#US forces stormed cargo ship travelling from China to Iran: Report

Thanks to Aljazeera news online and Al Jazeera Staff for the headline

#Being homeless eats away at your self-worth says care leaver.

Thanks to BBC News Online and Annika Grosser at the BBC England Data Unit for this headline

I decided to do two headlines today as much as the fact that the American’s are playing at Pirates amuses me, on the other hand the debacle that is the Social Service System in the UK is accurately described and the vast amounts of money that are wasted on it while not achieving results or support needs to be highlighted too.

You might not see the connection , but I do. Yes , we can worry about the Americans who according to the Chinese in Bejing ” opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in International Law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and the abuse of sanctions” Guo Jiakun , the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

In truth, I think the Americans are on a sticky wicket with their interceptions of tankers and container ships in order to impose their will on Countries who the American Government feel are not playing ball.

However, the rest of the World is left with the prospect that safe maritime traffic is being put under threat and goods that quite reasonably should be reaching a destination are not and in the case of the Chinese vessel going to Iran , this could mean that they Iranian Public are subjected to further shortages.

At the time of the seizure of the Chinese Tanker, Bejing chose to keep quiet, perhaps to allow the investigation of what the ship contained to be completed. The cargo was released as there was no evidence that goods which were part of the Worldwide Sanctions on Iran were on board. End of story, until the Americans seized a Venezuelan Oil Tanker the following month and this very much upset the Chinese.

You might ask why I see the sad situation of a young lady who was as a 16 year old in the care system in the UK, reduced to seeing her Social Worker every now and then and only when she was to be given £50 in cash from her Universal Credit allowance. Most of the time the Social Worker was on “leave” as connected to the above story. The young lady was inspired to become a Social Worker herself , and got the necessary qualifications in order to “improve” the system”, which I’m sure with her actions she already has and in whatever role she has in the future will continue to do so.

I was surprised how defensive the Council that looked after her were, saying that “they had made improvements and that “cover arrangements ” were always in place. This struck me as denying what was really going on.

Also another quote is from the Charity Become is

” Part of the problem is that young people aren’t reaching out for support.”

Their concern being that some children are overlooked and are not in the statistical data analysis. My concern is how do you expect a young person , who already feels neglected and whose belonging are handed to them in a black plastic bag(like a prisoner leaving prison) to feel like reaching out to anyone.

The common factor between these two stories, is the conviction that everything is being done right by the Powers that Be ,whether it being the American Government or a Local British Council. The self righteousness and arrogance is obvious and the talk or money and big budgets being used for the good of all is bandied about. Meanwhile on the ground there is a lack of achievement or any ability to do what’s right because those right at the top have decided what they want to do and the money is being spent the way they want it to be spent. Whether it’s sending soldiers on to ships or not helping vulnerable young people who are looking to leave care and build a life for themselves.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy Days without migrant boat crossings nears longest stretch in seven years.

Thanks Ian Jones of the London Standard for this headline

We have reduced the human story behind these journeys to a line graph showing that according to records the last attempt by someone to reach the English Coast from mainland Europe across the channel was on the 14th November.

There is the data in black and white, no matter what the truth is . The boats have not been crossing. Which does make me think that the authorities know exactly where these boats are, when they are leaving and where they eventually land for them to be intercepted. That is if they don’t sink in between and then if this is so why aren’t they all rescued?

I feel like waving the graph at the lunatic fringe who go on about immigration being the cause of all our ills and stopping the boats is what it’s all about. I wonder if it would satisfy them. They’d probably say the migrants have no backbone as they can’t stand the cold. There will be hoards of them in the summer.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Today

Tell us about your first day at something….

Well I woke up this morning at some ungodly hour and could not get back to sleep. So I progressed a project that I’ve got at the moment where I’m tidying up some photographs on an old computer , making it ready to transfer to one place so I can use them as I wish. It’s a labour of love bringing back many happy memories, but also a gift to edit as it is clearing out a lot of the pictures that I don’t want to keep , which are mainly unfocused and scenery which I must admit I have rather a lot of.

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#HeadlineTherapy Rolls Royce towed in supercar parking “crackdown”

Thanks to Jess Warren, on BBC Online News for the Headline

Supercars are being parked outside a prestigious hotel in Grosvenor Square London , blocking pedestrians and other road users access and showing no consideration to those living in the vicinity.

The lovely Blue Rolls Royce that was towed away by the Council and left in a new location a few streets away was part of the Council’s new policy after the various cars that have been given tickets in the past to deter their owners from parking inconveniently outside their hotel accommodation have been ignored The fines remain unpaid and the Council having no traceability as to the whereabouts of the owners as the number plates are foreign.

