And you can shoe me too! To elucidate further, am all gung ho about the shoe fair that’s happening at Shoppers Stop all this month. You know I bought all the sassy shoes last year and haven’t bought a single pair of shoes this year. Not cool. I must get myself something spectacular for Christmas or better still I should tell my friends to play Santa or perhaps I will get lucky and win myself a pair or two. Ok I maybe pushing it, until the pigs fly and all the above comes true, Iam just going to fix myself a glass of wine, grab my purse and head to the ShopperStop nearby to get myself a pair. How about you?

Lee Kuan Yew in Delhi.  India Today:

If India wants to make it to the big league, that is economies growing beyond the current 8-9 per cent rate, here is Lee Kuan Yew’s mantra.

The Minister Mentor, Republic of Singapore addressing a day-long lively dialogue session of the Singapore Symposium, jointly organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), has suggested India first cut down on red-tapism. Second he wants India to provide greater incentives for the private sector. Third India must address the challenge of infrastructure shortage, and finally, liberalise foreign direct investment norms in the country.

Greater liberalisation in FDI norms would allow India to shift its people out of agriculture into the industrial sector, which is essential for poverty reduction, said Lee. The infrastructure priority is to provide greater connectivity among Indian cities.

Sidestepping a question on the emergence of a global currency, Lee insisted there would be no change in the global dominance of the US dollar as an international reserve currency over the next 10 years. However, central banks across the globe may diversify their foreign exchange reserves into other international currencies such as euro and yen, said Lee.

According to the Singapore leader, the slowdown would not impact consumption in the US as the economy was driven by consumption. Rather, Lee pointed out that reckless consumption in US would continue to grow, despite the current economic crisis.

On the economic cooperation between India and China, Lee felt that while cooperation may increase over the next few years, there was a little possibility of India overtaking China in its economic size.

This is what the US has to look forward to.  Dems use the UK as an example of socialized health care.  It definitely is an example of it.

Britain’s socialized medical system once again demonstrates what we will find when we go over Chairman Zero’s "precipice" into government-run healthcare. Verena Burns, a midwife who recently escaped from the National Health Service into private practice, tells tales of horror:

Welcome to the modern NHS maternity ward. A world of shoddy practice, poor hygiene standards and a shocking disregard for patients’ individual needs. …

Driven by targets and mired in red tape, our NHS maternity wards are becoming baby-producing factories where mothers’ needs come very low on the agenda.

The quicker midwives turn out babies, the more successful everyone tells us that we are. We might as well be producing sausages. It’s utter madness.

I started working as a midwife in Basildon in 1995. I left to work as an independent midwife in January last year because I simply could not bear to let any more women down.

Moonbattery: Midwife Describes Chaos of Britain’s Socialized Medicine

The government’s PUTTING THE FRONTLINE FIRST paper was picked up in the press because it included £3 billion of savings identified since Budget 2009, and a proposal to cut senior civil service pay by £100 million per year.

However, for this blog, its comments on the post-bureaucratic age were far more interesting, and indeed encouraging. Gordon Brown’s introduction included four aspects in particular that caught my attention.

The Encouraging

“Investing £30 million over three years to get a further one million people online; and increasing the number of services available via the internet, including some benefits claims.”

While £30 million will almost certainly not be enough to achieve this goal, it is a step in the right direction. The more services on the internet, the better.

“Rolling out nationally Tell Us Once, so citizens need only notify government once for any birth or death.”

It is staggering that you cannot do this already (ditto with change of address), but an obvious way to cut paperwork and the cost of civil service administration. Perhaps service providers (everything from your magazine subscriptions to electricity suppliers) should be required to check their own databases against the deaths database to prevent charging the deceased.

“Radically opening up data and public information, releasing thousands of public data sets – including Ordnance Survey mapping data, real-time railway timetables, data underpinning NHS choices, and more detailed departmental spending data – and making them free for re-use.”

Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt have been working on this for some time, and the opening of some OS data last month suggests that things are really happening. Data.gov.uk  is due to go live in beta form later this month also.

“Harnessing the power of comparative data to improve standards, publishing public services performance data online by 2011, starting in 2010 with more detailed data on crime patterns, costs of hospital procedures and parts of the National Pupil Database.”

Again, excellent news for government transparency and accountability. The public will be allowed to view and audit the services they pay for and use. The essence of what the post-bureaucratic age (at first instance) means to public services.

The Less-Good

There was also a lot of overly-general, ‘let’s cut waste and streamline’ parts to the report, which suggests that the government may not have taken up the spirit of the post-bureaucratic age as far as their more innovative announcements might suggest. For example,  the phrase “Reducing red tape on frontline services and improving flexibility“, meaningless though it may be, carries all the worst assumptions of bureaucratic government: the state controls it, knows about it, reforms it, and performs it.

