Tag: Plastics

Worries For The Future ?


What are you most worried about for the future?

My life pendulum has swung well past the midpoint of my life. So, most of my worries are for my kids and grandkids.

What does the future hold for them ?

The biggest concerns are the lunatics that have taken charge of their personal asylums.

First and foremost, there is Russia with Putin at the controls. He has to be insane. His actions and his total lack of humanity surely indicate insanity. I mean, does he ever hear the words coming out of his mouth, stop and think, “That doesn’t sound right, doesn’t make sense”. Single handedly he has put us right back to the days of the “cold war”.

Next, there is China with Xi Jinping at the controls. Did China protest with the rest of the world when Putin started his war with the Ukraine. No, they stood on the sidelines waiting to see how it would all pan out. Also, I believe, waiting to see what the worlds reaction would be. China has it’s own “Ukraine” in the shape of Taiwan.

So that’s two major powers who would push us to the brink of a 3rd world war.

And then we have North Korea, under the control of another lunatic, Kim Jong Un. He heads a country, home to some of the most oppressed people in the world. His posturing presents a real threat to world peace. And, for just a moment, the US installed their own lunatic, Donald Trump, in the White House. The world was forced to stand by while those two loose cannons traded tit for tat, insults like children in the school yard.

In my view, the world has never been a more dangerous place. There are so many smaller countries that could be the fuse for a bigger conflict.

And then there is Gaia, Mother Earth, our home world. The home that we have systematically trashed. Slowly, we are waking up to the enormity of what we have done. Global Warming, plastics in our oceans, toxic waste in our rivers.

Is it too late to fix our planet ? I don’t know.

What I do know is that our legacy for our children and grandchildren is a monumental challenge of global proportions.

And that is what worries me about the future. I won’t be here to see it, but I hope our offspring are successful.

Portsmouth QA Hospital – Appalling Service


I am sick to death with the lack of response from the Queen Alexandra Hospital Eye Department, AGAIN.

My wife has been on the phone for over 10 minutes and nobody is picking up, AGAIN.

A few weeks ago, after my wife had been waiting several weeks for an appointment, she tried to phone the outpatients area. After several attempts calling on the designated number, and after I sat with the phone ringing for over 15 minutes, we gave up and resigned ourselves to the fact that we would have to drive to the hospital and visit in person.

The lady we spoke to was very friendly, expressed surprise that the phone wasn’t answered, pointing to the desk immediately behind her and the phone on it. Apparently indicating that it wasn’t out of earshot. She also mentioned that the telephone system allowed for the phone to be in use but would not show that to an external caller, allowing the phone to ring and ring and ring. Really ?

We left with promises of an appointment ringing in our ears.

We did get an appointment and following a session with the consultant another appointment was deemed necessary.

And here we are again waiting on a follow-up appointment. Supposed to have been within four weeks but here we are again, no appointment and having to do the chasing.

In fairness I should say that an appointment was offered following a cancellation, over the phone, but as we were in London my wife was not able to accept, as it was for the following morning. The person on the phone said she would arrange another appointment, but, here we are again still waiting.

Looks like we will have to go through the same cycle AGAIN.

This is appalling service. All my wife wants to do is jog someones memory that she is waiting for an appointment. Same as last time.

We may be retired but that doesn’t mean that we want to spend interminable minutes listening to the ringing tone. Nor does it mean that we enjoy driving up to the hospital, searching for parking spaces and paying the extortionate charges for said spaces.

I have nothing but praise for the medical staff in this hospital but I have to say that the administrative staff leave a lot to be desired.

How hard is it to answer the phone ?

How hard is it to follow-up and do what you said you would do ?