'Too few cells' under prison plan (BBC)

Another article about how the prison system is overcrowded, how serious offenders have been realised early and how the government are doing nothing about it.

The Ministry of Justice (which sounds like a ministry from some combination world of Harry Potter and Batman) latest figures suggest that even under the most optimistic scenario they will still be struggling for spaces.

In the worst case scenario an estimated 20,000 place will be needed by 2012. Seriously is it not time to start building more prisons. Feel free to work on rehabilitation and training etc but as a short term measure we need a few more prisons.

I should point out that some prison wings are going to be re-opened, Dartmoor prison has applied to re-open a closed wing.

Although releasing prisoners early seems like a good idea, it should only be a short term measure as the Judge gave them a sentence which they should serve. Such wanton disregard for the criminal justice system can only make the situation worse, habitual criminals will see the system as a soft touch.

Blogs Of Note: Javajive - Photography from indonesia

I am still using 'stumbleupon' to find interesting photography sites. I came across this great Brandon Hoover's photography blog, not only are the photos top quality but the subjects of people and places of Indonesia is fascinating.

The blog is well organised, you can either read it like a blog or use the tags to get at separate subjects. He also has galleries on smug mug and flickr.

You can spend a lot of time here looking at the pictures.

Phtographs on a summers day

I took a few photos on the way home from a friends on a clear summer Sunday morning.











A typical English country church.








A pastel brick wall.











A curving brick wall down a lane.












New bricks, old bricks, all the same.



A soaring cloud bird.





The stone face.

The Daily Mail experiment (Guardian)

If you have read my opinions on some sections of the UK media, you know that I think some newspapers are rather jaded and give a completely un-balanced view of the world.

You no longer have to take my world for it, Nick Angel for the Guardian spent one month reading only the Daily Mail for his news.

I think the introductory text says it all:

"A month spent reading the nation's leading mid-market newspaper took me into a terrifying, depressing world, filled with suspicion."

-Nick Angel, The Guardian. August 20th 2007.

The good thing about modern society is that no one gets their news from just one source, so there is a bit of balance in the system. However humans have an uncanny trait of only accepting information which matches their own beliefs / standards. So Daily mail readers only get their news from daily mail like sources.

In other words there really are people out in the world that share the view of the Daily Mail. Sometimes I wonder whether there is any point in anything other than local news. How relevant is crime in a different area to you. A constant diet of crime news leads people to perceive that crime is actually worse than it is. After all not every teenager is a hoodie wearing, knife wielding psychopath.

People say the truth is out there, but first you have to work out what the truth is. Can actual news be separated from opinion and bias.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

II Waging War

1. SunT zu said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots and a hundred thousand mail clad soldiers, with provision enough to carry them a thousand [miles], the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.

Notes by Zephyrist:

At today's prices this works out at $140,000 a day which even for a primitive army is below the actual cost. So the comparison doesn't hold true today.

Sun Tzu was actually reminding us that not only are there in the field costs but there are basic maintenance and administrative costs. These can be important as the fighting men themselves. Modern armies don't always remember this. They get the men in the field but try to skimp on equipment and maintenance.

The same could be said for a lot of companies, it is modern to cut back-office costs and cut down on expenses and entertaining. Sun Tzu sees this area of business just as important as the fighting front. Without support and investment in the support functions the fighting or customer facing units can not operate effectively.

For an HR Analogy, invest in your recruitment and HR you can get the right people for job. Streamline processes and red tape and the front line staff can concentrate on their job. For every amount of time you ask someone to fill a form in ask is it an effective use of their time, if it isn't loose the form.

Sun Tzu writes almost as if he is justifying to a minister or king how much an army costs. Perhaps a king has questioned why glue or armor repairs have cost so much. Sun Tzu has basically replied by saying if you want a 100,000 men on the field of battle this is how much it costs. I can spend less but I don't guarantee victory.

Happy Birthday Blogger

Well yesterday the 23 August 2007 was bloggers eighth birthday and today this is post number 200 for my humble blog.

Two milestones in two days, congratulations all round.