The other big problem for the Labour government, is that many of these ideas are Conservative in origin or association. Localism, reduced bureaucracy, open data, and the smaller state were Conservative ideas before the government published its report. Gordon Brown has tried to recast Cameron’s ’smaller state’ as the ’smarter’ state, although the policies Brown puts forward in support of this end will make the state smaller in the manner Cameron has suggested.

Conclusion

This will probably not be a big vote-winner for either party. It will, however, be hugely significant when it comes to the business of governing. These are easy commitments to make, but much more difficult to keep (for example when comparative data shows a government initiative has failed).

Ali Unwin (@aliunwin)

Jumping through hoops of red tape can be stressful.

But sometimes it just has to be done.

A being can only jump through one hoop at a time— even if there’s cat food involved …

When you work in the UK, you pay taxes through the PAYE (Pay as you go) system. The Inland Revenue sets a Tax Code for you and this translates into a tax rate for calculating how much you must pay.

However, there is a time gap between your job start until the Inland Revenue assigns you a Tax Code. During this time you are paying the default rate. This is higher than the final rate you get, so you are paying more than you should.

To restore the equilibrium of the Universe you can make a Tax Claim to get your money back. The Inland Revenue takes its time but always pays back. It is very nice to see one day in your bank account an extra, say £500 or £700!

This is what you need:

• Write a letter using this template.
• P46: If this is your first job in the UK, attach a copy of the P46 form  that your employer will give you.
• P86: If this is not your first job in the UK attach a copy of the P86, which you have to fill yourself.
• P60: If you have it, attach a copy of the P60. You get this one from your employer at the end of the financial year on April 5.

Send it to:

HM Revenue & Customs
Customer Operations PAYE and Self Assessment
Plas Gororau
Wrexham technology park
Ellice Way
Wrexham
LL13 7YY

It also helps to call them after a few weeks to see how the thing is progressing. That speeds up the process sometimes. This is their number:  +44 (0) 845 300 3949

More info here:  http://charterconsultation.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/refund-reclaim.htm

Good luck!

This past week I’ve been pretty lazy with my online life.  To make up for that, I had a lot of human interaction, so huge “yay!” there.  While I was interacting with all these people, I realized some things.

• Little by little, I’m starting to like my job.  This might be because I’m getting an idea of what’s going on and I’m having fewer moments where I want to cry because I don’t know what the !@#% someone is talking about.
• That doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects I wouldn’t change.  I hate my development environment; I’m debugging via cout statements.
• I read this “email” exchange between Dustin Curtis and Mr. X and related to a lot of what Mr. X was saying in relation to processes and general red tape.  I don’t like red tape.

In school, I had a few different responsibilities ranging from academics to personal things to student organizations and several other things in between.  Here’s how things got done: if it needed to be done, I did it.  Convenient, right?  It’s difficult for me to be in an environment that has so many meetings for little things, like code updates that have to happen or to ensure we have a requirement before touching the code.  It all feels very slow and bureaucratic.  I’ve been reading about the start of a niche design agency, Agenceum, and when things need doing, they get done.  I’ve realized where I want to work and I’m not sure when, if ever, I will work at such a place, but I’m going to try really hard to turn my job into exactly where I want to be.

I want to work somewhere with big company resources, but with a small company work philosophy.

Yesterday I heard a scratching noise above the kitchen followed by some chirping, which made me realise some poor bird had managed to get trapped in the space between the between the downstairs ceiling and upstairs floor.

A short time later I heard a similar noise in the study – two birds had somehow got stuck up there together.  Being a rented house, cutting a hole in the ceiling wasn’t quite an option, so I pulled a downlight down to see if the birds would fly out of the hole which was a little wider than my clenched fist.

Sure enough both birds went to the hole, no doubt attracted by the natural light. I opened the front door and hoped they’d pop out onto the downlight hanging by the cable and then fly out.

They didn’t. I went up to the whole and realised they were baby birds, with their mouths open wide for food. Thinking that they’d simply rush away if I put my hand in to get them I called the RSPCA for advice and to see if they could come and catch them using their tools and techniques.

I spoke to a guy who pretty much told me that I should cut a larger hole in the ceiling so I could then throw a towel over the birds and catch them that way. He said if I wasn’t comfortable or sure how to do it that I should call a private animal rescue firm as the RSPCA officers were not allowed to carry out such rescues involving ceilings because of, and I shit you not here dear people, ”occ’ health”.

Oh sorry RSPCA, next time I’ll wait for two birds to be stuck in the safety of my bathroom fucking floor before I call for help! And would you have come if they were cute puppy dogs?

