Dumping and (my) Ealing through the years (Now and Then)

I was a bit saddened to see a couple of mattresses dumped in a road (Ascott Avenue) not too far from where I lived - I guess removal of stuff isn't always easy and it might seem a good solution just to put things the dustbin men won't take on the public highway where ultimately the council will arrange for collection.

What a waste (in Ealing)

I suppose what is needed is a better means of handling waste - I know when we got our replacement mattress and fridge about a year ago the companies who supplied the new items were able to take the old ones away - this isn't always easy if your getting things from friends and relatives - anyway my sympathies for those  who had to step around them until they were removed.

If you need it here's a link to Ealing Council web site for the removal of waste.

Old Peoples homes

Well here are 3 pictures (composites 'Now and Then') of places I've lived in in Ealing - and you can see that although all is change some things remain much the same over (around) 30 years,

It's a theme I'm interested in, not exciting photo's and more about continuity than anything else (and the change in photographic technology).

Hessel Road - first port of call in the Borough.

Then on to Princes Road and an outside W.C. for a while

Aspen Close and my own place with two (indoor) W.C.s

The Possibility of a Distance Learning Project

For some time I used to meet up on an 'ad-hoc' basis at Café  Chai  (it's a Caffe Nero now)  with a bunch of expat's in an Ealing coffee shop to look at business propositions for their 'home country'

A business meeting place or for  a chat over coffee

Today after a long break I met up with one of these people  to talk about how high quality education could be delivered into a hostile environment. As is often the case the issue my belief is that the challenge is not the technical but finding the backers who can see what benefits such a project can deliver.

Broadly speaking the issue for many developing societies is how a suitably skilled 'class' of cadres can be equipped to bring progress to a society with limited infrastructure and a civil society that is not well developed.

My project outline for such goals would be as follows:

1) Create a draft business plan, identifying goals and challenges, an idea of milestones and time-scale, a team (very important), high level financials.



The business plan should identify similar projects and reflect on their successes and failures, it should include a project summary, quotations and illustrations to ensure that it is engaging and pleasing to the eye.


2)  Create very strong 'deck' perhaps 4 or 5 slides that can be used to target people who by the nature of their business position  with very limited time/attention spans.

Use a website to ensure that the collateral is easily available, ensure that it is possible for feedback to be submitted.


3) Identify potential partners and investors become familiar with their own interests,  constituencies and goals (Questions are they in it for the long run? Do they want to be involved in day to day activities?)

4) Put together  a dummy presentation/demo and rehearse, using a critical eye.

5) Seek feedback, find what backers like and dislike - refine and resubmit as required.(with emphasis on financials and reality)

Distance learning in a hostile environment.

Distance Learning has become a multi-million dollar business  but it is important that any institution/business offering education can deliver independently audited, certificated courses to a high standard.

What does the market need in terms of qualified students? (e.g. is Engineering a prime requirement or would horticulture be more important).

What Educational materials would be needed and how would the services of tutors be managed they need to be of high quality and consistent.

What are the classes to be taught do they require, practical sessions?

What would the language of delivery be? (is this an issue).

What is the political environment that the educational establishment is functioning within?

Is the Massive open online course ( MOOC) a useful tool/model?

Who pays and who attends?

Questions on the methods of delivery are significant, is it possible to deliver lectures 'live', how would feedback from a class be managed?

My availability to support the project is limited and there's a lot of hard work needed to get to a stage where those with potential funding could be approached - will see if anything comes of it.

The question 'What is Justice' raised on City Lit Course

Yesterday at City Lit and in our  Philosophy session we were on for  the search for justice.

We've most of us heard children complain 'it's not fair', can recall saying such things ourselves or still say it in some more sophisticated manner (why did X get promoted and not me?- it's not fdair I've been here longer and ...).

Is it fair that I can enjoy a walk in the park on a sunny day?

Well apparently it's another of those thorny issues that philosophers get their teeth (and noses) into- what do we think of fairness and is it something we should try and achieve in personal and public life?