Movies teach us that any celebration of a successful job involving lot of standing up, clapping whopping and mass hugging. Does that really happen, or does everyone just relax and thank whatever deity they worship and head for the pub / home / any other similar place.

Travian - be a village leaader in the time of the roman empire

I have discovered a new on-line strategy game which I have been playing around with.

Travian is a free browser based game where you start off as a leader of a small village. You then build up your resources by upgrading your production of the four key resources clay, wood, wheat and iron.

When you have a stronger village you can then get into trading, defence, attack, joining an alliance or founding new villages etc.

It is a game that needs patience as only a few moves can be made each day especially during the initial growth phase although it is good to see your village get bigger over time. This slowness can be an advantage as you are never going to spend hours a day with your village although for maximum growth you would need to tinker every few hours. Having said that you don't need to, I just go in once a day for ten minutes.

I started off as a Roman, apparently the easiest tribe to start. Each tribe has specific bonuses and specialisms. At the end of the first week I am still growing my resources to allow me to do other things but it certainly looks like a good game.

One of the big features is alliances, when you build an embassy you can join an alliance where you can co-ordinate defence, attack or just share resources. Here you can also sort out wars and diplomatic squabbles. I haven't got this far yet but it certainly sounds interesting.

The interface is good too, simple with colourful graphics, it is quite easy to pick up. There are also forums, FAQ's and guides to help you along the way if you get stuck or want to find out more about something.

Photographer: David Burdeny

I find photography fascinating, one particular favourite area is landscape images and even better if it has the sea or coast as the subject.

Looking at a really good photograph is like flipping a switch in the brain which turns on 10,000 v of electricity directly into the brain.

David Burdeny does just that, his photographs are simply breathtaking. The elegance and simplicity with the atmospheric black and white images are just simply stunning.

I would beg to be able to capture images in this way, these photographs make me want to live by the sea for a year trying to get just one image half as good as his.

If you want more images and who would not go to his website, david budeney photgraphic works for more coast shots as well as a study of landscaped in colour motion.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

I Laying plans Summary

Notes by Zephyrist:

From Section 1 laying plans, we have learnt that the plan is everything. A good plan will go a long way along the road to victory, no planning will lead to failure.

“Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan”

-Harvey Mackay, US Columnist and businessman

Sun Tzu has talked us through the analysis of comparing rulers, generals and armies deciding who has the strength in one factor above the other.

All battles are built upon deception, you must convince the enemy you are weak when you are strong and strong when you are weak. Look for the points of weakness and exploit them in the enemy. For your points of weakness hide them and look weak where you are strong.

Plans should be divulged to as few people as possible, although false plans may be leaked to confuse the enemy.

Although Sun Tzu is talking about battles the reason he has been so popular through the ages is that his ideas can be applied to every day life. Even family holidays need planning with military precision.

Next week Section 2: Waging War

Stumble upon

This is another kind of social bookmarking site that I have discovered and I have to say it is cool I might even say it is the best thing since sliced bread.

Basically you sign up for an account specific some interests, download the firefox / IE toolbar and then stumble through the web. This means basically click on the stumble icon and it will take you to a random page. However the neat thing is it takes you to a popular page which has been rated by other users.

It takes you to some really great stuff that you would just not discover otherwise, already with in about five clicks I have found a awesome photo site 'young gallery' and a page of haiku error messages.

Plus if you don't like the page you just hit the stumble button again.

Of course when you look at a site you can give it the thumbs up or thumbs down to adjust the rating. This simple interface has the simplicity of the google search page. Of course it has plenty of other options to explore as well.

This is just what the web has been crying out for, it is such a great idea it will probably be snapped up by the big companies and be renamed 'google stumble upon'.

"Next time you want to wander the Web, forget about Googling it. Stumble it."

- The Wall Street Journal

Fictional Character Lonely Hearts Advertisements

Can you guess the name of the fictional character?

1.

Mild mannered investigative reporter seeks similar for moonlight flights and general crime fighting.

2.

Middle-aged man seeks woman who likes wearing rubber skin tight suits and wants to hang out in my cave. Join me, my young ward and elderly man servant. Homo-erotic fantasists need not apply.

3.

