My mum got a call yesterday from some woman at UK Borders. It’s about my brother, he needs to travel out of the country for a school trip but as I mentioned before due to the complications that have risen, we are now not sure if he will. I don’t know what it is with these people but with the way they are going about issues, I’m tempted to assume they are either a.) skilled in scare mongering tactics b.) not the shiniest tools in the box. My mum thinks they didn’t even go to school altogether!

This woman calls her to, supposedly, update her on my brother’s case ( they detained him and took away his passport and student I.D at Gatwick Airport) Mind you, my brother is underage! This was after my mum’s application got stuck in their distorted entanglement of bureaucracy. My mum was at work when this happened. She left everything and rushed to the airport to get my brother. Next day we received a letter citing the reason for taking my brother’s documents as; ‘it appears the person concerned forged the  documents’. I’m sorry, what!? I think they’re having a laugh here. For Pete’s sake, my brother is underage! Underage. Underage. Underage. This boy does not even know how the inside of his passport looks like! My mum keeps his passport for him and gives it to him when he needs to travel. At the airport! So where the flipping heck did they get this one from? It’s just simply farcical!

It would have made sense for them to say, ” Since you’ve still got a case pending with the Home Office, I’m afraid your son will not be able to travel out of the country.”

That is more believable. Right now we are not sure whether he is going to miss out on this trip or not. He’s due to travel in about two weeks. My mum got off the phone, ” Do these people know if I wanted I could sue them for causing emotional distress to my son?”

“I could sue them for serious money!”

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I have an office that is 15 minutes away from my home. I have been debating keeping it because I am on the road and not in the office but several times a month. So I have taken a month to test out being at home. Most of the time it is great and convenient. There are drawbacks to the home office. Today as I rolled out of bed at 9:15 am I couldn’t help but feel plagued by guilt. I realize that even when I worked in a cubicle I would usually not start working until then anyway. I just feel like I should always be working when I am home. I just wanted to start a pro’s and con’s list for having a home office.

Con’s:

1. Less motivation in the morning to get started.
2. Unending guilt to always be working.
3. Less professional dress. I do not have to get dressed up so why should I is my argument?
4. Errands always get in the way. It is easy to make cleaning up a must do chore instead of the phone calls I need to make.
5. Personal and Business life have no boundaries. I was digging through personal tax documents this morning when I should have been working.
6. No sunlight. This is just my office, but I am in the basement and there is no sunlight, this is a long way from the corner office!

I’ve been extraordinarily broody and depressed for the past few days. I have a good way of not showing it to my family ( mainly by keeping mum and watching too much TV or pretending to read a course book) I have this feeling tagging at my heart. It’s heavily weighing me down. I’m thinking about my future again. I can’t help but get scared.

I’ve spent three nights planning out different scenarios for my future. I’ve even got a plan Z! But…What if all these plans don’t work out? Will I be doomed to live a miserable life? To be honest, I was very positive after the mock interview because I was so sure what I wanted then…finally. I had gone to see my careers advisor and we had discussed so many things that I just found myself with a solid careers plan. I had also resolved to tackle some personal issues. This is where I mentioned about laying off the menfolk. Unfortunatley, I have a problem.

Actually I have TWO  major problems.

One, my mum just informed of some very disappointing news. She had problems with her (our) visa applications. No,  we were not planning on going anywhere. We ( the family) simply need something done with our visas. I will get to this part of my life in upcoming posts. The thing is, my mum has had to postpone her starting date at a new job ( a lucrative position at a top company) because she now has a case in her hands. Think of how I wouldn’t have to starve anymore.Or the numerous pairs of skinny jeans I would finally own.

Find lawyer. Meet lawyer at ungodly hours because said lawyer is uber swamped with a multitude of cases. Set a hearing date. Get numerous documents ( sometimes copies of the same thing over and over). Wait.

That’s all she’s been doing. She’s my hero. Her attitude to life is just so cheerful it’s unbelievable. She hasn’t gone into a panic attack, she hasn’t falling into a bottomless pit of depression. Nothing. As if I need to tell you that if this was me, I would probably have offed myself by now. It’s fucking ridiculous. My mother has worked and paid taxes in this country for the past eight years. Eight bloody legal years in this country and this is what she gets.

