Is the UK is playing a part in Reforming the EU or are we highjacking it? (Professor Stephen Haseler makes good points)

There is so much about the EU that I find annoying. I don't like the idea of the UK being in it. However, when I stop and take a pause. I am forced to think logically. I'm not impressed with the way we get the unelected leaders via a committee inside a closed room. At the moment there is a democratic unaccountability for it all. Its creating all sorts of problems.

Then I find myself thinking of the consequences of the UK leaving. I don't think it would be disastrous but I do think long term we might come to regret it all. This EU is very flawed and does need to change. I don't think its just the British who are screaming this out. I do believe the EU can and will change in the long run.

Viviane Reding is interviewed at an Oxford University gathering. Some of the questions are tough and I think Viviane Reding did moderately well. However, the BIG and SCARY let down was when she spoke briefly on EU foreign policy. I thought Professor Stephen Haseler made a good point of past UK foreign policy being nothing more than agreement with American foreign policy. Viviane Reding was well supported by this remark, but then blew it all away by not knowing the name of a young Italian lady who is responsible for the EUs foreign policy.

As an EU citizen who was not given a chance to vote about the EU commission in charge of us all, I'm not too impressed that an unknown young Italian lady is responsible for the trading blocs foreign policy. Many EU members accuse the UK of not taking the commission seriously. I would argue we do and raise strong views on the organisation's many short comings.

The saving grace for this debate was Professor Stephen Haseler who did manage to point out good reasons and arguments for the evolving EU. I think we must UNDERSTAND that the EU is evolving. Also, there were occasions when Viviane Reding made some poignant points.

I thought UKIP raised good points but they are anti EU through and through. Is that the long term solution for the UK? We know the internal workings of the EU will and must change - ie evolving. The long term future is what we make it. Is the UK is playing a part in this or are we hijacking it? 

1960's Great Britain

I can't believe how everything has changed since this time. I was a kid born in 1961. I remember thinking everything was futuristic with colours and TV because my Mum and Dad, plus my Grand parents, would say how none of these things were about during their time. There was a feeling that everything was new and vibrant with things on the media.

They spoke of the past war and the bombings. My parents spoke of being evacuated with my mother not knowing who her mother and father (my grandparents) were until she was six years of age. She was born in November 1939 and only remembers her sister. Both lived in a Roman Catholic commune run by nuns and away from London. 

Their mother, (my grandmother) was injured during the bombings right at the end of the war. A doodlebug down Hobday Road, Poplar, East London. My grandmother was taken to the neurological part of a hospital when she was dug out of the debris barely alive. Her house had collapsed upon her, my uncle (who was a baby in her arms amid the debris.) and also an aunt who was a teenage girl at the time. Fortunately all three survived but all had to be hospitalised. 

My mother was not sent home to her mother until 1946. Their outlook was different. I think my mother enjoyed the 1960s because she was still a young woman in her 20s during this time. She liked the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers etc. I don't think she was too fond of the Rolling Stones, but is now days because of the nostalgia.

I loved being British and was so very proud of my country. I still am, but things change and must change. I can remember this all being new and the elders not liking it. Now we are the elders and do not like the changes of today. 

Why?

I'm not sure because there are so many wonderful things in this time. Like laptops, the Internet, mobile phones etc. I think when we put on the brakes - STOP - THINK!

Well... all of the retro above was fine, but it was of its time and there was always problems with trade unions, Northern Ireland and many other types of thing. It does make me think that we like to cling to the nostalgia, but also we must learn to let go now and then.

It is fun looking at the above clip and touching those moments for a while now and then.

What the New TelePhoto Zoom Lens was Like.

I have been looking for a good zoom lens to attach to my Nikon D3100 DSL camera. I have been going to the bird hides in Manea, Cambridgeshire to watch the various birds of prey we get over the fenland at this particular spot.

The trouble was; how much to spend. The cheapest I saw was on Amazon and EBay. Cheap is not always good and there are, of course, drawbacks. 