Intelligent males seeks female to share life. I am trying to deal with a serious drug addiction problem so must be understanding. Join me and my autobiography writing life partner for a life of mystery and adventure battling my arch nemesis. Homo erotic fantasists need not apply.

4.

Young noble, intelligent bowman seek fair lady to share life in the great forest. Must enjoy parties with merry mean and have similar views on taxation. Must be loyal subject of King Richard.

5.

Smart, sophisticated Yorkshire man who is a bit of a night-owl seeks lady of the night for necking, frolics and night time walks. O positive blood type preferred.

6.

Smart, sophisticated man of the world, seek ladies to spend the night with for games of 'I spy' guaranteed to leave you shaken not stirred.

[---End of adverts---]

Answers

1. Super man
2. Bat man
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Robin Hood
5. Dracula
6. James Bond

What did you score?

0 - you didn't quite get this did you.
1-2 you picked up the obvious ones
2-4 not bad you are Mr or Miss average
5 Very good sharp and intelligent
6 I am taking my own test, I already knew the answers.

Disclaimer: The above are fictional advertisements. Any similarity to actual people living or dead, any organisation or any event is purely coincidental. The above are merely comedy sketches out of the author's head. They may only be amusing to the author, no responsibility for laughter or lack of it can be taken.

Dating Video Transcripts: No Takers?

The following are extracts from transcripts of dating videos, all prospective dates were asked the same question: "What do you look for in a partner?".

All of the videos share one thing, to date there have been no responses.

What do you look for in a partner?

male #426799

Big jugs. I cant be bothered to get up to go to the fridge during the football so any woman I date must have big 4 pint pitchers to hold my beer.

male #424896

Signs of mental instability, after all she is dating me.

male#723981

I cant stand big hooters. Those road hogs who will hoot their horn at anything and everything, they should have to retake their driving test.

male#239173

She must like the sound of leather hitting willow and they should not moan about grass stains. You cant beat a good game of cricket.

male#162934

A pulse [laughs]... Ok I'm desperate, will settle for still warm.

female#123255

Someone that doesn't require much training. Mind you once I get the chocolate drops and the choke chain out they soon learn who is boss.

female#456392

...Oh sorry I thought that was a rhetorical question, I am at a video dating agency I cant afford to be picky.

female#349272

Somewhere soft on his head to bury the axe.

male#831385

I am an eight level wizard with psychic attraction powers. I don't look for anything in a woman they find me, plus if I want I use my power to change them.

female#412357

Nuts, I like to grab them, cut them down the middle and then slowly eat each half. I just really like salted peanuts.

female#239022

Someone that puts the toilet seat down... I mean how hard is it, its not rocket science, seriously the next boyfriend that does that to me is going to be buried under the new patio. I just want to kill people that leave the toilet seat up. In my book hanging is too good for them.

female #127343

A brain [laughs]... I am still looking.

female #107360

Old, a large bank balance and a heart condition... OK maybe a similar terminal condition but I am not compromising on the old and large bank balance.

male #250269

Someone that knows how to deal with a cock flying at speed over a net straight at them. I really could not date another women who doesn't play and understand badmington.

male#364829

Someone that can cook, clean and do the housework. That way I can make the maid redundant.

female #248956

A big rod and tackle box, nothing beats a good days fishing.

female #237460

Someone to look after the kids while I go sell drugs down the pub.

male #237461

Someone to look after the drugs while I go sell the kids down the pub.

(note: although no responses to the above two candidates have been received, we recently received an email from male #237461 stating that he had met the female in the waiting room and they were now married, living in Thailand with no kids and lots of money)

Disclaimer: The above are fictional transcripts. Any similarity to actual people living or dead, any organisation or any event is purely coincidental. The above are merely comedy sketches out of the author's head. They may only be amusing to the author, no responsibility for laughter or lack of it can be taken.

Social bookmarking

There are all sorts of things you can add to blogs to make things user friendly. Looking at various other blogs there are all sorts of icons at the bottom of the post so you can bookmark it at whatever bookmarking site you like.

I wanted to add a couple of links for any user that wanted to do this, especially as it may not always be easy to bookmark an article if I have linked to another web page.