I must admit I’ve observed that she is mighty pissed. Not depressed, not wallowing in self-pity, but pissed off. She’s starting to think of asking the company to give her  an international position somewhere else in Europe or Australasia. This could mean moving to a new country. Now, as much as I said I want to get out and see the world, I don’t like the sound of this. This sounds so unstable. Basically, I wanted my base ( family et al) here in UK. While I travelled to wherever I wanted to, and lived, for a short period or longer. I just wanted to be able to come back to a place that is already established. End of.

My dad on the hand hasn’t taken this too well. He’s majorly stressed out about it and being weird and angry all the time. He trying a little bit, I give him that, to offer the support needed here. Looking at those documents a trillion times every single day. How glorious and beautiful is my life. Just lovely!

*Post about the menfolk to follow shortly.

My friend Mike, who has defined himself in many ways throughout his entrepreneurial life, is on the road a lot dealing with clients. When someone asked him recently where his office was he replied, “In my pocket.”

Like so many of us, the BlackBerry or however you name what tethers you to your business, he is on call all the time. I haven’t taken that leap…yet. My best number to be reached at is still my home office. I check that one from the road before I check the voicemail on my Treo. I am not available 24/7 to anyone. I don’t work that way–literally or figuratively.

As society is speeding up, especially with social media–I mean, would I have known that Brittany Murphy died within an hour of its occurrence even 3 years ago?–I find myself recoiling. I know that our world is gravitating in this direction. But the contrarian in me still wants to see a human face, to hold a hand-addressed and hand-signed card in my fingers, and to be in community with groups of people, not voices in a chat room.

Forgive me my curmudgeonly ways. My office is located in my home, and when I leave it for non-business related activities, it is with consciousness and a desire to strike a balance. I will return calls and emails in a responsible amount of time and I am worth the wait.

Thanks to the snowstorm, I finished my home office make-under.  Let me explain.  When we moved into our current house 3 1/2 years ago, my office was in a great room with lots of natural light.  The room is off our front hall and does not have a close-able door.  So, when baby spark! came along and we decided to have a part-time nanny, I moved my office upstairs in the corner of our large rectangular master bedroom.  Needless to say, I have a much smaller home office than I used to!

So, this “make-under” has been going on since November of 2007!  First, I bought a corner desk because my traditional desk looked very misplaced in the corner of the bedroom.  Then, I got stuck.  (This is why people hire decorators — to get you unstuck and push you along so that an easy project does not take 2 years!)  I also like referring to is as a make-under because I didn’t spend much to transform the space.

Here is the before:

And taaaaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaah, here is the after:

Here is the run-down:

The lamps are the same, and I purchased them from a Target in Bluffton, South Carolina years ago.

I replaced my cute repainted and recovered (but way uncomfortable ) wooden chair, with the comfy white leather office chair from Overstock.

I painted the two boring baskets on the desk and under the printer using white Rustoleum from Lowes.

I got the silver bordered white frames for $4 each from Target.  The new white pen holder is also from Target.

The shelves were quite a find — the West Elm in Richmond is closing (sniffle) and I stumbled upon an amazing sale.  The shelves were 50% off, and then I got an additional 15% off of the total (paid $25 for 2 shelves!).

My beloved doggie book ends are Jonathan Adler for Barnes & Noble.  The silver Jefferson cups were given in college and law school as honors and gifts (I think it is a Virginia thing?), and I use them to hold my paper clips, rubber bands and push pins.

I covered my reference books in brown paper bags!  Remember back in high school and middle school when you were required to cover your books?  I like the cleaner look, and it’s kind of mysterious, no?  :)

And finally, I have always wanted my very own inspiration board.  My mom brought me this white bulletin board from her house and I found some fun colorful push pins at, where else?, Target!

I would love to replace my blotter and mousepad, so I will keep looking.  Also, I would love to have a white monitor, keyboard, and printer, but work sends them to me (fo’ free!), so I can’t really complain, right?