Unfortunately , the article doesn’t say who is paying the cost for the tow and also where the cars are being left. Perhaps there is no room in the pound for vehicles and randomly dumping them in another street, possibly with London’s parking problem is just moving the problem elsewhere. Are these cars going to be reported as stolen? I pity the poor chauffeur who has been dragged in to carry the luggage by his rich employer, only to find the car has been taken. Surely ,the first thought is theft. Also don’t these hotels have resident’s parking?

So many questions about how the rich behave.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏

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Living

What are your favourite physical activities or exercises?

Living

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Being true to yourself

The most interesting people are true to themselves.

Namaste. Thank you for reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy ” Stone thieves are stealing our street’s history”

Good quality stone slabs are in such demand that they are stolen much as valuable lead is stolen from Church roofs.

Beautiful ancient walkways and paths are ruined by having individual slabs removed,leaving dangerous and unsightly gaps all for the sake of providing a beautiful piece of decorative stoneware for those who can afford to pay premium prices for it.

One innovative suggestion is to smart mark the stolen stones so they are traceable much like a stolen bike.Perhaps this might  make the stones less attractive to the hooded thieves in white vans with their  fake road repair signs loading their stones into white vans in broad daylight.

Definitely a sad state of affairs.

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#HeadlineTherapy Death of Venezuelan opposition figure in custody “vile” US says

Thanks to Seher Asaf from BBC Online News for the Headline

I offer the family of Alfredo Diaz my condolences for his passing and I hope that they will be told the circumstances that resulted in his death in custody at El Helicoide prison in Caracas, Venezuela . Let’s not forget that a family member has died and that his wife and children need to know exactly what happened. The Venezuelan Government need to be open about it and also to be clear that holding people without trial is not a good image for any Government.

Needless to say death in custody is not an isolated incident, Government’s all over the World have experienced it and continue to experience it. Probably one of the most high profile cases was “Jeffery Epstein” who died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York in the United States, but there have been many lesser known incidences for example here in the UK.

Venezuela is a beautiful country and needs to be treasured and looked after. I don’t understand what is happening either in Politics or The Drug Cartels, least of all why there should be any move to military action from either side. Military force is deadly to innocent people as we all know.

President Nicolas Maduro whether elected fairly or not needs to behave in a Presidential manner and not be seen as someone who needs to wipe out the opposition. He needs to take the lead from Maria Corina Machado who won the Peace Prize and recognising President’s Trump’s narcissism agreed by telephone call that he was the rightful winner, thus satisfying his ego while still keeping the prize. Oh yes President Maduro , that lady is someone I would want on my side.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy Drivers throwing “bottles of wee” from cars on the A46 in Warwickshire

Thanks to Coventry Live and Rachel Stretton and Andy Mitchell and Local Democracy Reporter for the Headline

HS2 Contractors will be questioned by Council Authorities about the amount of litter , including bottles filled with wee that has been deposited at the roadside and had to be collected by local waste workers.

The waste workers noticed a significant increase in the amount and type of waste collected from the A46 dual carriage and the surrounding area and have identified the Contractors as having been responsible. HS2 and Balfour Beatty Vinci will now be questioned by the Council.

In truth , with the amount of house building underway along with the associated infrastructure this has became a Nationwide problem and will have to be addressed Nationally. There are so many contractors doing all sorts of work in Utilities and Building , it’s obvious some Companies look after their employees with locations where they can take their breaks and portable facilities that they can use for toilet breaks. It is obvious some companies don’t and my experience in my local area is that it makes the said workers( who are obviously on a very tight timetable) very grumpy. Unsurprisingly.

Gone are the days when grateful locals will offer the workers a cup of tea or even the chance to use the toilet. Nowadays it seems we are at loggerheads with each other. The result is resentment from both sides. It is a sad state of affairs and if the bad employers are made to improve it will result in additional costs and therefore reduced headcount and more pressure on the employees who are left to do the work. While in truth, all the bad employer was being asked to do was to provide a basic requirement. I think in modern language this is regarded as negotiation, which explains why working conditions for many continue to be eroded.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏

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Is that possible?

Daily writing prompt
What could you do less of?

We are all too hard on each other, and if we follow these analog prompt questions with ardour we will just make ourselves unhappy.

Silly question .”What could we do less of?” Hopefully if we know something is doing us harm then we are not going to keep doing it, tell that to an addict!

Or perhaps from the comfort of a comfortable position we decide that we need to do less sitting around and do more exercise classes, problem solved.

Worry less, but then things happen and sometimes it’s useful to ponder.

We should concentrate on perspective and perhaps look less at the smaller picture.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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