So I had a look round and digg.com and del.icio.us looked to be the most popular / practical. I already think technorati is a good site so Iwanted to include that too.

I had a look round for some simple guides on how to add buttons to the blogger template and found this excellent primer for digg.com Add Digg button to Blogger or Blogspot. The good thing about it is the techniques can also be used to position other similar buttons.

Then I moved on to add a del.icio.us button. I couldn't quite find what I wanted on their site and a google search didn't turn up any gold nuggets. So I went back to the Tips for new bloggers and came across the useful free tool they use to bookmark their posts. A useful widget from addthis.com. This widget basically lets the user choose which site to bookmark the page too including all the usual suspects and some unusual ones as well. So this stylish little icon at the bottom of my posts can be used to bookmark articles just about anywhere.

A job well done I think, so enjoy. I have also signed up to digg.com and del.icio.us so I may be back later to report on how things go.

New Scientist cover art

The Royal Mail do framed collections of a year's stamps recognising that the stamps are often art work in themselves.

New Scientist magazine should consider doing the same, some of their cover art is inspired and even better you get a new one each week. The only disadvantage is that the cover is always cluttered up with text of what's inside.

To illustrate the artistic nature of the covers, I took the original covers, de cluttered them and the put them in a nice collage. These are some of my favourite covers out of the magazines that I had hanging around. All from either 2006 or 2007.

All copyright belong to New Scientist magazine. On their website you can often see examples of covers and in the archive are all the covers from recent years.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

I Laying plans contd...

25,26

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere [before] the battle is fought. The general who looses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations [to] lead to victory, and few calculations to [lead] to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee [predict] who is likely to win or lose.

Notes by Zephyrist:

The first thing to notice about these last two paragraphs is that they are very poorly phrased. Above I have added the minimum of extra words to clarify small points but the entire second paragraph would be better written as:

"Now, the general who winds a battle makes many of the above considerations in his head before the battle is fought. The general who looses a battles gives little consideration to the above before a battle: How badly would a battle go with no consideration! It is by examining the amount of consideration given to the battle plan that I can predict who will win or lose."

In terms of interpreting meaning the first paragraph is simple, if the enemy knows your plan he can beat it. So best to keep it a secret and tell as few people as possible, after all you may have spies on your side.

As many typical posters in the UK during world war II said "Careless talk cost lives".

The final paragraph is basically where Sun Tzu says the outcome of the battle can by in large be predicted by looking at the plan. If the general has taken all of Sun Tzu's advice into consideration then victory is likely. If the plan is haphazard and doesn't consider all possibilities then defeat is likely. If there is no planning then although Sun Tzu leaves it up to the reader to decide it is obvious he believes that utter defeat or worse is likely.

That is the end of section I, next week a quick summary and then onto section II waging war.

237 reasons to have sex

Seen on 'Short Sharp Science' a recent study has been asking people why they have sex and they have produced a definitive list of 237 reasons. Yes, there are apparently more than the two reasons of "too have fun" and "to make babies". Entire academic article available here.

So extracted from the table of top 50 reasons to have sex for men and women:

M & F: 1. I was attracted to the person.

F: 9, M: 17. I realised I was in love.

F: 39, M:Not in top 50. The person was intelligent.

F: 2, M:3. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.

F34, M:16. The person had a desirable body.

M & F:7. I was 'horny'.

Going over the table some stereotypes are reinforced but it is also obvious that men and women aren't that different after all. On the scoring side of things men gave higher scores than women suggesting perhaps that women had a wider variety of reasons for having sex where as men have more narrow reasons.

I thought it was all so simple, I wonder if anyone did it for love. The authors of the article then went on to identify four large factors and 13 sub factors.

It all sounds rather interesting, I hope new Scientist do a more detailed article on it at some point which might be a bit more easy going for us non academic researchers.

I have a question though, Can someone fund a study to find out whether more sex goes on at sex psychology conferences than other similar conferences.

The article does not state whether the authors had sex and for what reasons. Perhaps the over analysis of the reasons for having sex put them off the idea and they decided to read a good book instead.