Here is another look:

I had the good fortune to be invited to a party last night by long-time friend. I was very close with her years ago, and with some of her brothers and sisters.  We all lost touch for some time, each blowing in our own direction as people do when they grow up and have families. Thanks to FaceBook, we’d been in back in contact, and I was thrilled to be invited to their holiday party. It was a great time. There was live music, great food, lots to drink, happy people having fun, and dear friends whom I had sorely missed. The house was gorgeous. I stayed for some time, had a blast hanging out with my friends, and left early enough to drive safely home and miss the incoming snowstorm. I wanted to leave on the highest possible note. As I left, I was smiling and so very pleased that she and her husband and family had done so well. I wondered what my own future would be like. Will I find that kind of prosperity? My current situation is evolving, but challenging. There is promise, and at the same time there are problems. I had a lot of questions for myself on the drive home, but kept my mood light.

TIWIKE: If you celebrate the holidays, you should really celebrate. Get out and visit with friends and family. Enjoy yourself and the special opportunities for connection that the season brings. Surround yourself with happy people, food and music. Be careful, of course.

 As a job seeker, it might be tempting to feel sorry for yourself, or a bit like an outsider. Your job status may come up in conversation. Be honest with people about your situation. Sometimes a casual conversation can turn into something productive on the employment side, but I don’t recommend that you network too heavily on the professional side at a social party beyond exchanging contact information and touching base later. If you’re feeling down, avoid any negative talk about your former employer, the economy or other such things.  Remember that your situation is temporary, and by this time next year your circumstances will have changed. You’ll have a tale to tell with a happy ending, it’s just that you’re drafting it right now.

If you’re a struggling soloist, you may be tempted to feel like you’ve missed the financial boat. You may think that you’ll never be as prosperous as some of the people in  your circle. Of course, you have no way of knowing exactly what the future will hold for you. It’s you who has control of your destiny. Anyone can be successful if they desire it, and prosperity itself takes on many forms. Count your blessings when you’re feeling tempted to be a little sorry for yourself. Think of the future, but don’t try to predict it. Project your desire into it. And then get in gear…

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20th December, 2009

DOES THE RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT THE LEFT IS DOING?

This article in The Times today is a little mysterious, to say the least. It says that Scotland Yard/the MET warned businesses in London 12 days ago that a terror attack was “imminent”; “Mumbai” style even. And yet a quick look at the Government’s Home Office website still says that the terror alert level is at “substantial”, the mid-point in terror alerts, as it has been since June of this year, when it was downgraded from “severe”. If an attack is “imminent” the alert should jump above “serious” and settle on “critical” the top-level. They’ve had at least TWELVE DAYS to update their site.

Why hasn’t this happened?

There are these possibilities:

• The Times has this report all wrong.
• The MET has this “imminence” wrong.
• The government’s intelligence sources know better.
• The government and the MET’s counter-terror organisation are not communicating properly.
• The government does not wish to raise the terror alert pre-Christmas, or even pre- the next election.

So which is it? Let’s hope it’s the first.

It is also worth noting that the Metropolitan Police’s Special Operations’ website has NOTHING on this imminent threat, here or here.

The threat levels

There are five levels of threat:

• critical – an attack is expected imminently
• severe – an attack is highly likely
• substantial – an attack is a strong possibility
• moderate – an attack is possible but not likely
• low - an attack is unlikely

Who decides the threat levels?

The Security Service (MI5) (new window) and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) (new window) work together to set the UK’s threat level.

To do this, they consider information gathered through intelligence in the UK and abroad. They also consider how terrorist organisations have behaved in the past.

In some cases, counter-terrorism officials have to use their best judgement when deciding just how close a terrorist group might be to staging an attack.

Threat levels do not have an expiry date, and can be revised at any time as the information available to security agents changes.

Forget I asked that.

Times article follows:

Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London

By David Leppard

Scotland Yard has warned businesses in London to expect a Mumbai-style attack on the capital.

In a briefing in the City of London 12 days ago, a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said: “Mumbai is coming to London.”

The detective said companies should anticipate a shooting and hostage-taking raid “involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices”.

The warning — the bluntest issued by police — has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year.

It was issued by the Met through its network of “security forums”, which provide business leaders, local government and the emergency services with counter-terrorism advice.

During a “commando-style” raid by 10 gunmen on hotels and cafes in Mumbai in November 2008, 174 people were killed and more than 300 injured over three days.

Officials now report an increase in “intelligence chatter” — communications captured by electronic eavesdropping agencies. One senior security adviser said the police warnings had intensified and become much more specific in the past fortnight.