My zoom lens that I got with the Nikon D3100 only goes up to 200mm. This is of little use when Marsh Harriers come over the fenland at distance. Therefore, I decided to chance £70 on an adaptable and compatible zoom lens called a TOP MAX 420mm to 800mm.

There were a number of very important things I had to learn in order to make the best of this lens. It is not a Nikon product but is adaptable to fit on the end with a screw on piece which comes with the telescopic lens. Unlike the Nikon lens' there is no computer bar chip on the telephoto lens to connect with your camera. In short there is no communication. Therefore, the one touch focus button is no use once the telephoto lens is screwed onto the Nikon. That first little touch as the focus becomes clear is not there. You are back to basics using the hand turner at top of the telescopic lens to focus upon a topic. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find it is rather easy and, in my opinion, enjoyable.

You will need a tripod because of the wobble when shooting and focusing at distance is more extreme. With birds of prey in flight, you have a battle on your hands with focus and wobble, but its great fun when you get it right.

My biggest problem was not taking into account the light deficit upon the telephoto lens. My first trip ended in disaster because it was a glorious day and I got some wonderful shots with the lens and was able to focus well. However, when I got home and inserted the photo chip into the laptop, every single photo was dark. In some case pitch black.

Back to the drawing board and a very knowledgeable work friend who I explained my dilemma to. On the Nikon, there is an ISO sensitivity function that is accessed via the menu at the back. It comes up on the screen. The light needs to go up to 800. I think the automatic setting is at 200. This is no good for light exposure. Some would say 400 is good, but I went to the next setting on 800. Just below this there is the shutter speed. This must also be increased considerably too.

When this is done, just go outside the front of the house and take a few shots and then look at the light improvement when you put the memory card into the laptop. The results were very pleasing. 

Below are some of the shots I took out front and across the fields to my house. I was able to focus in on a combine and tractor. Happy with the result, I went back to the bird hides and tried for a few things across the fen. There are shots of a heron with swans, a hobby (small hawk/falcon) and a marsh harrier. They are not perfect shots, but I'm sure one will say the light is better. 

Anand Menon - Brexit or Business as Usual? Results of the British Election

This is a smashing debate held in Sweden about the potential of the UK leaving or staying in the EU. What the implications are? Why Brits have a detached outlook from a lot of mainland Europeans. It is very entertaining and interesting to watch. It lasts about one and a half hours with panel questions. The answers and talks are very good.

It is also becoming obvious that some of the arguments about Brits being detached from the EU are very relevant from the point of view about wealth distribution. Basically, the British electorate will gain nothing from the EU or an independent UK. Its something for the the elite 1% who might lose if the Brit electorate decides to leave.

Immigration is becoming the antagonistic issue that seems to be getting under the radar of the pro-EU Brits. They have no control of the electorate concerning this. The only weapon the pro-EU 1% have is fear of the unknown if we leave. This fear is being diluted among an electorate who gain nothing from staying in, where wealth distribution is concerned. They don't care about global influence either. It seems the UK will probably stay in the EU. However, the immigration argument could still win the day for the anti - EU.

Its a very good debate and questions, TV show, but I still think the audience was largely well educated and academic. This doesn't count for the more common plebiscite view concerning immigration fears. This taboo subject is still not handled full on and people are generally sweeping the issue under the carpet. At one point the Swedish lady on the panel mentions how the UK depends on 40% of health workers being from abroad. As though the UK are reliant on this type of immigration with no choice.

The Swedish ladies rhetoric does not allow for the alternative perspective view of successive UK governments not training National Health workers from its own country to do the health care job in the first place. Instead the government recruits from abroad to get cheap workers. This is what fuels British people's fears of mass migration in the first place. Anything can be made to look good and progressive. Its what we are not allowed to bring into the debate that makes the unheard (and often less academic) electorate vote in strange ways.

