Tuesday 17 January 2012

Private Eye editor talks to Leveson Enquiry.....


Not that it will add much to the debate, but I am personally quite pleased that Mr Hislop has spoken at Leveson, and I find his comments to be worth recommending. I don't think that there can be any doubt that there has developed over the last twenty or so years an increasing feeling within the mainstream media that the public are only interested in juicy, sexy stories and that certainly in the tabloids there has been a move to feed the public a continuous diet of “celebrity” gossip rather than any attempt at real journalism. In spite of the outcry over the News of the Word hacking scandal it seems unlikely to me that there has been any real change in the way in which the press operates. Why do I say this? One very simple reason. I am rather afraid that the tabloid editors and their advisors who have reached this decision about what the public wants are correct. The evidence is that in spite of the coverage of the tabloid press and their activities we still see the same type of stories selling the same number of papers to the same people as we did before all of this came out.

The conclusion that I draw from this goes against the generally held conspiracy theorist view that the public are controlled by the media. I think this is pretty clear evidence that this is not now, nor has it ever been, the case. In fact I would go so far as to suggest that the opposite is in fact the case. That the public, who have the purchasing power are the ones to control what the media puts out. I think that it is quite clear that in the main editors are at the mercy of what the public will actually pay for. I can quite easily imagine editors at the News of the World meeting to discuss a story that they knew had been procured by non-standard means, and making a decision on whether to run it not based on anything ethical or moral but simply on the criteria of is this something the public will pay money for? I can even imagine them losing sleep at night thinking about how the driver of commercialism was forcing them to make editorial decisions that they themselves found morally repugnant.

This may seem an odd position for a blogger to take, and please don't misunderstand I am no defender of the actions of private investigators and lazy journalists, but I feel that the blame is being misplaced at least to some extent, and that we also need to look at society as a whole and why we are in a position that news stories have a lifespan of days, no matter how offensive, and why the criteria for what is considered news is decided y what is commercially acceptable rather than what is from a journalistic viewpoint a good story. This is not to try to shift blame but to raise awareness that the answers to getting a better, more responsible, more useful media are more complex than they are being portrayed. It is not simply a case of a few bad apples, or rogue elements, but a more deep rooted societal problem. It will be interesting to see what Leveson comes up with, but I suspect that one thing it won't do is address the issue of the public getting the media and therefore the stories that it deserves.

My own feeling is that this is symptomatic of the psychological condition within the human mind that drives us to always want more, more violence, more sex, more action, more drama, just more. Look at the development of horror films – each generation has to be more shocking than the last. The same is true in music, it has to be faster, louder, more extreme. In sport the standard of players at the top level is constantly being pushed. We are a species that thrives on the edge, tha exists to push boundaries, and this is partly what has driven us to our position of strength as a species, but is also what leaves us vulnerable to the charge that that same drive has negative implications that are just as damaging as the positives are healing. I'm not sure that there is a solution to this, or if there is that it is something that can be summed up easily, but I guess that we will have to see....

Tax doesn't have to be taxing....


Particularly if your personal tax calculation means that you aren't going to owe anything. It's been a tough year, with very little in the way of income, but hey, these things happen. Now don't get me wrong, it's been a tremendously busy year, and a year of solid achievement. If I had been in a position to get all of my invoices paid, I'd have done really well, but in the current economic climate, getting paid is rather a different matter to getting work. Three clients going bust hasn't helped but it is a learning process and one that is ongoing. Anyway, enough of that. The reason for this post is to remind all of my UK readers that the deadline for filing your tax return for the year 2010-2011 is 31st January so not long to go now. Failing to get it in on time will result in a £100 fine, and realistically, even if you haven't started the process there is no reason why you can't still get it done. It isn't complex or difficult, it can be done online without difficulty and the whole process can be managed in a couple of days, a weekend, and you have a couple of those left before the deadline.

There is no getting around the need to file your tax return if you are responsible for your own tax so get organised, get your information on income and expenditure together and you can get the wjoe thing done pretty quickly an easily. You can always get help from a friendly local accountant for not very much money but to be honest it is pretty easy to do it yourself. One thing I will say is that if you do get stuck, the staff on the phonelines for HMRC are extremely helpful and make the process of getting the form done remarkably easy even if there are complicating issues. It is actually quite pleasant to find such a well staffed and efficient call centre who don't make you feel stupid when you cock something up.