“Before, there has been speculation. Now we are getting what appears to be a definite plot to carry out a firearms attack on London,” he said.

Earlier this year, police, military and intelligence services held an exercise in Kent to see whether they could defeat a commando raid in London by terrorists.

“The exercise brought out to those taking part that the capability doesn’t exist to deal with that situation should it arise,” said a military source.

Security sources said concerns had been raised by “chatter” on a prominent jihadist website two weeks ago.

One contributor suggested fighters could use automatic weapons to strike places such as nightclubs, sporting venues and Jewish centres.

In an online discussion hosted on December 2, another contributor invited suggestions for carrying out “guerrilla warfare” and proposed “a group of mujaheddin raid police stations and fire at them”.

Another said: “Make sure that all those at the location are of age, that there are no children and so on. Insist on the locations and times where no Muslims or children are to be expected.

“If machine guns are available, and explosive and expertise for [explosives] are not available, this is a good way … The [Mumbai] operation is the ideal scenario for operations you are talking about.”

A third contributor said targets should be “chosen in a studied manner”.

He added: “In general, targeting economic joints and intelligence centres if possible has priority over police stations.”

The Met is understood to be struggling to draw up effective plans to deal with the challenge of mass shootings followed by a prolonged siege with terrorists prepared to kill their hostages and themselves.

In Mumbai, many victims were killed in the first half hour of the attack. The Met is concerned that it will be much longer before the SAS, which has traditionally dealt with terrorist sieges in London, would arrive from its base at Regent’s Park barracks.

Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Commons counter-terrorism sub-committee, said the threat was “very real”.

After reading Dominic Sandbrook had failed the test, someone with such an impeccable academic background, completing a first-class history degree from Oxford and a prize-winning PhD from Cambridge, my first thought was that this is a good sign and must mean loads of would-be Citizenship seekers would have had to make alternative accommodation plans.  Sadly though, this is NuGov’s audacious Utopian test to prep would-be Citizens to ensure a umbigorous Britain.  Once more it is cynical social engineering by the Bastards that Be to change the ancient lands and peoples into a new multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious and free to fuck anything you want, Brave New World.

And in NuGov’s dreamland, no-one can fail, so the would-be Citizens are given the best chance possible for passing the multiple choice test with the answers all contained in a book titled “Life in the UK Test” for sale from all good bookstores.  A key to Britain for less than £10.  Doubt Tesco could beat that price.  The cost to administer all this in Britain most definitely outweighs the benefits.  I’m all for immigration, as long as it benefits Britain first and foremost.

Bringing in entire communities does not benefit Britain, only those who hold the most stock in UK Plc get a little bit richer due to the fact that more ‘cosumers’ have moved in, more National Insurance Cards have been issued, more transactions meaning more financial mutterings on a LED board with men in suits screaming “buy buy buy” or “sell sell sell”…  All great for a cancerous economy and while this continues assisted by the political classes, even less consideration is given to the long-term social costs involved.

Those at the bottom now find themselves competing with more people for less resources and yet the Government agencies responsible seem to turn a blind eye as it continues to grow at an ever alarming rate than the Country’s infrastructure (and sanity) can cope, that if something is not done to reverse the multiple personality disorder Britain is suffering from, it will surely lead into civil strife.

To help you understand an underclass perspective on newcomers, I will put it in the simplest terms.  Of course, there are many other factors but again, this is my own simple-minded view of the cost to benefit ratio.

• Immigration Benefit to Britain: Possibly an extra worker paying taxes or an entrepreneur who creates an extra ten jobs, and maybe some valued experience.
• Britain’s Benefit to the immigrant: Developed first world country, welfare state (NHS, Schooling, Social Care, etc), access to specially catered support groups, democracy, maintaining national identity.

So as I see it, we have an entire immigration system that accepts more than it can chew, and even though inflicting National suicide, the Bastards that Be still manage to profit from the suicidal situation it helped create, with every side involved being financed from the public purse. Utter madness.  The only test should consist of one question and that is, “Does Britain need you?”.