Blogs of Note: Short Sharp Science

Not only is it a bit of a tongue twister but it is also the New Scientist magazine's news blog on all things science.

Always worth a read if you want to know the latest bit of science.

Ten Steps to making Better Decisions (New Scientist)

In May 2007, New Scientist magazine had an article entitled 'How to make decisions', The article outlined and discussed ten steps to help us. The article was a collection of scientific reports and study which supported each step.

Ethically it would be wrong of me to publish the entire 10 steps as it is a subscription magazine and the entire article is not available on the net.

Some of the ten steps are fairly predictable indeed if you wrote down ten things that your parents told you which turned out to be true you would probably get quite close to the New Scientist list.

6. "Don't cry over spilt milk"

This is where we have invested something in a project and are therefore more inclined to stick with it rather than just walk away. Even governments suffer from this, examples include the channel tunnel and Concorde.

If something is no longer a good idea then it is time to walk away. Careers can be like this, you spend ten years working your way up only for the industry to go through a massive restructure. You don't have to go back into the same industry, but we think with ten years experience you would be a fool to walk away now.

7. "Look at it another way"

The Science they bring into this is that the way we frame a problem impacts on our decision.

Consider the following two hypothetical situations taken from the article:

Scenario 1

"Your home town faces an outbreak of a disease that will kill 600 people if nothing is done. To combat it you can chose either programme A, which will save 200 people or programme B, which has a one in three chance of saving 600 people but also a two in three chance of saving nobody. Which do you choose?"

Scenario 2

"You are faced with the same disease and the same number of fatalities, but this time programme A will result in the certain death of 400 people whereas programme B has a one in three chance of zero deaths and a two in three chance of 600 deaths."

Of course most people would choose A in Scenario 1 and B in Scenario 2. The certain saving of 200 people while condemning 400 to death. The media would crucify you either way but that is the curse of disaster management, you make the best decisions you can to save as may lives as possible.

Both scenarios are the same and both result in the same probabilities but because the way the scenario's are framed we are left predisposed to a specific answer. The more positive a statement the more we are likely to agree with it.

"It also explains why healthy snacks tend to be marketed as "90% fat free" rather than "10% fat".

-Ten Steps to making Better Decisions (New Scientist)

President Bush and gifts

President Bush, as a parting gift to Gordon Brown gave him one of his own trademark brown leather monogrammed bomber jackets. I don't think we will be seeing Gordon Brown wearing it soon although given the amount of crises he has dealt with since he took over he may soon be wearing a flak jacket and tin helmet.

Frazer(Gordon Brown):"We're Doomed!"

Jones (Ed Balls):"Don't panic! Don't panic! "

-Quotes from Dad's Army 1968-77

Anyway aside from quoting old sit-coms, I thought I would have a quick look on the web and see what other gifts President Bush has received lately.

Office of Protocol; Gifts to Federal Employees From Foreign GovernmentSources Reported to Employing Agencies in Calendar Year 2004; Notice

All the records are published on line, you just had to wade through the pages. All of the following gifts given to the President of the United States are taken from the above notice.

1. 32'' marble statue of Hercules by Pieto Galli (1895).

2. Variety of silk ties .

3. 10' braided brown leather with ornate multicoloured detailing on a carved wooden handle.

4. 12'' Lacquer ware bamboo bowl, Est Value $99. (Notes by Zephryist: Why not the full $100, did someone leave the price tag on by mistake)

5. 4'' Earth Elements cinnamon scented candle. Est Value $20.

6. DVD:"Singing in the rain" starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.

7. CD:"That Christmas feeling" by Various artists. (Notes by Zephyrist: I cant help thinking this came free with the morning paper)

8. Multi coloured beaded ornament with 'Joy' printed on it.

9. Game: Horse Race Derby: An Action marble game. Estimated value $16

10. yellow ceramic soap dish painted with a multicoloured country home in the center. Est Value $26.

11. Paperback book: "The worst case scenario hand book"

12. Department 56 brown log cabin wax candle held on black iron base.

13. Jars of various fertilisers held on a wooden revolving display.

14. Myrtle flower scented candles.

The list goes on for other major officials in the Government.

