KARNATAKA, INDIA
Maharaja's Palace, Mysore (once state capital now part of Karnataka) from last year's album
Maharaja's Palace, Mysore, floodlit briefly every evening
Last year you may recall we spent January and February travelling around Tamil Nadu and Kerala the two states which comprise the southern tip of India, starting and finishing on the east coast at Chennai (Madras as was). This year we spent the same winter months travelling around the western state which stretches northwards from Kerala. What a state of contrasts from the fast expanding city of Bengaluru (the traffic jammed heart of its IT Industry) to the wonderful unknown centre of the state north of Hampi, and the magic of Indian religious ceremonies in Upudi.
As usual I kept a blog of our travels by way of a diary, though in the less visited areas usable computers were difficult to find and frequent power failures were disruptive. A few readers had access to that blog, for the rest I promise a link once I have published a cleaned up version, inverted the postings into chronological rather diary order and added tasters from our 1000 photograph record. Karnataka surrounds the tiny ex-Portuguese colony of Goa, a package tourist area at least as well known as Kerala, where we spent two weeks, in a southern part not at all ruined by catering for mass western tourism.
Apart from travellers like us, of which there were few, we discovered two pockets where retired Europeans return year after year to replace the ice and snow, wind and rain with non stop, unvarying, sunshine. We often asked ourselves before returning would too much heat be better than too much cold. It was a relevant question to ask, the long stayers are anxious to get out before India really starts to warm up in late March. Britain was still cold at the start of March but now our daffodils have taken to flower and it's beginning to feel that spring really is on its way.
Our last night in Bengaluru was spent at the Chinnaswamy Stadium watching Ireland of all countries to annihilate England in the league stage of the One Day World Cup, and claim two world records one of which, only 50 balls for the fastest hundred, will take some beating, to emphasise the context the previous record was 66 balls. We turncoats could not but cheer the Irish on that exciting night, along with the pilot of tomorrow's plane. Sport being what it is it's the battle scarred English who reached the knock out stage, three more victories and they will be world champions.
To a significant extent this holiday was troubled by prolonged ill health and poor sleep patterns, Joan in particular was swearing she would never return to India and convinced her troubles would disappear the moment she reached home - they didn't. Once feeling better and starting to look over the photographs a reassessment will surely begin.
RICHARD 2 Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory - Bristol
We had bought tickets for Saturday's matinee 12 March before leaving for India knowing there would as always be a full house on our return, not bad considering they play daily except Sunday for almost two months. Richard 2 is normally thought of the first of four history plays proceeding to King Henry 4, 5 and 6. In fact it is better seen as a tragedy of the king who acceded to the throne as a minor fully believing in the divine right of kings and found it difficult to adjust to being usurped by a fait accomplis of his cousin Henry Bulingbrooke, who although technically banished had returned to England and won the support of the nobles and the people (The Peasants Revolt). Richard 2 had no choice but to hand over the crown.
Throughout this blog I have always promoted quality theatre. I went initially to the Tobacco Factory because of the rave reviews several years ago for their production of Hamlet directed by Johnathan Miller. Without question Richard 2 was the best production since, the bulk of the casts has always been excellent, mainly older actors trained at the Bristol Old Vic, but this production was absolutely outstanding for the way little known John Heffernan played the title role.
But don't take my opinion on its own have a look at John Morrison's who issues several posting a month on theatre, this on his very first visit to the Tobacco Factory. He is advocating Richard 2 is given a short season at the National Theatre in London. Transfer to the West End was advocated for Hamlet, in fact the other play directed that year by Jonathan Miller that year won out because it had a well known star, Joanna Lumley if I remember correctly. John Heffernan bounded onto the stage like a ballet star ahead of the rest of the cast to receive a standing ovation. He has the range to portray the tortured emotions of Hamlet - if he does I hope to be in the audience
http://blackpig.typepad.com/john_morrison/2011/02/richard-ii-at-the-tobacco-factory.html
I did give advance warning of the Tobacco Factory's Shakespeare Season but this was the final week of Richard 2. This twelfth year continues with their second production Comedy of Errors, it will run from Thursday 24 March to Saturday 30 April. Don't miss that too. Incidentally they have now opened a second theatre space at The Brewery, another factory being put to new use 150 metres from the first. The three month Shakespeare season is the highlight, but there is a wide range of productions throughout the year, they might be thought of as more popular fare but its hard to beat three months of full houses for their Shakespeare season. What was encouraging was the age range at that matinee performance, there were plenty of young faces, though almost all above school age, Classical Theatre will thrive whilst there are interpretors like this company and intimate spaces like the Tobacco Factory.