No more accepting the driftwood that washes on these shores, for surely there is a better way of acquiring would-be Britons.  For it’s the wannabe Britons Our Nation should be seeking and then welcoming with open arms, those who come to Britain not to be some mere citizen but to continue flying the flag for Britain, holding Her values and continuing Her traditions (and I don’t mean football or idle navel gazing currently promoted as the be all and end all).  If we had a sensible immigration policy, we wouldn’t be in half the shit we’re in.  Then again, if we were a sensible species, we wouldn’t be in any shit.

This week has been a nice mix of teaching for my main client, networking and prepping for the holidays. 

I finished up the shopping completely (spending more than I should), bought and sent the holiday greeting cards, including some nice ones that I created on high quality paper for close family and clients using my photographs. Got to the local post office and mailed most of what I needed to without waiting in line. I got started on the wrapping, and even got most of that done. I even did a little decorating, though I am not “into” Christmas as much as some. At the end of the week before Christmas, I feel like I am most of the way there. This will make the next few days a lot easier.

TIWIKE: If you participate in the year-end traditional holidays, it can be a time of terrific stress if you’re laid-off or your business is slow. You probably have less money available to pay more bills. You may be superheating your credit cards to make Christmas merry, knowing you will have to live with the real Holiday Hangover when the bills arrive in January. These things all add to the already elevated stress that the holidays can bring.

One advantage to being unemployed or a soloist is that you can really manage your activity to get ahead of the pack in your holiday prep by getting your errands done while the pack is in the office. That allows you to really efficient with your time, to feel like you have it all under control at a time when some other things feel out of control. That’s an advantage to you at a time when you may feel at a disadvantage in many areas of your life.

Before you dash off to  get everything done and leave your revenue search behind, remember that by being proactive you’ve created free time to work on research, networking and correspondence. More later on that…

Resources:

Dealing with Holiday stress: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030

Holiday Strategies for job seekers<http://www.risesmart.com/risesmart/blog/six-holiday-strategies-for-the-unemployed-make-merry-and-maximize-your-job-hunt-too/>

Herman Miller has launched a fantastic new blog called Lifework. Editor Cerentha Harris writes, “This is where we at Herman Miller will explore all the issues that arise around working from home. It’s that intersection between life and work that happens in all our houses. For some of us it’s a couple of hours each week on the couch with our laptop, for others it’s a garage converted to a home office where we run a business. But for all of us it’s about balancing work and life.”

I’m also excited to share that I will be a Contributor to Lifework, blogging about home office design including details of my own home office/garage project! My husband and I are hoping to break ground on our garage makeover in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned for details. In the meantime, here’s a Q&A with The Foodinista on the Lifework blog! (Spoiler alert: My real name is…)

10 Stores In One! Audio, Video, Cameras, Home Office, Music, Software, Appliances, Games, Movies.

www.Jr.com

It’s been a monster week of security news here on I4S – so let’s dive straight in to our last Weekly Digest of 2009.

First – some breaking news. The BSIA has announced the appointment of its new chief executive. It’s James Kelly, formerly of the Direct Marketing Association. All the details are here.

There’s also a new lobby group – Big Brother Watch. You’ll be shocked, like I was, to discover that they are interested in CCTV and privacy, rather than encouraging people to view more reality television. Here’s what they have to say.

In other CCTV news, the Home Office has established a National CCTV Oversight Body; the University of Leeds has opened a new control room; and a report not only suggests that this has been a bad year for the CCTV industry – next year is likely to be tough as well. Cripes.

To add a bit of cheer, why not have a look at these videos – one, from Videofied, a clever parody of the Buggles; the other a festive-themed product preview from BriefCam (with a very special guest).

And this week’s Song About Security comes from early 90s rave pioneers Kick Like A Mule. Feel free to do yourself a favour and check it out.

This is our last weekly round-up newsletter for 2009. We’re off for a bit of a break over the Christmas/New Year period, and will be back in January. Later in the month we’ll have some exciting newsletter developments to report. There will also be regularly updated content on I4S. Have an excellent festive couple of weeks. We’ll see you on the other side.

www.info4security.com, www.ifsec.co.uk

Director-General of Security and Counter-Terrorism Charles Farr visited a Somali community centre in Tottenham to talk about the public safety of Britain.

According to Farr, who was appointed Director General for Security and Counter-Terrorism by the Home Office in 2007: “Our job is to ensure your safety, by reducing the threat of terrorism”.