I think what we can safely take away from this is that when popping in to the White House and wondering what to buy there is no need to panic. It doesn't have to cost much and something suitable could be picked up at the local market.

'Bite my shiny metal arse' - Futurama is coming back

Yes, it has come to my attention that the greatest cartoon ever written by Matt Groening is coming back. No, not 'The Simpsons' but 'Futurama', originally canceled by the dastardly Fox Network is to return.

It will start off as four DVD movies but will be re cut into TV episodes to be shown on American cable station Comedy Central. Obviously no channel in the UK has picked it up, but it is surely only a matter of time before one of the terrestrial channel picks up the series. After all the runs of the previous series were a success on channel 4 and surely most people are getting bored of the constant re-runs of 'The Simpsons'.

Let's just hope Sky don't get there first, although I think purchasing 'Futurama' may conflict with their flagship cartoon series 'The Simpsons'.

Clips of the show have been shown at press events and include a segment where Professor Farnsworth tells the crew that the people at box network who canceled the team have been fired, beaten and killed. A not so subtle dig at the idiots who canceled the show at Fox.

The Media desperation that is the silly season of August

The Guardian pointed out something to me on the train today which I had forgotten. As traditional as Christmas in media circles is the August silly season. Everyone is on holiday politicians, celebrities and anything else that usually makes the news. So the media desperately scratch around for some headline grabbers and comes up with the usual cliched slow new day stories.

The Guardian, every helpful gives us a few suggestions and comments on the stories to watch out for this August.

August 8th - Radio 4 recruits listeners for new national study involving Bill Oddie.

August 16th - Students celebrate A-level success.

"A strikingly attractive 18 year old girl has done fairly well in her A-levels, according to a report in every local paper in the United Kingdom. The 18 year old's photo dominates the front page of the paper... A picture spread in the Daily Mail reveals that there was jubilation, also, for a set of triplets from the home counties, who each got 14 A-grades and will all be heading to Oxbridge... and a life ultimately devoid of meaning.
But there was disappointment for other students, because they are ugly and thick."

-The Guardian, G2 Thursday 02.08.07

I have paraphrased a bit but that whole section is inspired. So true as well, I am guessing they will find an emo kid this year to parade as a failure forgetting that taste in music has nothing to do with educational success.

August 18 - New website is latest online sensation.

Something like a new facebook or myspaz. Thousands of people will use this new web 2.0 starlet but it will have its detractors.

August 20 - Country dwellers demonstrate in London

August 23 - Gatwick terror panic

This one goes a bit random telling a tale of banning airline passengers from wearing green hats but permitting rocket propelled grenade launchers.

However it does expose a typical media ploy of the on the spot interview:

"A defiant group of Britons interviewed by ITN News also refused to be cowed by the threat of terrorism. They said it was crucial for the survival of liberal democracy that they press ahead with plans to spend the weekend getting life threateningly drunk in the lap dancing clubs of Talinn."

-The Guardian, G2 Thursday 02.08.07

August 24 Bank Holiday travel chaos misery

Usually reported live on a bridge over the M5 where they tell you how many cars are entering Devon and Cornwall.

August 30 Animal spotted in surprising place

As the Guardian says 'insert own animal' here such as shark, whale, tiger,or monkey, shown in the UK being watched by gawpers, sorry I mean onlookers.

I personally like the stories when the vulture escapes and they have to leave out dead cows to try and recapture it again.

"The surprisingly located animal becomes an unlikely hero and was given a cute nickname as the whole country watched the drama unfold on Sky News. But eventually specialists concluded that they had not option but to put it down."

-The Guardian, G2 Thursday 02.08.07

If you were feeling really energetic you could organise a sweep stake with friends. Pick 3 out of the six events named above, pick a date and either location / animal or other subject. Then you get a point for each one you get right, three points per prediction making nine points in total.

So creating an example from the guardian they might go for:

August 8 - Radio 4 survey - pebblewatch
August 16 - A level success - Daily mail triplets going to Oxbridge
August 30 - Strange animal - whale seen in thames

My ideas are:

August 15 - Strange animal - Vulture spotted on Dartmoor / Exmoor
August 16 - A level success - famous person's son / daughter gets A's and heads to Oxbridge
August 24 - Bank Holiday travel chaos - main rail line closed for bank holiday weekend

New word: Borken

While trying to type an article up at speed I kept trying to type 'broken', every so often it would come out 'borken' which made me think that it should be a new word.