U3A
My thanks to Adrian Crowley who has made such a success of a facelift for the slide presentation before the Wednesday lectures whilst I was gallivanting, and to Mo who has kept communication on Group activities flowing through the monthly Newsletter. Adrian will take over the slide show, though in a reversal of roles I have offered to deputise for his much shorter holiday week.
I have decided not to stand as Groups' Coordinator, or any other role, on the committee at this year's AGM, though I thoroughly enjoyed it for three years I think it is time for new ideas and renewed enthusiasm.
I like to think I helped make a difference and non more so than by the overdue use of computer technology for the first time in this organisation, plus an illustration of the potential for widened communication by this blog. The blog may well continue though without emphasis on promoting new and troubled U3A groups for which it was first conceived, though certainly with comment on U3A activities dear to my heart.
Without the slightest doubt I recommend the very interesting and rewarding role of Groups' Coordinator to anyone. I am sure that discussions already in progress by the committee will result in a higher profile for groups, their convenors, tutors and helpers, as well as by structured help for the Coordinator. In the longer term I foresee the evolution of internal Group structures being led by small teams of members - though each group needs a single point of contact.
GP LED NHS for WALES?
The only group meeting I have been to since returning drew my interest from its topic, presented by member Vicky Wood, a researcher on NHS matters. It's difficult to imagine a more topical or vital subject. She started the discussion by summarising the major changes which had taken place in the NHS since its foundation by Aneurin Bevan. She said the most relevant to the current discussion was the introduction of GP Fundholding in the early 1990's but follow up research into the effects had shown only mixed results. Since then The Guardian has added to my understanding. In an informative two page spread it added the introduction of practice based commissioning by Tony Blair in 2005 whereby commissioning of hospital care was shared between GPs in cooperation with The Primary Trusts.
When it came to a question of decision by the group as to whether Wales should follow England in respect of GP control unusually there was a big silence from the group. I for one must admit ignorance as to the way the two countries approach to the NHS differs currently, which didn't help. It is the political question of the hour but only one member was clearly in favour of the change and none of the silent majority spoke definitely against, though one was clearly concerned it would be the first step on the road to the unsatisfactory, privatised, far from universal coverage, system in the USA.
A GP friend used to say the fault lines were drawn in the original agreement with Bevan, by which he meant permission for hospital consultants to work privately as well as for the NHS (since constrained). The main thrust of The Guardian articles was that the GPs, who gained big unforeseen increases in earnings from the changes of the Tony Blair era could be the financial beneficiaries of this proposed system, maybe doubling current earnings. It seemed all too plausible to me. Put together it made me wonder if the current objection by BMA members was not based on the same hospital/GP split.
I have just a few observations
1) Continual upheaval is unwarranted except for very good, well thought out, reasons. The lack of evidence of the benefits of reorganisation troubles me, and it seems quite the wrong time for large scale risky experiments.
2) It appears from personal observation that the morale of staff in Hospitals was much improved following the large input of finance by the last government including finance to accelerate operations and reduce waiting lists. It was surely that widely held feeling which caused all political parties to say in the last election debates they would protect spending on the NHS. Indeed we know a Swansea U3A member who classes his treatment here far higher than the experiences he had when he lived in France - the exact opposite to that normally cited.
3) Drawing purely from the unrelated unrelated experience of an design and development engineer I suspect that, regrettable though it may be, a majority of GPs, like engineers, would rather exercise their specialised professional skills than dilute them with general management tasks, for which their interest and training has not equipped them anyway. I say maybe regrettable because in industry that was the cause of the top management posts going to accountants, and we all know that Britain's once world renowned engineering industry, still intact in 1945, has virtually disappeared since. The one world class engineer that remains, Rolls Royce, was throughout headed by engineers who really understood both the business, the innovating technology and the necessity to stay in front or fail, though they did need a government bail out to succeed.
THE RISE and FALL of the SOVIET STATE
Last Wednesdays lecture topic, by Dr Neil Harding. We went not knowing quite the approach which would be taken, would we be drawing lines on a map to show the break up? But no it was nothing short of an intriguing attempt in forty minutes to expound the political principles behind the rise and fall of market driven capitalism and that of planned communist approach. Akin to Julian Barnes attempt to write 'A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters', but much more pertinent.