Joined by his colleague, Sabin Khan, who is a community advisor, specialising in Muslim communities, Mr. Farr engaged with a Somali audience explaining  his responsibilities with the Home Office.

“I am responsible for advising the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, on the security of our country”,  he said.

The Home Office and Interior Ministry deal with a number of issues in ensuring the stability of Britain. “We sort out visas, immigration, crime, policing, and counter terrorism” explained Farr.

Kadija Hamdun Said, one of the organisers of the event, expressed her concerns with policing matters.

She said: “By law, the police can stop and search anyone. Somalis see this procedure as a negative. They get offended when they are stopped and searched by police. We have to acknowledge that there is a law in this country and this is not our country so we have to respect the law. The issue is to comply instead of being arrested.”

Organiser Kadija Hamdun Said and journalist Ridwaan Haji. Image: Mohamed Ali

Farr and his colleague Khan, explained what needs to be done about terrorism, while not targeting Muslim people.

“Counter-terrorism is empowering Muslim women and youth.We want to prevent people from being dragged into terrorism. You can help us prevent this. Not by contacting authorities, but by challenging their views and dissuading them”, Farr said.

Animosity towards Muslims reached at all time high after terrorist attacks in London and across the world.  However Farr defends the religion by saying: “There is nothing Islamic about terrorism, so we should not call it war on terror, or Islamic terrorism. I do sympathise with you highly.”

Khan, who also works with  the Home Office stated: “I am the open door for Muslim people to access the Home Office.”

Muslims in Britain have been wrongly portrayed in the media after 9/11, Khan explained. “The media questions our identity and our allegiances, but we must stand up against them.”

“This government and any future government should enable you to live the kind of life you want, and to improve security and our way of life. This is fundamental in democracy” said Farr.

Anne McLaughlin has sent out this update:

“…

Yes they were released this afternoon and put on a train to Glasgow. It seems that their judicial review has been granted but it’s not clear yet if the Home Secretary intervened and dropped the objections or if the high court decided to throw those objections out.

Either way, I met two very happy people off the train just 45 minutes ago. Precious must be so confused by all of this but she was smiling and thrilled to be home, as was Florence who had been so scared earlier today.

I will update you when I know the details and then I’ll be looking at how we help them from here and also some of the broader issues this campaign has highlighted.

For now though I just want to say thank you very very much to every one of you for your support for Florence and Precious. As I’ve said before your support has made a huge difference and enabled them to cope with this awful situation.

But more than that, I have no doubt whatsoever that without your ongoing commitment to helping them, they would have been deported long ago.

I cannot say how much we appreciate each and every one of you.”

So my friend LM came over today. She has agreed to be my partner-in-organization. She’s going to help me with my house, and I’m going to help her with hers. I’m so excited about this. One, because doing it with someone else and that immediately lessens the sense of isolation, shame and sadness. Two, because I really think she Gets me and that it is not simply about getting enough clear boxes from The Container Store to deal with the stuff. Three, because I think it’s going to be fun.

I am feeling better already. We started this morning. She came over and I took her physically on the Tour of Shame. I gave her a tour of every nook and cranny of the house, and she took notes on a writing pad. It was all very liberating, calming and horrifying all at once. But really good.

We talked for a long time about my history of clutter, my patterns, the things I have tried (including mega expensive Professional Organizers) etc.

We agreed that this is not going to get “fixed” overnight. But we are committed to each other for the long haul. I decided that my two main priorities are: getting my home office in functional, nice condition (it is currently serving as toss-place for junk from the rest of the house, and so cluttered I cannot think, write or concentrate in it) and getting my bedroom in restful condition.

She gave me two homework assignments. (YAY I love this kind of homework)

1. Writing assignment (Double YAY): write about my dreams/hopes/etc for my office space and what it would ideally look like/feel like/function as. This will be my next blog post.

2. Doing assignment: remove everything from office that does not BELONG in office. Leave other stuff. Then, BRING other things to office that are scattered in rest of house that actually belong there. Do not sort, toss or otherwise organize until Lisa returns.

3. Read one organizing book and see what stands out/makes sense/resonates. I’m choosing Unclutter in One Week (HA, yeah right) since it is the newest one in my collection.

