Excuse me, but both governments AND banks are guilty

Excuse me but can I ask a question?

How come the banks can loan any amount of money, at an interest rate they demand, to countries that are in contravention of the Maastrich Treaty (3% deficit and 60% debt, to GDP)?

Are they totally immoral or, in my belief, illegal in doing so. I really don't see why they should not have just turned round and said to countries outside the parameters of the EU treaty (not just the euro zone!) that they will not extend any more credit. To extend credit outside the limits is to gamble with our sovereignty and I am sure no one of us would agree with that. It was, and is, wrong to believe that they can go on expanding their loans, and thus making more and more profits, from exploiting us, we the people.

Both sides are guilty

So, let's start putting the blame in both places where it belongs. Sure governments (not "politicians", but elected governments) have sought to break the rules and gone about spending that they could not afford, but the banks are equally guilty in making the loans.

Go Cameron, Go

David Cameron, far from being in a noose over the EU and the euro - supposedly tightened by the so-called euro-sceptics, is actually in a great position.

Provided! He grabs this opportunity for the UK to be a strong reforming force in the EU. What do I mean by that?

- He should take a strong stand about the successful future of the EU and the wide adoption of the euro.

- He must avoid the temptation to just do what the city wants, he must do what, us, the people want. Fairness, equality, care… sovereignty of our money…

- He should indicate that, if reforms go ahead and markets are suitable then the UK will join the euro.

- He should "join them" not "stand apart", the UK has a huge amount to offer to the ongoing proposals, we started our efforts to reduce our budget deficit a while ago, others are just starting. His advice on how to go about it is invaluable.

This is the politics of international relations, the USA (including its S&P, Moody's and other rating agencies) is already in decline and no longer able to bully the world over how things should be run. China is budding, but the EU has all the ability to take a leading position in the world. Just let's get it right.

The basic operating methodology of financial markets (mathematical calculation of risk, association of risk and interest, deep levels of CDS on loans…) has to be challenged by governments who are acting for their people. Our sovereignty has an indeterminate value, not a fixed value appointed by financial organisations.

Not that this means governments can run up huge debts, they cannot and must be stopped from doing so. But this has to done throughout the EU not just to sustain the euro as a currency, that is a consequence not a cause. We need to take 20 years to solve the debt problem, not a week that financial markets would like to see to sustain their ridiculous short-term culture.

Putting PDF slide shows on the iPad

It occurred to me the other day just how good it would due to have the slide shows that I used for training on the iPads of the students.

But how?

Well the slide shows are made in Keynote, and can be exported as PDF files. Use File > Print > PDF and Save As… put the file on your Desktop where it is easy to find later.

Now email the PDF file to your iPad, or to yourself if it has the same email address as your computer! When the email arrives click on the attachment PDF and wait while it downloads and opens. Then chose view it in iBooks.

The PDF file will now be in your iBooks PDF collection.

Use iTunes sync

Alternatively, add the PDF file directly to your iTunes library, Book section. Go there and check the title and author are ok, then sync your iPad. If you are on iOS5 and iCloud your iPad will sync automatically by WiFi when you plug it into a USB power source.

Take the winds out of the financial sails

I am not a banker, and they will probably call this fanciful, but I do think we need to take the wind out of bank's sails, and make them subservient to national sovereignty, and better protector of OUR money. So,

Let's cap the interest on sovereign debt, to 4% say for everyone in the EU, and extend it all to 20 years. This means some will pay more (UK, Germany, France…) and some will pay less. Let the central banks smooth that out by issuing money to stop bank failures and by them seeking productive investments, let governments handle it by sweeping tax cuts so people spend.

In addition force fiscal inion of ALL 27 countries, including UK. Restructure the EU, yes I mean the EU, not the euro zone. Integrate more the politics and political decision making, let this control major fiscal policy, allowing freedom for local financing or taxes. But keep the banks small and local to prevent the "too big to fail" problem.

Stop the gambling and interbank shilly shallying. Allow CDS only to first level, but insist backed by secure assets, like gold.

1930's sketches at Upton House, near Banbury UK

A Servant's Day Off

This is the time of year for amusements and distractions. As part of Upton House, near Banbury's seasonal attractions the leading local theatre group the Banbury Cross Players will present three 1930's sketches on the 10th and 18th of December 2011.



The sketches will be presented to visitors who wander by in the Long Gallery, The kitchen and the Squash Court of the house. Each will be presented three times a day between 12 noon and 4 pm. The sketches are:

Early Birds by Roland Pertwee, set in the gallery of a provincial theatre, first performed at the Savoy Theatre, London on May 30th 1916

As It Goes Along by Philip Slade, set in a suite of a large hotel, written in 1937

Wireless Cookery by Philip Slade, set in a parlour kitchen, written in 1937

All three sketches will set the scene for your enjoyment of a visit to Upton House, one of the most beautiful in North Oxfordshire.
More information about Upton House and Gardens is on their web site beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/upton-house.

James and the Giant Peach - theatre production

Grasshopper meets his friends

James and the Giant Peach

Throngs of happy children descended on the stage at the Mill Arts Centre, Banbury last week at the end of each performance of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, adapted by David Wood.



Invited by Grasshopper to take part in a triumphal march around New York's Central Park, the children came dressed up as one of the insects, Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird, Earthworm or Spider. The best dressed were presented with prizes by Grasshopper and everyone went back to their seat with a selection of sweets from James.

Oxfordshire schools had been invited to tell children about the performances and many responded. Both matinee performances were sold out but, more importantly, Banbury Cross Players were delighted to have bought live theatre to 300+ children in the county.

Back to tech things - use of iPhone and iCloud

Using one calendar among all family members

We have a complicated computer usage in our house. I have a Macbook, my wife has a MacBook, I have an iPhone and so does she. I also have an iPad. My son is about to get an iPhone, but he has a PC.

The problem is iCloud and synchronising. We have separate and different Apple IDs just as we have different MobileMe email addresses. This on the face of it means that her computer syncs (email, contacts and calendar, apps, books, etc) with her iPhone and mine syncs with my iPhone and iPad.

But what we need is to have one common family calendar, leaving separate mail accounts. So that anyone putting an entry in the family calendar could give notice to any one else. We will also have our son soon as a new iPhone user and we have to see how he will fit in - he has yet another Apple iD/MobileMe email address.

How to solve the problem?

How to get your own synchronised mail & contacts etc, but someone else's calendar? As a pre-requisite set up a calendar on what we will call the "master" machine, in my case my MacBook, and give it a new unique name.

Then this is how you do it on the second iPhone:

1 Go to Settings > iCloud > Account and enter your own Apple ID and password for your iCloud account, that will get things synchronising. (If you are coming from Mobile Me then go to iCloud.com and upgrade first)

2 But turn on syncing for everything except calendars.

3 Next go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account, and add the iCloud account of the person who will keep the "master" calendar.

4 Finally, go back to Settings > iCloud > Accounts and now select the "master" persons account name, then turn on Calendars and chose in the calendar app the unique calendar name you set up above on the "master" machine.

The calendar will sync to the "master" account, while your mail and contacts etc will sync to your personal one.