In the end I realised that the birds wouldn’t rush away from the hole because they thought I was going to feed them. So I grabbed them by the beaks and pulled them to the safety of a washing basket. I called the local vet who said to put them outside and the mum should still feed them until they are big enough to fly – which isn’t too far off.

I heard them chirp away today so they survived the rain and cats. Personally I don’t give them too much of a chance, but at least they didn’t die in a slow and cruel manner in my ceiling – no thanks to the RSPCA.

This is a story about the fate some people have to cope with from their early days of childhood on and how they adjust to it. It is a story about how the case of those who have afflicted unmeasurable suffering to them is considered justified and right and those who try to stand for their rights have to fight and finally might fail. It is an example for red tape in Germany. The actors are biological parents who have failed in the education of their children, foster children who have been deeply traumatised by their biological parents, their foster parents who are responsible for accompanying these traumatised children at least until their coming of age, and the youth welfare office staff whose decisions influence the well-being of the foster children in a significant way.

The characters in this story are purely fictional. Resemblances to existing persons are purely incidental, but show at the same time that the situations described in this story are anything but far from reality, no matter how unbelievable and partly curious the might sound.

The German version contains a number of letters to authorities and other institutions as well as analyses which are also purely fictional. In the English version, their contents will be summarised. They serve as explanations of the problem, but do not relate to existing persons. Still, they describe prominently the problems which have to be dealt with.

This story has a focus: The Turning Point. From there on, the story develops onwards and backwards respectively.

Despite the grumblings and lack of support from the right, the house version of healthcare passed yesterday. It was a narrow win, but a win all the same. The senate now has to do the same before we can piece them together such that we have a singular version for the people.

The right has been using all of their regular fear tactics to stop this bill from becomming law. I would think that the people would get pretty sick of the right scaring them for the slightest little thing and quit listening to them at all, but that does not appear to be the case.

Come on people recall the reasoning behind the war in Iraq—-it was fear! Fear that the terrorists would come to American and do another 911. I’ve got news for you Americans there are terrorists in our borders at this time and who knows when they may construct another plot. Do we live in this constant fear or do we decide to do something about it? There is a choice here—take control or be controlled! If we had used the monies we’ve spent on our two wars for securing our borders, ports, railways, and air terminals we would have been way ahead of the game. However, we did not, but it is not too late to change that plan and move in the rigth direction. The same can be said about healthcare.

The right is telling people that they will have no choices and that care will be rationed. Those are just plain lies! The current healthcare plan will give us more options and provide us with better and more affordable care than ever before. Health care costs have risen at twice the rate of inflation. This precident has got to stop and passage of this healthcare bill will even the playing field for us ALL. So let’s unite to make a choice in having healthcare for ALL.

The private option is one that needs to stay in the bill because it is the only way we can enforce some modicum of leverage on the insurers and providers to cut or lower costs without sacrificing quality of care. Insurers have been allowed to do as they please. They have been able to deny coverage to anyone they deem as unworthy. They have been able to ration the care that people can recieve unless they want to self pay—in which case why even have insurance? They have ruled the roost for far too long!

Providers of care have also had a hand in this outlandish rising of costs. For some doctor visits there is a $150 to $450 office visit fee. Who can afford such outrageous costs? Many doctors will not see you without a referral or even perform any services without a referral. I know this first hand. We’ve got to cut the red tape and stop this costly path toward treatment and even the playing field for ALL Americans.

Please show your support for this healthcare bill by calling or writing your local and state representatives and telling them that we deserve to have affordable quality care for ALL Americans! Back the public option too!

Walking past Hammersmith Farmers Market without buying something tasty to eat is a challenge. There is a lot on the menu, from Thai cuisine and Caribbean salads, to homemade cakes. You can get away from the surrounding coffee chains and eat for just under 4 pounds.

The atmosphere is friendly, explains a trader from the Caribbean stall, and “you get customers from all different countries.” The downside, apart fromthe weather (which of course, cannot be helped), is that it is only held on Thursdays.

“The market is brilliant, but the council puts a lot of red tape” said a Thai food trader. “They’re not very enthusiastic about people having stalls, because it upsets local restaurateurs paying high business rates.”

He would like to see the market running on a daily basis and licenses being given with fewer problems. Buying food at the market, he says, is “much better than buying imported goods elsewhere.”

Fortunately the council is becoming more lenient by allowing traders to work on Saturdays, a measure which is soon to be introduced.

Hammersmith Farmers Market is held from10am to 3pm every Thursday.

