromley both closed in 1980 too, although Bromley re-opened for a while in the mid-1980s, the last length was swum in 1987; Peckham Rye also closed in 1987, Southwark Park in 1989 and Eltham Park in 1990 (14) – its outline is still fairly clear though.
Locally only two remain – both built much later than Bellingham -Brockwell (1937) and Charlton (1939). The latter had a major refurbishment a decade ago with Olympic legacy funding. It re-opened as a heated pool in 2013 and is the perfect place to watch the sunrise on a cold winter's morning.
Whilst now having no lido, Lewisham does now have open water swimming in Beckenham Place Park (pictured below) – it's part of the conversion from an underused golf course to a well-used public park. There was £440k grant funding from the Greater London Authority (a successor of the LCC) for both the pool and large scale tree planting, it opened in 2019. It is open year-round although booking is required.
As for the Bellingham Lido site, it was eventually replaced with the social housing of Orford Road, let from around 1990.
Sydenham, Forest Hill & Penge Gazette 28 July 1922
Brockley News, New Cross and Hatcham Review 4 August 1922
from Bromley & West Kent Mercury 4 August 1922
Forest Hill & Sydenham Examiner 4 August 1922
Forest Hill & Sydenham Examiner 27 December 1929
Simon Inglis (2014) Played in London (Swindon, English Heritage) p155
ibid pp 158-159
ibid p154
Sydenham, Forest Hill & Penge Gazette – 24 June 1960
Inglis op cit p158-9
Picture and Other Credits
The Ordnance Survey map is via the National Library of Scotland on a non-commercial licence
The photograph of the entrance is from the collection of Lewisham Archives – it is used with their permission but remains their copyright.
The postcard is from e Bay in July 2019.
This entry was posted in Lewisham History, Lost Sports Stadia and tagged Beckenham Place Park, Bellingham, Bellingham Lido, Catford, Charlton Lido, Lido, Open air swimming, Open water swimming, River Ravensbourne on May 20, 2022 by Paul B.
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7 thoughts on "Bellingham Lido – the 'finest in London'"
John Clrk May 20, 2022 at 11:24 pm
I remember going to swim there with my father and sister in the late 1950s when we lived on Southend Road, when I was ten and eleven. We always had a jam doughnut afterwards as the water was quite cold!
Cerian Tahany May 21, 2022 at 5:53 am
I remember happy memories of Charlton lido as a child. I had no idea there were so many lidos locally. It's a shame these public resources are now gone. In 100 years someone may be reading a blog post about how we used to have a wonderful publically owned broadcasting corporation which made wonderful programmes, but was closed due to Tory cuts….
Paul B Post author May 21, 2022 at 8:24 am
Yes, I fear you may be right.
Ronnie Haydon May 21, 2022 at 10:29 pm
Fascinating stuff. Thanks for the read.
Mick Shipp May 24, 2022 at 9:19 am
I remember Danson park lido and spent many a day in the school holidays it was great I also visited charlton,Martens dene in Crayford and the Gravesend one happy days!
Colline June 6, 2022 at 9:49 am
My grandad Fred was one of the people who dug the hole!! He was friends with the Cooper twins Jim and Henry who also helped to dig the hole. Wonderful social history.
tippee168 August 22, 2022 at 10:55 am
That brought back memories. I had forgotten it even existed. I recall going there once or twice but was never a keen swimmer. I preferred Mountsfield Park. I used to have to take my Gran and leave her on a seat by the greenhouses opposite the cafe. I then went off to the playground. The equipment then was awesome and would today be a health and safety nightmare. There was a lady in a shed who would slap a plaster on a grazed knee! Would love to see some pics. Of that playground but have not been able to find any.
The McMillan Sisters and their Open Air Nursery
The Lewisham Hill V-1 & the Post War Re-Building
A Victorian Walk Around the Corbett Estate


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The main aim of preventive dental care is that the individuals who visit the dentist can be educated regarding the precautions to be taken to keep the teeth healthy. There are several steps which are taken by the dentists and their dental teams in order to successfully accomplish the preventive dental care treatments. The dentist cleans and removes the plaque present on the teeth with the help of the procedures like scaling and root planning. Many of the patients have no or less knowledge regarding the correct ways to brush teeth to keep them plaque free. The plaque can cause inflammation of the gums and therefore lead to formation of the calculus.
