Hi Everyone
In the 1980s I was the project manager on a hospital ward extension. The building was only about 60 yards long. The architect had two trial holes dug and from the results he designed the foundations. We arrived on site on the first day with excavators to start the groundwork. We immediately discovered that the condition of the ground between the two trail holes was completely different. The result was that the contract was delayed for three weeks while the architect redesigned the foundations. In every contract, a contingency sum would be included to allow for unknown factors and changes as the work progressed. In this case, all the contingency was used up, and a little more in the foundations of the building. When you build a railway nearly all the work is on, in, or below the ground so you can imagine a myriad of unexpected problems as the work progresses. As always. many including me agree that the project should be scraped while acknowledging that we need a serious upgrade to a now 150 year old railway system. Nearly every project of this type across the world experiences a massive overspend so, in my opinion, this project was doomed right at the beginning when the 'experts' advised the government that the original budget was approx. £36Billion. Now the projection is £100Billion and that is only for a cut down version of the original plan. Along the way, in the section in our area, the costs are £6Billion all of which has now been scrapped. With so many pressing needs in our country, I have always felt that the money could and should have been spent in a better way.
I am sure that you realise that my website address ends like many others ".co.uk"
What you probably don't know is that a number of small countries across the world are earning substantial revenue from people using their internet domain suffixes. The Pacific island of Tuvalu makes $10million a year - one sixth of its GDP - from licensing its ".tv" domain. Anguilla in the Caribbean has the rights to ".ai" great for AI start up companies, Disc jockeys love Djibouti with its suffix ".dj" while radio stations use the Federation States of Micronesia ".fm" I am sure that like me, and even though many of you might be approaching middle age, you would not turn down the opportunity to make a fortune so I have a challenge for you. All you have to do is find a million people clamoring to use my suffix ".bm" and there will be two more of us joining the world's rich list.
One morning this week I saw the headline"The Lazy Guide to Getting Fit". Although I consider myself, and my doctor obviously agrees as I have never actually seen him, to be reasonably fit, I thought that reading this article just might be useful. That was until I read the list of suggested activities. Now I know that I am past it and out of date but on the list of things to do were Pickleball, Rebounding, Aerial Silks, Capoeira, and Laughter Yoga (that made me smile). Don't ask me what all those are but if you want to do it Google it. The only things that I recognised were Table Tennis and Gardening so I dusted off my table tennis bat, walked up and down the garden, made a cup of coffee, and ate a biscuit. I cannot tell you how much better I felt. If it works for me, it will work for you.
Just a Thought :
Bought a couple of railway buffers this week. They were in an end of line sale.
Finding a new partner in your 40s is like registering a domain name. The good ones are all taken.
Brian
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