Location:

View Larger Map

On his Twitter account, The Game tweeted that he will be dropping 4 separate mixtapes within the week, and they all will contain separate material: Paint the Town R.E.D. w/ Nu Jerzey Devil, R.E.D. October w/ DJ Drama, Redprint w/ DJ Haze and The Red Tape w/ DJ Kris Stylez. He even stated:

“I MIGHT LEAK MY WHOLE ALBUM & START OVER TONITE & STILL GO TRIPLE PLATINUM ! DAMN, I’M DOPE.“

Yea…. I like Game, but I don’t know about all of that. His upcoming album, The Red Album is scheduled to be released December 8th. Album art after the jump.

Gucci Mane a dat start-ul unui nou val de prmovare , si anume , cate 3 mixtape-uri deodata frate , Soulja Boy l-a urmat , iar The Game va scoate nici mai mult nici mai putin de 4 mixtape-uri saptamana asta , si anume:

Paint the Town R.E.D. w/ Nu Jerzey Devil, R.E.D. October w/ DJ Drama, Redprint w/ DJ Haze and the Red Tape w/ DJ Kris Stylez.

Follow:@IHateGame/@DjDrama/@DjHaze/@DJKrisStyleZ .

Via: 2Dope .

]]> http://javierleandro.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/how-to-contact-the-arbeitsagentur-in-berlin/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:42:22 +0000 Javier Leandro Sobradillo http://javierleandro.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/how-to-contact-the-arbeitsagentur-in-berlin/

The Arbeitsagentur or ‘Agency for Work’ is the government body you need to meet for all your working life needs in Germany.

Their website here is massive and intimidating (and it is in German only!).

What I did was 1st: Give a call to the job centre closest to where you live. I called this number:  +49 1801 555 111 , which is the one for the Berlin-Nord area.

They will ask your post code and will point to the office closest to you. Mind, there are two kind of offices, for people who have or not higher studies (Uni etc.).

Then, just go to the address they told you with this:

• Passport and/or ID card
• Anmeldung
• Your work life CV for the past 7 (seven!) years. They are interested in your employers and the time spans, mainly.
• Your student life CV. They want to know your education history.
• If you have worked in other countries in the EU, then you can bring in the form E-301, which states that you were working abroad and may entitle you to unemployment benefits based on your social contributions etc of your work in the last country. How to get the E-301 in the UK? click here.

In Germany, getting registered with the local authorities is essential to do everything else. Whether it is opening a bank account, asking for unemployment benefits or registering a company, you will need this shiny paper: The ‘Anmeldung’

To get registered in Berlin, you need to set up an appointment with the ‘Bürgeramt’

Click here, go to the bottom of the page to the ‘Wo können Sie hin?’ section -meaning ‘where can you go?’.  Choose the area closest to you and then the office. Click on ‘Termin buchen’, which means ‘Book appointment’ to choose day and time.

They’ll send you a confirmation email, and a few links with the forms you have to fill up and bring in the day of the appointment. The most important are:

- Ergänzungsblatt zur Anmeldung ( http://www.berlin.de/formularserver/formular.php?52014 ). This is the main form, and is mandatory.

- Identitätsnachweis:  Your passport or ID card.

- Formular zur Anmeldung bei der Meldebehörde ( http://www.berlin.de/formularserver/formular.php?52009 ). You’ll also need to fill this one, it’s mandatory. They’ll give you the last page signed and stamped to keep as a confirmation that your registration is ok.

In theory, you should get registered within two weeks of arriving in Germany, although this seldom happens. However, you could get fined if you do it later so simply say that you arrived within the last two weeks and everything will be fine.

Also, before you had to present your contract for your flat rent, but that’s not needed anymore.

Good luck!

I’ve worked almost all my life in recycling, probably too long as I still have to smile as I recall memories of the rag and bone men, snarly guard dogs, material being moved on the roads with trucks better suited to being scrapped than actually transporting it.

The day of the bulging trouser pocket full of green backs to do those on the spot cash deals.

We had material yards resembling war zones which you entered at your own risk and the industry in general portrayed that of dens of iniquity, intrigue and the darker side of life.

I remember watching the Sweeney on TV, Jack and the boys would nearly always end up chasing the villains into or around a scrap yard with the proverbial Transit van, Granada and Jaguar in attendance.

Now we are PC correct Recyclers, every metal merchant is on first name terms with his/her local concrete suppliers and sign makers.

The guy who owns the Hi Vis jacket and safety hat factory is making a very good living, and us mere mortals who supply equipment to the recyclers now have an equipment portfolio of exotic and ferocious Big Boys Toys to suit all needs.

Me, I’m just a machine anorak – I love them all, large, small, good and bad; they all float my boat but the only piece of kit I haven’t got in my arsenal and it’s one of the most prolific beasts evident today in our beloved industry is RED TAPE.

I reckon the man selling that stuff is having a field day, with a lifestyle that only a drugs baron, professional footballer or politician can possibly relate to.

From snarly guard dogs to concreted havens awash with computers, progress comes in many forms me thinks, what do say?