Ride the Winds of Change

Pelican Crossings can Kill

 Ride the Winds of Change: at any Pelican crossing. The lights are go, cars free to move. But you see too late, they've not started moving. Happened to me astride my 500cc A7 Beezer. See the graphic shot of such a life threatening moment; courtesy of Derby Telegraph, not a few hundred yards, from my own front door a few days later.

          

                                         

                                            

 Problem was; when I tried to do something about it no one wanted to know: 

Firstly: I tried the traffic management  at  my  Local City Council. I suggested some kind of warning sign should  be  posted. Forget  it they said,  with some total inane excuse  which to all intent and purpose amounted to a fob-off.

  
   Secondly: I canvassed  a  local  MP. Who just happened  to be  the Minster of Transport in Parliament. But he shuffled  it  off  to some jobsworths at  his  Ministry and it  was  soon lost  in another mysterious fob-off.

  Thirdly: I tried the traffic management the County Council who run this annual thing with the roadside posters ~Think Bike ~ plastered everywhere and they didn’t even respond. 

  
Forthly: Next I tried to interest the reporter responsible for the front page, shown above.  He agreed to make time, but never came back to me.

 So in the hiatus caused by this virus thingy; by way of occupying myself, with things needing time to play catchup, I prepared this blog. I’d been to Freedom of Information to check if similar accidents had occurred in any kind of pattern on Pelican Crossings. But they don’t separate out accidents on Crossings they just get lumped in with general road accident statistics.

  Here: you run into the situation where it costs an arm and a leg, if you wish to pursue the separation of the statistics and there it rests. But being a persistent Barsteward I just keep plugging and anytime soon. Maybe if there is another horrific accident; where a pile of cars finish up in someone’s front room, as a few kids innocently playing snakes and ladders or monopoly are flattened ~ who knows?    

daveblack198@yahoo.com

The Dave Black Novels

 Chursleigh

Growing up on the Chursleigh Estate in the latter days of WWII. Jack Cutler becomes involved with some local bigwigs, Needing access to deliver surplus supplies, to outlying villages. They prevail on him; to make use of his access, to a tractor and trailer.

  

  They create a consortium to take advantage of the new situation, as the war in Europe comes to an end. They've built up a kitty and use it to buy up the freehold; to a wartime bomber Station built on Chursleigh land holdings during the war. They use this kitty to pay-off the Chursleigh overdraft at the local National Provincial Bank in exchange for the former Bomber Station. When it's repatriated to the Chursleigh Estate, as the war ends.

  
  The consortium goes from strength to strength; until a final break up occurs, Squadron Leader Guy Shard RAF son of the Manor; comes home from war in the Burmese Jungle. He was thought to be Missing in Action, but managed to survive. Now he's back and sets about sorting out what has gone on in his absence

. He takes over running of the Estate from where he left off. But is soon approached by Sir Godfrey Bright; to be Chief Executive at his Bright Aeroplane Company. He's turned to building civil airliners; as the UK Airlines go head to head with the Yanks, Read on about all that follows; in this postwar saga of who dares wins. In the battle for command of the trans-Atlantic Airways.

*  *  *  *  *

Another Time Another Place

With roots in the Russian revolution; as WWI, draws to its end. Alexander Popov flees the raging mob to escape to the USA and prepare a home for his pregnant wife to join him when the baby is fit to travel.

  
  In the aftermath of the revolution, as his ancestral estate is taken over and destroyed by the raging communist mob, they lose touch. Changing his name to Alex Popper; he arrives in the USA, to become a Bigtime Boy in the Solomons Brothers Partnership on Wall Street. But is accidentally killed; in a showdown with Ralph Solomons, the senior partner. But he covers it up as a suicide, in the Wall Street Crash of '29.

  Angie Pilkington: Alex's personal assistant; suspects what happened and keeps, a log. Hoping she can find a way to expose Solomons and discover what really what went on. When the son Alex never knew; rises to the higher ranks of the Soviet Hierarchy. He's sent to the United Nations as the Soviet Envoy and goes looking for the father, he never knew.

  In reality though; he's been sent to forage postwar USA for computers and technology for the Soviet war machine. But he'is using his position too; to equip a secret base he's created, in the foothills of the Vladayskaya. He's carrying out research on a system he's developing to program computer remotely. He's out to find a way of destroying Western economies of the the West's Allies and to take control of the Politburo..

  Retired Canadian Agent 'Jig' Prendergast; is coaxed out of retirement by Desmond Chandler; a new Canadian Minister of Telecoms and Comms. He's out to get to the bottom of what's going on. When a second Canadian airliner; on it's way to Moscow, disappears off the radar, over the Arctic wastes of Northern Canada.

*  *  *  *  *

Bigboys Games

Impressed by the way Prentice dealt with the villians who murdered his daughter. Alexander Maxwell, Lord Stigwell of Bashwell Higham hires him to make waves in his centuries old Victorian Merchant Trader. Drastic overhaul is needed; as the new millennium beckons. But Stigwell has bitten off more than he can chew; as Prentice goes off message.

  A big bold future beckons as Prentice ropes in Carson Holdings and Sean Blairgower's Tartan Property Empire; to create Standish Holdings Plc. But it turns out to be a marriage made in haste; that lurches from crisis to crisis, as Simon Horburg scion of a the Horburg Merchant comes looking for a bargain basement takeovers. While Eastend barrow boy Charlie Clikker lurches from emerging bankrupt to golden boy in harness with Jack Greensmith and his brand new Internet eBank.