I would like to feel I have retained a fraction of what was said and wish the lecture had been recorded. What I have kept is the idea that political systems (Capitalist or Communist) contain the seeds of their own destruction and that all lead to Militarism to defend their power. What hope for the world?
What hope for a pacifist like me? Should I become an advocate for Elle - la Revolution Permanente which Georges Moustaki promoted so attractively years ago in his song, Sans la Nommer, but I guess he was an anarchist at heart, he told us his friends were un peu anars. But as Dr Harding told us tearing things apart is no longer a realistic option given the ever increasing complexity of modern industry, so is there no way to a more sane world? Maybe I'll retreat to study the three main Hindu Gods in more depth, the one who should have constructed but couldn't bring himself to act, the one who did, and the destroyer, there's a trinity for you.
JAPAN
I don't even feel so confident of my previous advocacy of nuclear power given the terrible tragedy in Japan, from natural causes not warfare, though I am sure the engineers will, given the opportunity, eventually evolve safer reactor designs. But we always said if there is a known mechanism for failure sometime it will happen. Building on a well known active fault line sounded crazy yesterday, let alone today. The far bigger danger in my view is nuclear weapons.
SOLAR POWER
My sister phoned this afternoon to say her voltaic roof started generating power this afternoon and her meter was now running backwards but her computer had ceased to work! There's hope for those who can adapt to daylight living.
LIBYA
As a pacifist I must say military intervention is always wrong. Quite apart from that I think the attempt at Regime Change in our Self Interest, to paraphrase David Cameron, is a strategy which may well backfire in the medium term - even though it is backed to an unclear degree by a UN resolution. I doubt that even the UN should be attempting to police the world.
SHORT COMPUTER TRAINING COURSES
Just before Christmas I led a four week course for Internet Beginners, which set out teach how to think logically, calmly and constructively about it. One of the aims was to provide one on one help for the pupils, in which I had sustained help in the true U3A manner of sharing know-how. If there is sufficient interest I will organise a repeat, the benefits will be greatest to those just starting - in fact last time two of the pupils brought their first computers straight out of the packing case.
Maharaja's Palace, Mysore (once state capital now part of Karnataka) from last year's album
Last year you may recall we spent January and February travelling around Tamil Nadu and Kerala the two states which comprise the southern tip of India, starting and finishing on the east coast at Chennai (Madras as was). This year we spent the same winter months travelling around the western state which stretches northwards from Kerala. What a state of contrasts from the fast expanding city of Bengaluru (the traffic jammed heart of its IT Industry) to the wonderful unknown centre of the state north of Hampi, and the magic of Indian religious ceremonies in Upudi.
As usual I kept a blog of our travels by way of a diary, though in the less visited areas usable computers were difficult to find and frequent power failures were disruptive. A few readers had access to that blog, for the rest I promise a link once I have published a cleaned up version, inverted the postings into chronological rather diary order and added tasters from our 1000 photograph record. Karnataka surrounds the tiny ex-Portuguese colony of Goa, a package tourist area at least as well known as Kerala, where we spent two weeks, in a southern part not at all ruined by catering for mass western tourism.
Apart from travellers like us, of which there were few, we discovered two pockets where retired Europeans return year after year to replace the ice and snow, wind and rain with non stop, unvarying, sunshine. We often asked ourselves before returning would too much heat be better than too much cold. It was a relevant question to ask, the long stayers are anxious to get out before India really starts to warm up in late March. Britain was still cold at the start of March but now our daffodils have taken to flower and it's beginning to feel that spring really is on its way.
Our last night in Bengaluru was spent at the Chinnaswamy Stadium watching Ireland of all countries to annihilate England in the league stage of the One Day World Cup, and claim two world records one of which, only 50 balls for the fastest hundred, will take some beating, to emphasise the context the previous record was 66 balls. We turncoats could not but cheer the Irish on that exciting night, along with the pilot of tomorrow's plane. Sport being what it is it's the battle scarred English who reached the knock out stage, three more victories and they will be world champions.
To a significant extent this holiday was troubled by prolonged ill health and poor sleep patterns, Joan in particular was swearing she would never return to India and convinced her troubles would disappear the moment she reached home - they didn't. Once feeling better and starting to look over the photographs a reassessment will surely begin.