That should keep me busy! But yeah I am energized!!

The government has exposed itself as a confused and reckless beast on the legality, and harm, of drugs.

The sacking of chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, David Nutt, shows the Home Office has lost touch with the public, and more dangerously, the scientific community. He was fired for ‘policy making’ and ‘overstepping his mandate’. His dismissal came after a lecture given at King’s College, London where he reiterated his view that alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous than ecstasy and cannabis and that it is by harm to the user and those around them that drugs should be classified. He wasn’t proclaiming an unfounded view with the researched harm scale as his point of reference.

Alan Johnson, the incumbent Home Secretary worked with Nutt for over a year before firing him. Speaking in parliament Johnson said Nutt had ‘breached guidelines’ by not informing the Home Office prior to the talk. This was misleading, witnesses have confirmed Nutt explicitly said he was not speaking as an advisor and there was no reason for Nutt to tell the Home Office. To add further incredulity to Johnson’s stance the talk was advertised on the Home Office’s website.

In truth, this relationship had never been particularly amicable. Then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, moved cannabis from class-B  to class-C and then reversed the decision due to ‘dangerous new strands of super skunk‘. Nutt contested the amount of credibility given to the  disputable risk of psychosis from this new uber-weed. Then in 2009 Smith rejected a recommendation, after the ACMD reviewed 4,000 papers, that MDMA be downgraded from class-A. He did, however, manage to survive the Smith era.

If a government advisor is repeatedly ignored, is it not fair for them to speak publically? When he accepted the terms of his chairmanship did he revoke his rights to campaign for science? This attitude borders upon the medieval and is dangerously restrictive, especially if the government is meant to hire the best scientific minds.

This is a government that allows alcohol and nicotine to remain legal, although they spend millions trying to get us not to drink and to give up smoking. Gordon Brown has said Labour must take a ‘hard-line’ on drugs, which apparently means disregarding scientific evidence; however, there are gaping holes in their war on drugs.

Recently there has been a lot of attention given to ‘legal highs’, unregulated substances that give the user some, if not all, of the effects of illicit ones. One of these, mephedrone, a drug with effects more potent than MDMA ­­which is, remember, class-A, is readily available for less than ten pounds a gram from the internet – meaning anyone with a debit card could buy it ­­– regardless of age or disposition.

It is produced in China and sold across Europe as plant-food. In truth, its benefits to plantlife are nil. One user said  “The key I used to take it had changed in colour and it leaves a strong smell on a person after a short binge”, not something you’d use to fertilise your Daffodils.

They may deny that nicotine and alcohol are more addictive and dangerous for users and their families although the science says this is not true, but they can’t claim to even know the long-term or even the short-term effects of mephedrone.

This kind of negligence towards a drug that has not been subjected to the same extensive clinical human testing as MDMA, and ketamine seems to be in conflict with the government’s ‘hard-line’.

The government’s lack of comprehension and ignorance of the recreational drug world is a contributing factor to the apathy of the country’s youth as they inevitably experiment and realise things aren’t as bad as they’re made to believe, destroying trust. This will not be helped by the removal of one of the most respected and honest advisors it had at its disposal. Pandering to the tabloid’s perception of drugs will not only isolate the public but angering the scientific community could prove a costly mistake to make in the run up to a general election where the government are already finding support hard to come by. Maybe the public do not sympathise with drug users but they do believe in science.

A big day of news here at info4security – with a focus on surveillance. Intriguing.

Firstly, we’ve got our report on the UK’s Home Office establishing a National CCTV Oversight Body. What does this mean, and how will it affect you? Brian Sims has the details. We’ve also got the reaction from the BSIA’s Pauline Norstrom.

There’s also a new report into the CCTV market in 2009. It wasn’t great, apparently. Read all the gloomy news here.

Elsewhere in the CCTV sphere, the University of Leeds has opened its new control room; Phil Doyle of Axis Communications discusses outdoor surveillance; Lancroft has integrated CCTV and access control in a London IP installation; and Samsung Techwin have released a new dome camera.

This is the last Daily Digest for 2009 – tomorrow’s Weekly Digest will be our final newsletter of the year. It’s been a pleasure nestling in your inbox. There will be some changes to our newsletter output in the early part of next year – watch this space for further details.