Borken: Totally and utterly broken.

Examples:
That computer is borken.
I borked it.
I borked the sound barrier.

HR - Harpies Revisited or Helpful Resources

Background:

This article was written a few years ago, before blogs were much more than just the latest thing. I was working at a company who used HR as a hammer to crack nuts. I was still fairly green when it came to what actually happened in a HR department.

The following is probably what most people think HR should be about entering the profession. It is still important not to loose sight of the simplistic mission statement and that is why I am posting it here, to clip it for the future.

Now as a slightly older wiser me, one that has been perhaps sidelined by my own profession, I would find it a lot harder to say what HR should be about.

I have made minor edits along the same message as the original article.

HR - Harpies Revisited or Helpful Resources.

HR is all about strategic partnerships and getting behind the goals of the business. Does this override the rights and freedoms of an employee?

The laws of any country are created to protect the rights of the individual. Often these laws are needed to protect innocent and vulnerable people from aggressive, powerful people and institutions.

In this spirit Employment legislation is drafted to protect the employee from the employer. However, rather than be dictated to by central government in a culture of confrontation and red tape can Human Resources not take the final step and become a just, fair, responsible and ethical profession. A profession that does not need laws to regiment ever last detail and is more self-sufficient and self regulating.

Now I realise I have virtually alienated most of the profession by suggesting that we are as morally reprehensible as dodgy estate agents or ambulance chasing lawyers but what HR lacks to a greater and lesser extent is a universal code of honour. It is important to note that the CIPD which has a professional code of conduct does not cover all people that work in HR.

I want to explore the HR / Employee relationship and set out three fundamental tests of reasonableness that each HR professional should consider.

Three tests of reasonableness:

1. Is it reasonable?

2. Is it consistant?

3. Is it in agreement with or in the spirit of Employment legislation and guidance?

1. Is it reasonable and justifiable?

Any decision should face this test, is it the right thing to do? Would any reasonable person agree with you?

2. Is it consistent?

Take two employees with the same problem one who badgers you every second of the day and the other who sends you a polite letter. Each employee should be treated in the same way and the decision made in both cases should be the same.

Beware of making policy. A consistent decision sets a benchmark for the future, are you happy for that decision to be made on a larger scale for the following employees. Any change in consistency must go back to point one, is it reasonable and justifiable. A succession of incorrect decisions cannot be justified by repetition in the name of consistency.

3. Is it in agreement with or in the spirit of Employment legislation and guidance?

The law cannot cover every eventuality but it is possible to derive a spirit of the law from legislation. All decisions should be made with this in mind.


"The law shall not be broken" should be written on the wall of your HR department. HR professionals should not be put in a position under pressure or encouraged to act against the law by other HR professionals or unscrupulous employers.

However, if the law is broken the rectification and recompense should be evaluated against the three tests of reasonableness.

Employment tribunals will always be with us but should be seen as a last desperate resort after both parties have failed to reach an agreement. An employer would already have done everything possible to reach an amicable agreement including via independent industrial conciliation.

A walk along the canal

On one of the recent sunny days I went for a walk along the canal with my camera. It was a lovely day and a very peaceful walk. Just what I needed.

The Path Ahead













Canal bridge in sunlight


















Post apocalyptic Oxfordshire








Summer on the river












The Dish


















River meadow


If you wish to see more of my photographs I have an online gallery.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

I Laying plans contd...

23,24.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united separate them.

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

Notes by Zephyrist:

These two really continue along the same theme of keeping the enemy unsettled. They are fairly self explanatory.

At points Sun Tzu goes into detail making his writing almost 'Warfare for Dummies' whilst at other times his teachings require a bit more thought. It is the detail together with the self exploration that has meant these are still standard studies for military men today.

The differing styles also suggest that it may have been written and adapted over the centuries by more than one man.

Next week the conclusion of Section I - Laying plans.