Tony Nicklinson

I took my time before writing my thoughts on this and it's something I feel quite passionate about. Tony Nicklinson has been living with 'Locked-In Syndrome' for seven years following a massive stroke in 2005. Today, Tony took his case to the High Court to grant permission for his life to be ended by doctors without fear of prosecution. Sadly, he lost his case and was distraught at hearing the news. He is appealing the decision.
None of us can imagine what it must be like to suffer with Locked-In Syndrome. Although Tony has lost the use of his body, his mind is active and he is able to articulate his thoughts through a computer aided speech device.

This is a very difficult issue. Tony has no quality of life. He has made this very clear and is in the process of writing a book which he wants to complete. For me, I struggle with any situation where suffering is prolonged. Tony is suffering daily - he has told us this.
I am trained to prevent suicide, yet I do believe there are situations where life can be unbearable for some who suffer chronic illness with no hope of recovery. Every day is a struggle and the pain is constant. Many are house-bound and totally reliant on others to carry out tasks such as washing and eating. They have no dignity. Life is literally a living hell.
If a dog or cat falls ill or is in pain, we put them down. The same is true of horses where an injury as small as a paper cut can justify a vet's stun gun.
I strongly believe there are cases where the choice to end life should be granted. Tony wants to end his life, but he cannot do it himself. He needs help, and it is because of this that this option has been taken from him. He is forced to live in agony until an appeal can be raised. Surely this cannot be fair? There is of course Dignitas in Switzerland, but why should he have to travel hundreds of miles only to end his life on the edge of an industrial estate? He wants to die at home, and shouldn't this be his right? His basic human right?
I hear arguments that we will set a dangerous precedent if we allow people such as Tony to end their lives. I would counter this by saying that there should be strict guidelines in place which include input from more than one doctor or specialist, family members and where possible the individual concerned. Quite how this should be structured isn't for me to say, but we mustn't lose sight of the person concerned. There is a real danger that we forget that at the centre of this is an individual who is suffering. A human being of sound mind for whom life has no benefit. The law must be amended.

Tomatoes Forever!

I love tomatoes and my tomato plants are starting to mature nicely. In fact, I've been able to harvest a few and was particularly pleased to find some more had ripened enough for picking this morning...

...and very nice they are too! Today I removed some seeds from a couple of cherry tomatoes my wife had bought for me from a supermarket. I'll plant these probably tomorrow once the seeds are dry and weather permitting I may be able to nurture some more before the summer is out.

A Fully Inclusive Games... We're Nearly There

So that's it. Like many, I watched the closing ceremony last night and although it wasn't on the same scale as the opening ceremony, it was a spectacle to remember.
Still to come is the Paralympics which begin on the 29th in a couple of weeks time. The Olympic Games, besides being a showcase of athletic excellence, will be remembered for its diversity and inclusion - the first Olympic Games to include women from all countries of the world.
We still have some way to go, sadly. We still relegate disabled athletes to their own event, far removed from the main games. In my view, the most worthy are left to last, and this has to be wrong. Why can they not perform alongside the able-bodied and their achievements be recognised and awarded on the world stage?
The fact the the word 'paralympic' is derived from the Greek preposition 'para' meaning parallel or alongside, makes it all the more odd that the event isn't run in tandem with the main Olympic Games.

Sir Ludwig Guttmann organised the first recognised event for disabled athletes known as the 'Wheelchair Games' in 1948. Dr. Guttman's aim was to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games.

I will certainly be watching the Paralympic Games and I hope a similar level of attention is afforded the event as we have witnessed over the last seventeen days. For me the achievements of a disabled athlete are far greater given their handicap, and this deserves special merit. 

I just hope it isn't too long before all athletes, regardless of ability, are able to compete together. Now that really would be great...

Fixed It!

This will seem relatively trivial to many but I've been meaning to do something about an irritating problem we've had with the car. The indicators have for several weeks worked only intermittently requiring a sharp whack to the dashboard at junctions etc. A temporary solution for the last week has been to stuff a rolled up piece of paper between the little box of tricks that does the indicating and the next one. Yesterday I decided to do something about it. Having looked on eBay, it is possible to purchase a new one, but why spend £20 when I could fix the one we have. I was pretty certain the problem had to be a loose connection inside the relay itself, as it worked perfectly well when the correct pressure was applied.
Removing it was very easy, it simply plugs into a board and has three pins that fit into a socket, similar to a domestic three pin plug. I have all the gear I need at my mate's and removing the cover revealed a simple device that clicks on and off when power is applied. These are commonly referred to as solenoids. It wasn't long before I'd identified the problem. There are three soldered joints and these had worked themselves loose probably through the natural movement of the car over time.

Three dabs of solder on the affected joints and the relay was as good as new and working fine. A simple fix with enormous benefit.

Kindle & Car In Harmony

Thoughts on Trains & Their 'Customers'

When, I wonder, did the rail passenger become a customer. I understand that the term 'passenger' is no longer used by the rail companies in favour of the more appropriate term of 'customer'. So when did this come about? Was it as a result of years of neglect? Did someone wake up one morning and realise that passengers were in fact paying for a service? We'll probably never know but I'd like to think there was a sea change in thinking and a long overdue reaction to genuine and growing public discontentment.

A keen Twitter user, I am fed a constant stream of updates from various railway operating companies all around the country. In all cases, they refer to customers rather than passengers. I could be argued that communication has improved considerably. Twitter now provides the means for direct and instant messaging between operators and 'customers'. Only today there were messages sent every few minutes regarding a power failure at Kings Cross which was affecting all trains in and out. On other days, I have read about problems with flooding caused by the freakish rain we've been having. These messages instill a degree of comfort. There's someone out there who knows what is happening, and more importantly, they care.
A lot of their knowledge comes from the passengers - sorry, 'customers' who now have a link to someone in control. From their mobile phones and Internet connected devices, they feed them information about packed trains, late trains and blocked toilets. In this case, the interaction between customer and supplier is instant. This has to be a good thing.

There is another type of message I see all too often on my Twitter feed. These are the messages apologising for cancelled services due to a person being hit by a train. I see these almost daily and it bewilders me to think that so many people are able to stray onto our railway network and in so many cases end up under a moving train. There can be no doubt that a great many of these are intentional suicide attempts, and every one causes pain, anguish and distress to all involved especially the driver, passengers and emergency services. It is sad, but Twitter allows me to know about everything that's going on.

As I type this, a tweet has popped up from Greater Anglia telling me that there is a 'generally good service' and to reply if they can be of any help. This is service, good service. But it is a level of service we seem to struggle to provide on a personal level. Maybe it's something about the culture of this country. Rather than being asked in person if we think the service is satisfactory, we prefer to do it electronically. Despite our shyness, it is still a valuable thing and a channel between the customer and the supplier.
Has customer service improved, or has Twitter simply made communication easier?

Hole In The Wall

Customers and staff of Barclays Bank in Long Sutton arrived this morning to find it had been turned into a drive thru after thieves removed the cash machine in the small hours.

We can only hope that there was very little cash in the machine, that dye stain rendered it unusable, and that the perpetrators are caught and dealt justice.