Adios.

www.info4security.com, www.ifsec.co.uk

A few of my local clients like to meet in person every so often. We usually go to a local coffee house — we’re able to take laptops along, if we need to double check something online and we can get coffee while we talk. But sometimes a coffee shop isn’t convenient or a client wants to meet for longer than is really fair to sit in a coffee shop. I’m in exactly that situation: I’ve got a client who I need to work with in person for a couple of hours. She doesn’t have an office outside of her home and neither do I. We’re going to meet at my house.

It’s not the easiest decision in the world for a lot of web workers. Whether you’re talking about clients or co-workers, letting them into your house can seem like a bad idea. It’s not as simple as inviting a friend over.

Do You Have a Professional Space?

One of the deciding factors on whether you should let a client into your home is whether you have a professional area in which you can work. There’s a big difference in having a meeting in your home office, where you can both sit comfortably and shut the door, and having a meeting at the kitchen table, with family wandering in and out.

Professionalism goes beyond distractions, as well. I don’t hide the fact that I work from home, but I want my clients to know that when I tell them I’m working, they don’t think I’m catching a cat nap, watching television or doing the laundry. That means that being able to show them a clean office with minimal distractions is a matter of building their confidence in my work.

Can You Work With Your Client/Co-worker At Your Home?

Just because you can get all your work done in your home doesn’t always mean that you can conduct a meeting there. Something as simple as being able to squeeze a spare chair in your office can make a huge difference in whether you’ll be able to accomplish what you hope to with your meeting. Other little details, like whether your client/co-worker can get online, can be worth considering.

Distractions can be an important factor. Coffee shops can have a few of their own with the number of people who walk by, but a home can present special challenges. Even if you don’t need to worry about family or pets, simple things like phone calls can be harder to ignore at home.

Are You Personally Comfortable With the Idea?

There are plenty of people who aren’t comfortable with the idea of bringing their work home with them — even if they work from home. It’s a personal preference to keep meetings outside of the place where you live and it’s perfectly reasonable to say no. There are alternatives out there, even in situations when a coffee shop won’t work: some buildings will rent out conference rooms on an hourly basis or you may have a coworking space near you.

There is something to be said for your clients not knowing where you live, especially if you work with most of them online — it’s the reason that some web workers choose to use a P.O. box as their mailing address. There are both privacy and security issues involved. Don’t let yourself feel pressured into letting someone into your home that you don’t feel comfortable having there, even if you work with that person.

Do You Want Your Client to Come to Your Home?

If you come to the conclusion that meeting with a client or a co-worker at your home makes sense, go for it. You may want to do a little prep to make sure that your home office is ready to welcome someone other than you — personally, I’m cleaning up and even dragging the vacuum into my office for the first time in forever. Have a chat with family or roommates to make sure that distractions will be kept to a minimum.

Do you stage meetings in your home office?

Image by Flickr user Fabio Bruna

Before

After

The Beginning

Some homes are ideal candidates for tear-down or whole house renovations. This home had a significant amount of maintenance due, in addition to primary spaces in need of updating (kitchen and bathrooms).

The Big Idea

Originally, the homeowners planned only to remodel the kitchen and bathroom and replace the furnace and roof.

One of my initial design concepts explored the possibility of opening the kitchen to the family room (by removing a large fireplace and re-orienting the kitchen work areas toward the view).  This completely changed the feel of the house, and the owners’ feelings about the house.

Inspired to transform this house into their dream live/work environment, the project became a “near” tear-down (one wall and the slab-on-grade remained). An entirely new, modern, energy-efficient home now stands in its place.

Home Sweet Home-Office

One of the criteria for combining home with work was to create an acoustically separate area where the sounds of home-life would not distract from work. The door to this space is fitted with an acoustic door bottom and perimter gasket by Pemko.  The office walls are double-framed with offset studs in a “floating” installation.

Acoustic home office door

Winter Cheer (and eco-mindfulness)

Emphasis was placed on high quality systems, including radiant hydronic heat, commercial grade metal roofing, and rainscreen cladding. The southern exposure boasts large windows, both to capture all the mood-lifting sun possible during the rainy Seattle winter and to allow passive heating of the hydronic tubing in the floor.