  Who will come out on top: Prentice with his burgeoning Empire of Derring-do. Charlie Clikker and his Provident Court Trust Fund or Simon Horburg playing games that the others can only aspire to?           

Available now from Gooogle Play in ePub
&
Lulu.com  in Print 

Equity Release ~ Money ~ Money ~ Money It's a Rich Man's World

The Real Truth about Equity Release 

 Ever wonder why the re-tweet and response rarely match? Then suddenly realise you've stumbled on the truth, more by accident than design. The Banks and Building Societies have morphed in to Casinos; they're playing fast and loose using everything within their grasp, leading double lives

They've been stopped from using your deposits to create money out of thin air. Messrs Carney/Osbourne saw to that. Stopped 'em dead in their tracks on that one. The funds they lend now have to be raised from commercial sources.

  Though never at odds for long; with the idea of exploiting hidden assets. They had to come up; with something new, to fill this void in their existence. There had to be a way to get the 'Unwashed Masses' on the team sheet.

 They'd tried 'Funny Money'; click of a mouse stuff,  but soon realised it didn't make the kind of returns, they were accustomed too. At least; not on any kind of scale, they'd previously enjoyed. The 'Day of Reckoning'; came around all too soon, with UK Treasury the main beneficiary.

  Though with piles of loot; by way of assumed assets, lying dormant on their books, often for decades. It suddenly occurred there had to be a way to access these undeclared assets.

Several possibilities had cropped up over the last  decade; as they brain stormed the problem, which hadn't really amounted, to anything much. Until 'Bright Spark' decided; to take a peek at undeclared Property Values.

  To discover; a veritable 'Treasure Trove of enhanced value, had lain there undisturbed for several generations. Bingo: the 'Holy Grail' was rediscovered, well almost? The trick would be; how to unlock it, without creating obligations. Obligations all but impossible; for the retired to meet, on any kind of regular monthly basis.

  So a few 'Brain-Stormin' sessions later and 'Easy~Peasy'. They could take a stake in these individual property portfolios/ not by re-mortgaging or raising funds from commercial lenders. But by building a balance sheet based on accumulating assets. Right there under their big fat noses. 

  This was the assumed value; accrued by individual property holdings, for want of a better description. In this way a whole new 'Ballgame' was at their fingertips. "But it could all end in tears," 'Bright Spark' observed. Though he was readily air-brushed aside, for it was all hands to the tiller.

  A few ads on Primetime TV fronted by some well known 'Celebs'; should assuage any silly notions or romantic concerns, from beneficiaries about the final account. The legators would all be dead and buried; they contended. Long before any niggling queries arose of that nature. If they needed to fend off the attention; of the No Win No Fee Briefs. 

 Be good to assess the extent; as to the possible take-up we can expect, added the Chief Exec. He knew one of the most disturbing aspects of this entire imbroglio; would be the moment when beneficiaries realised, the Bankers & Building Societies had first call in respect of existing liabilities

  In addition: annual inspections would be necessary in respect of gas, electrical installation and insurance obligations. When they were taken into account; as the final reckoning at last saw the harsh 'Light of Day' 

  "But of course; it defies all logic, in respect of the age old max. An Englishman's Home is his Castle," observed 'Bright Spark'. "There are also aspects of this real deal; which may or may not be readily apparent, in the present climate where super-hot pricing prevails."

  "In addition;" 'Bright Spark', continued, "aspects of this particular kind of deal; may not at first sight manifest themselves, in any significant way. Unless or until fundamentals of the Housing Market begin to change." i.e. "A severe price reversal occurs. To bring about the situation we know as 'Negative Equity'."

  "There have been instances of this; in the not so distant past, as the walls came tumbling down," he added. "So in the present analysis; when we are dealing with a broken monetary situation, where the bank notes in issue are nothing more than IoUs it is a case of:-"

"Caveat Emptor: as reality dawns and you realise you've been Tangoed - Bigtime."

Watch this space, I'll be back,

Daz.

MadVlad Episode IX

Time Marches On

In a way I suppose; one day it had to come to this. Though; had Vlad been a little more circumspect, it may not have had to end this way. But if you come on; with the Macho Stuff any whichway, one day you'll have to stand up to be counted, or be thought a fool. There is no third way; as former UK Prime Minister Anthony Blair and his nemesis would have you believe.

  The reality of it is; that one day it's yourself 'agin' the world and 'ya gotta' make a fist of it. Posing half-naked on horseback in the outback; won't suffice when the chips are down and the wheel, is spinning. In addition; you could well be on the wrong side of right, struggling; to make it count. Whatever; the odds are massive, for in backing a bloke like Al Assad. You need to show good reason; any wishy-washy excuse, will not do!

  You can't expect Vlad to turn up trumps; at the drop of a hat, it takes far more than that. It's been coming for a while and he knows it. Hence the moves to safeguard his position and a legacy of sorts, will it work? Doubt it!  The economics are out of kilter. It's how all dictators pseudo or otherwise, 'atishoo atishoo' it's the economics 'wot' does for them. There's no happy ending; winding the clock back, never works in practice!

Watch this space I'll be back

Daz.