RICHARD 2 Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory - Bristol
We had bought tickets for Saturday's matinee 12 March before leaving for India knowing there would as always be a full house on our return, not bad considering they play daily except Sunday for almost two months. Richard 2 is normally thought of the first of four history plays proceeding to King Henry 4, 5 and 6. In fact it is better seen as a tragedy of the king who acceded to the throne as a minor fully believing in the divine right of kings and found it difficult to adjust to being usurped by a fait accomplis of his cousin Henry Bulingbrooke, who although technically banished had returned to England and won the support of the nobles and the people (The Peasants Revolt). Richard 2 had no choice but to hand over the crown.
Throughout this blog I have always promoted quality theatre. I went initially to the Tobacco Factory because of the rave reviews several years ago for their production of Hamlet directed by Johnathan Miller. Without question Richard 2 was the best production since, the bulk of the casts has always been excellent, mainly older actors trained at the Bristol Old Vic, but this production was absolutely outstanding for the way little known John Heffernan played the title role.
But don't take my opinion on its own have a look at John Morrison's who issues several posting a month on theatre, this on his very first visit to the Tobacco Factory. He is advocating Richard 2 is given a short season at the National Theatre in London. Transfer to the West End was advocated for Hamlet, in fact the other play directed that year by Jonathan Miller that year won out because it had a well known star, Joanna Lumley if I remember correctly. John Heffernan bounded onto the stage like a ballet star ahead of the rest of the cast to receive a standing ovation. He has the range to portray the tortured emotions of Hamlet - if he does I hope to be in the audience
http://blackpig.typepad.com/john_morrison/2011/02/richard-ii-at-the-tobacco-factory.html
I did give advance warning of the Tobacco Factory's Shakespeare Season but this was the final week of Richard 2. This twelfth year continues with their second production Comedy of Errors, it will run from Thursday 24 March to Saturday 30 April. Don't miss that too. Incidentally they have now opened a second theatre space at The Brewery, another factory being put to new use 150 metres from the first. The three month Shakespeare season is the highlight, but there is a wide range of productions throughout the year, they might be thought of as more popular fare but its hard to beat three months of full houses for their Shakespeare season. What was encouraging was the age range at that matinee performance, there were plenty of young faces, though almost all above school age, Classical Theatre will thrive whilst there are interpretors like this company and intimate spaces like the Tobacco Factory.
U3A
My thanks to Adrian Crowley who has made such a success of a facelift for the slide presentation before the Wednesday lectures whilst I was gallivanting, and to Mo who has kept communication on Group activities flowing through the monthly Newsletter. Adrian will take over the slide show, though in a reversal of roles I have offered to deputise for his much shorter holiday week.
I have decided not to stand as Groups' Coordinator, or any other role, on the committee at this year's AGM, though I thoroughly enjoyed it for three years I think it is time for new ideas and renewed enthusiasm.
I like to think I helped make a difference and non more so than by the overdue use of computer technology for the first time in this organisation, plus an illustration of the potential for widened communication by this blog. The blog may well continue though without emphasis on promoting new and troubled U3A groups for which it was first conceived, though certainly with comment on U3A activities dear to my heart.
Without the slightest doubt I recommend the very interesting and rewarding role of Groups' Coordinator to anyone. I am sure that discussions already in progress by the committee will result in a higher profile for groups, their convenors, tutors and helpers, as well as by structured help for the Coordinator. In the longer term I foresee the evolution of internal Group structures being led by small teams of members - though each group needs a single point of contact.
GP LED NHS for WALES?
The only group meeting I have been to since returning drew my interest from its topic, presented by member Vicky Wood, a researcher on NHS matters. It's difficult to imagine a more topical or vital subject. She started the discussion by summarising the major changes which had taken place in the NHS since its foundation by Aneurin Bevan. She said the most relevant to the current discussion was the introduction of GP Fundholding in the early 1990's but follow up research into the effects had shown only mixed results. Since then The Guardian has added to my understanding. In an informative two page spread it added the introduction of practice based commissioning by Tony Blair in 2005 whereby commissioning of hospital care was shared between GPs in cooperation with The Primary Trusts.