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Oslobođenje (Bosnian pronunciation: [oslobod͡ʑěːɲe]; English: Liberation) is a daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina based in the capital city Sarajevo. Founded on 30 August 1943, in the midst of World War II, on a patch of territory liberated by Partisans, in what was otherwise a German-occupied country, the paper gained recognition over the years for its high journalistic standards and is recipient of numerous domestic honors and international awards in a branch.[1]
Novine za BiH
(lit. 'Newspaper for BiH')
Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and Sarajevska Pivara (majority owners)
Vildana Selimbegović
30 August 1943; 77 years ago (1943-08-30)
Political alignment
Centre-left,[citation needed] liberal
Branilaca Sarajeva 25
26,573 (as of 31 Dec 2020)
www.oslobodjenje.ba
Media of Bosnia and Herzegovina
List of newspapers
The headquarters of Sarajevo-based daily newspapers Oslobodjenje and Dnevni Avaz, in 2005
1 History and profile
2 Awards and recognition
History and profileEdit
The Oslobođenje building was targeted from the beginning of the war by Serb troops led by Ratko Mladić.
Oslobođenje was founded on 30 August 1943 in Donja Trnova near Ugljevik, as an anti-Nazi newspaper. During the Bosnian war and the Siege of Sarajevo, the Oslobođenje staff operated out of a makeshift newsroom in a bomb shelter after its 10-story office building had been destroyed. The war left five staff members dead and 25 wounded.[2]
In 1993, it was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The editors of Oslobođenje, Kemal Kurspahić and Gordana Knežević, were named International Editors of the Year for 1993 by the World Press Review in New York, for their "bravery, tenacity, and dedication to the principles of journalism." Duo also received the Courage in Journalism Award in 1992 from the International Women's Media Foundation in Washington, D.C.. Kurspahić was also recipient of the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard University in 1994, among other honors.[3][4] Immediately after the war ended in 1995, editor-in-chief Mehmed Halilović accepted the University of Missouri [Mizzou] Honor Medal from the School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri for continuous publication of the daily newspaper throughout the 1992–95 siege of Sarajevo. During the war, its staff, consisting of Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats, managed to print the paper every day, with one exception.
In 2006, the company was bought by way of the Sarajevo Stock Exchange by two leading city industries: the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and the Sarajevska Pivara.
The paper is close to the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[5]
Awards and recognitionEdit
The Paper of the Year in 1989 (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
The Paper of the Year Award in 1992 (BBC and Granada TV – Great Britain)
Freedom Award in 1993 (Dagens nyheter, Stockholm; and Politiken Copenhagen)
Oscar Romero Award 1993 (The Rothko Chapel – Houston, Texas)
Nieman Foundation's Louis M. Lyons Award for conscience and integrity in journalism in 1993 (Harvard University – USA)
Achievements in Journalism Award in 1993 (Inter Press Service, Rome – previously the International Journalism Award)[6]
University of Missouri Honor Medal in 1995 by the School of Journalism for continuous publication of the daily newspaper throughout the 1992–1995 siege of Sarajevo.
Andrei Sakharov Award for Human Rights 1993 (European Parliament – Strasbourg, France)[7]
^ Kadri Ackarbasic. International Journal of Rule of Law, Transitional Justice And Human Rights. Association Pravnik Sarajevo. p. 90. GGKEY:B0XLC3UWS4H. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
^ "AJR "From the Battleground To the Suburbs"". AJR. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
^ "Kemal Kurspahic, Gordana Knezevic | 1992 Courage in Journalism Award - IWMF". www.iwmf.org. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
^ "Kemal Kurspahic, journalist for the Bosnian independent daily Oslobodjenje, to speak at Cornell Thursday, April 1". Cornell Chronicle. 29 March 1999. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
^ Davor Marko (2012). "Citizenship in Media Discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia" (PDF). European Research Council. Archived from the original (Working papers) on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ "IPS – Inter Press Service News Agency » IPS International Achievement Award". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
^ [1] Archived July 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Oslobođenje at Wikimedia Commons
(in Bosnian)
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Got this when I was an intern at PolyGram Records in NYC. I believe I was shuttling them around for a press day and got the opportunity to ask them to sign it. I remember Paul Weller being about as cool as you'd expect!


If you are like six tenths of America, you have a household pet you love very much. There are around eighty million pet cats and around the same pet dogs in the United States of America. Whether it is a dog, a cat, or even some sort of reptile or rodent, you want the best for your pet's health. That is why appointment reminder postcards are important. You do not want to forget your furry friend's important.