Interestingly there's a tension between what is just and what is fair here's some food for thought on this.

Several times in the discussions on Justice in the classroom at City Lit I felt there was almost a slide into what we could call Politics, I suppose there is an inevitability in this, where the idea of the 'left' as perceived by some is that we're all entitled to the same treatment (say in Health) but if I choose to smoke is it fair that the NHS should spend more on me than someone who looks after him/herself.

I also felt that there was an undue emphasis on money and that fairness could only be seen under the lens of the Socio-economic system'  and thus money is the only measure of happiness and success.

There's also an idea that we are unable to make choices (a societal determinism I suppose))  and that can even negate us complaining of the outcomes.

When we say it is unfair that a nurse gets less pay than a pop singer I'm not sure that this is the case.

I tend to go with Maslov (Hierarchy of needs) in that once hygiene measures are met income is less significant to quality of life but may be seen as an analogue to the value that society puts on a particular function.

The truth (for me) is that life is not fair but in some respects this is okay  for example I'm not such a talented footballer as Wayne Rooney but I do not necessarily say that this is not fair as I do not aspire to play football for England or his way of life.


The traditional left has unfortunately struggled with the idea of allowing choice in certain areas but people generally make their choices in a manner that makes sense to them.

I would typically identify myself as being broadly on what is currently defined as the 'left' but I do not see it to be a progressive measure to tax people and then return some of this money to them in a way that the 'state' may direct - if I wish to spend money on private education I can not see this as something that the state needs to be involved in (either stopping parents or giving them or the schools an artificial and unfair tax advantage).


 The questions around the moral case for Taxation can be seen as a 'live issue'  and you can listen to an example with Michael Buerk  and assorted figures (ahead of Michael's Jungle outing) discuss this on  BBC radio's 'The Moral Maze'.

What you might find a useful thought experiment is to imagine a child of yours who you wish to see blossoming  being propelled into a 'fair society' this idea was termed the 'Veil of ignorance' by the twentieth century philosopher  John Rawls who imagined this conceptual thought experiment.


Well Justice is a complex issue that's for sure but next week is even more challenging when we look at 'Death.'

Fun Night-time photography with OPEN Ealing

A view like this can have a long exposure as there's little movement.

Yesterday evening and another session at the OPEN Digital Photography class - using the axiom

A tripod at £5.99

about learning by doing and taking advantage of our proximity to the bustling Uxbridge Road we went out  with our cameras to engage with the topic of 'low light/night time Photography'.

As well as needing a camera (of course) a tripod is almost essential - I'd bought mine a couple of weeks back at Seba Digital   (strangely also in Uxbridge Road) at  only £5.99 a bargain, perhaps a trifle light but this has advantages too.

A blurred bus was a popular subject for photo's

If you want to catch action at low light you will need to use settings of a high ISO number (1600 perhaps) but this has a cost in detail and noise as the sensor will be pushed hard.





Alternatively you might wish to use longer exposures and accept blur or shoot subjects where movement is less of an issue.

A trick with a torch

It was fun to get out and take pictures and indeed it's a great way to get more familiar with your camera - the one thing I forgot to go equipped with was a torch- if I'm out again I will try and remember.

I had previously tried to take a self portrait and was unhappy with the result - last night I did get another picture of 'me' which I'm still unhappy but slightly less so - I suppose I don't look like I think I do and am unable to catch myself engaged in something as I'd wish.

Me at night by me

When taking pictures  now I am more using my somewhat limited technique more and hopefully picking up tips - I am also trying to think ahead and do at least some pre planning.


With respect to the intended project/exhibition I have been planning this and as a start have revisited three places I've lived in Ealing to see how they now look after more than 25 years,

Nice pictures in this book

I have also bought a book called  'Ealing and Hanwell Past' by Peter Hounsell of the Ealing Branch of the Historical Association it has some pictures that I may use as a basis for revisiting certain views.