When it came to a question of decision by the group as to whether Wales should follow England in respect of GP control unusually there was a big silence from the group. I for one must admit ignorance as to the way the two countries approach to the NHS differs currently, which didn't help. It is the political question of the hour but only one member was clearly in favour of the change and none of the silent majority spoke definitely against, though one was clearly concerned it would be the first step on the road to the unsatisfactory, privatised, far from universal coverage, system in the USA.
A GP friend used to say the fault lines were drawn in the original agreement with Bevan, by which he meant permission for hospital consultants to work privately as well as for the NHS (since constrained). The main thrust of The Guardian articles was that the GPs, who gained big unforeseen increases in earnings from the changes of the Tony Blair era could be the financial beneficiaries of this proposed system, maybe doubling current earnings. It seemed all too plausible to me. Put together it made me wonder if the current objection by BMA members was not based on the same hospital/GP split.
I have just a few observations
1) Continual upheaval is unwarranted except for very good, well thought out, reasons. The lack of evidence of the benefits of reorganisation troubles me, and it seems quite the wrong time for large scale risky experiments.
2) It appears from personal observation that the morale of staff in Hospitals was much improved following the large input of finance by the last government including finance to accelerate operations and reduce waiting lists. It was surely that widely held feeling which caused all political parties to say in the last election debates they would protect spending on the NHS. Indeed we know a Swansea U3A member who classes his treatment here far higher than the experiences he had when he lived in France - the exact opposite to that normally cited.
3) Drawing purely from the unrelated unrelated experience of an design and development engineer I suspect that, regrettable though it may be, a majority of GPs, like engineers, would rather exercise their specialised professional skills than dilute them with general management tasks, for which their interest and training has not equipped them anyway. I say maybe regrettable because in industry that was the cause of the top management posts going to accountants, and we all know that Britain's once world renowned engineering industry, still intact in 1945, has virtually disappeared since. The one world class engineer that remains, Rolls Royce, was throughout headed by engineers who really understood both the business, the innovating technology and the necessity to stay in front or fail, though they did need a government bail out to succeed.
THE RISE and FALL of the SOVIET STATE
Last Wednesdays lecture topic, by Dr Neil Harding. We went not knowing quite the approach which would be taken, would we be drawing lines on a map to show the break up? But no it was nothing short of an intriguing attempt in forty minutes to expound the political principles behind the rise and fall of market driven capitalism and that of planned communist approach. Akin to Julian Barnes attempt to write 'A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters', but much more pertinent.
I would like to feel I have retained a fraction of what was said and wish the lecture had been recorded. What I have kept is the idea that political systems (Capitalist or Communist) contain the seeds of their own destruction and that all lead to Militarism to defend their power. What hope for the world?
What hope for a pacifist like me? Should I become an advocate for Elle - la Revolution Permanente which Georges Moustaki promoted so attractively years ago in his song, Sans la Nommer, but I guess he was an anarchist at heart, he told us his friends were un peu anars. But as Dr Harding told us tearing things apart is no longer a realistic option given the ever increasing complexity of modern industry, so is there no way to a more sane world? Maybe I'll retreat to study the three main Hindu Gods in more depth, the one who should have constructed but couldn't bring himself to act, the one who did, and the destroyer, there's a trinity for you.
JAPAN
I don't even feel so confident of my previous advocacy of nuclear power given the terrible tragedy in Japan, from natural causes not warfare, though I am sure the engineers will, given the opportunity, eventually evolve safer reactor designs. But we always said if there is a known mechanism for failure sometime it will happen. Building on a well known active fault line sounded crazy yesterday, let alone today. The far bigger danger in my view is nuclear weapons.
SOLAR POWER
My sister phoned this afternoon to say her voltaic roof started generating power this afternoon and her meter was now running backwards but her computer had ceased to work! There's hope for those who can adapt to daylight living.
LIBYA
As a pacifist I must say military intervention is always wrong. Quite apart from that I think the attempt at Regime Change in our Self Interest, to paraphrase David Cameron, is a strategy which may well backfire in the medium term - even though it is backed to an unclear degree by a UN resolution. I doubt that even the UN should be attempting to police the world.
SHORT COMPUTER TRAINING COURSES
Just before Christmas I led a four week course for Internet Beginners, which set out teach how to think logically, calmly and constructively about it. One of the aims was to provide one on one help for the pupils, in which I had sustained help in the true U3A manner of sharing know-how. If there is sufficient interest I will organise a repeat, the benefits will be greatest to those just starting - in fact last time two of the pupils brought their first computers straight out of the packing case.
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