Do you remember The Jam in 1977? (All Around The World (HD) )

When I left school in the year 1977, I went to work in the city of London. It was in Re-insurance down St Mary's Axe, working as a coding clerk for an Israeli company. I was 16 and loved going out to all the various record shops during my lunch break. They seemed to be every where in London. It was a very vibrant time and the music industry was going through a new metamorphosis with Punk Rock and New Wave bands. This was the beginning of the new music growth in the UK

I liked the Jam because they had that neo-mod look from the early retro sixties. This was the first song of theirs that I remember buying. I thought they were a wonderful blast of fresh air coming out of the already dead glam rock era. 

The old early seventies glam rock had gone and all sorts of different style were exploding upon the Brit music scene. It was a prelude to the forth coming 1980s decade and the Brit music industry was getting this wonderful second wind after the 1960s and early 70s. Something new was coming and this Jam song: All around the World - I've been looking for a new... 

Youth explosion!

What we Dared to do (at the Raptor Centre.)

At the raptor centre, I watched the falconry display. I was in awe of the shocking, wicked and vicious magnificence of the fine bird of prey. It is an apathetic cruel creature that oozes a wicked beauty of nature's adaptations. It has no appreciation for the fine being it is and does not understand people's wonder for its untamed beauty. It just sees food. Its loyalty in coming back is food and it will eat until it is fed up.

Fed up is used by people to describe boredom. It comes from falconers in Medieval times. When the bird was gorged, it was well and truly fed up and would respond to no more commands and become disinterested in eating rewards.

What was at the Raptor Foundation?

Imi and a Barn Owl

Took a trip today to the Raptor Foundation with Carole and two Granddaughters, Imogen and Jessica.  It was a nice drive across the Fens towards Huntingdon where the sanctuary is located. Many of the falcon, hawks and owls etc. Most are rescued and cannot be returned to the wild. One was a long horn eared owl that had lost its ability to fly. It was allowed to wonder around the centre among the visitors. At first, I thought it had got out of the compound that most seem to be in. I decided to find a steward and inform of the owl’s escape.

When I found a foundation worker and informed him of the owl wandering about the place; he smiled and replied. “That’s just Leo. He can’t fly and is used to people.”

I went back to see Carole, Imi and Jess and told them that Leo is doing nothing unusual. He often leaves his abode and goes for a wonder around. The owl even stopped and allowed us to photograph him for a while. He attracted a rather large gathering and then grew tired of us and walked through our gathering and onto the grass, where he made his way towards an open cage, which I presume he lived in.

There were also many raptors (birds of prey) that are not from Britain, living at the foundation. Some as far flung as Asia and the Americas.  The entire centre had many features and some wonderful looking birds. I managed to photograph many of them. I have, of course, put a small selection of them with this little blog. The others are for another time.

Leo just strolls about not taking too much notice of the visitors. He can't fly and because of this handicap, the owl has freedom of the compound and gets to roam where ever he wants.

He seems contented and does not get flustered by the attentions of the visitors. Even stopping for the odd photo shoot.

When he gets fed up (which is a bird of prey turn) He'll amble off towards his own private quarters until the pandemonium of visitors dies down. Then he'll venture out and about again.

At a certain time in the day; the visitors are invited to a falconry display. This was very interesting and a variety of different raptors were brought out and released. The birds would swoop towards the falconer and then swoop of and perch somewhere around the seating area. As this was done, the falconer would be telling us of the bird's various habits and where it lives in the wild.

I brought my camera and was able to get a number of very good shots of the various birds. The two granddaughters enjoyed the display as we walked about the foundation grounds and towards the end of the falconry display, we were treated to a group of rescued Barn owls. 

In the Fenland, where we live, there are loads of Barn owls because there has been a concerted campaign to put up owl boxes all over the Fen farm lands. This has brought about an increase in numbers of recent years,

Many of the children were invited to put on thick falconry gloves and allow the Barn owls to land upon their outstretched hands. Imi and Jess got to give it a go too.

Below are a few shots of many I took during the visit.

The were a number of other photos that I'll use for a different blog in the near future. Mostly of the owls and hawks in flight during the falconry display.