There are two certainties in life, death and taxes, but that doesn't mean that tax has to be something to be frightened of or worried about. It is just one of those things that has to be done if we want to live in a society that has healthcare for all, free education up to eighteen years, roads, street lights and all those other bits and pieces that make life bearable. And yes, I know that our incme tax doesn't pay directly for those things – that in fact our income tax goes to make interest payments on Government debt, but lets face it, without income tax we would have to pay up in some other way, and this is probably the fairest method – the more you earn the more you pay....unless you are a large corporation of course......but thats another story.......

Practical self improvement tips – a series of tips to help you feel better about yourself


There are endless articles about self improvement or healthy lifestyles, or diets, or exercise regimes and many of them are sponsored by, or advertise, the major lifestyle brands that cash in on our dis-satisfaction. Conspiracy theorists out there please feel free to wonder if companies who stand to profit by making us feel bad about ourselves might perhaps not be best placed to offer advice on feeling better....but that is an aside, the point is that what there is a lack of is stuff that you can do for free, so that is what I am going to try to do here. All I ask in return is that if you find anything particularly useful, or have your own ideas, link them up here and let me know. What we need is a decent resource and a community that helps each other without alterior motive! So, on with this first article.

One of the quickest and easiest and most accessible ways of feeling a little better about yourself is to take exercise. This is medically proven fact. Taking exercise increases the amounts of dopamine and endorphins released in the brain and these chemicals are associated with pleasure and stimulation. They are the reason that some people can become addicted to exercise. They act to lift you mood slightly and to give you a very slight high. If this is the case, why are we not all super fit exercise freaks? It is a good question to which there isn't one clear answer. Some people will tell you that it is because we have as a society become lazy, but this doesn't seem right to me. It could be that we are all so tired after the amount of work, or stress if we are out of work that we have to deal with, but again this should be an argument for more exercise, not less, as it would help to increase our energy levels and decrease our stress levels. It could simply be a question of time, but again, it doesn't take more than about five minutes to take a little exercise so that seems incorrect to. I think it is almost certainly a combination of several of these reasons, and a few more each playing a part in making us less and less likely to start exercising.

Another big factor is of course motivation. We see this every year around this time as one by one our New Year resolutions slip away and we return to old habits. This is part of the reason for hoping that people will share their experiences and discoveries on these blog posts, because the very best way of retaining motivation is to be a part of a group that offers support and motivation to each other. Knowing that you are not alone can be a tremendous help. So in that spirit, let me tell you how I am introducing a little exercise back into my life. I wanted to work on my arms and shoulders as they have been becoming increasingly stiff and sore as I age, the after effects of too much high level sport in my youth I guess, but anyway, I can't afford a gym membership, and have body image issues that make exercising in public difficult so I am starting small. I take a can of beans in each hand and gently do a few biceps curls, you know, when you bend your arm at the elbow lifting your hand up? I do this during an ad break when I watching the morning news and again in the evening. Just about five minutes each time, but after a week the difference is quite remarkable. My arms hurt less and I am actually looking forward to doing my exercises a little. I am also sleeping a little better, which could be coincidence, but may not be, we will have to see.

So, come on folks, roll up roll up, lets here how you are doing with your heathy start to this Olympic year. Lets see if we can get a little group of mutual supporters going to make this a year to remember.....

Nights out in Birmingham – Fredericks Bar


Nights out in Birmingham – A series of unbiased reports on places I have been....

So, tonights report comes from a city centre bar in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham. The Jewellery Quarter is home to some lovely nightspots but is not on the agenda of many people since it is a little way from the city centre proper. During the day it has the majority of Birminghams jewellery trade, as the name suggests, both manufacturers and retailers and many people suggest that it is hard to find a better place anywhere in the UK for Jewellery purchases. After dark the area really comes alive though, as it is also home to some of the more affluent but less well known corporate businesses in the city, with several architects, management consultants, IT companies and the like having offices in the lovely Georgian squares that are a feature of this affluent part of the city. This affluence has led to the development of a thriving restaurant and bar scene, with an emphasis on quality and style.

Epitomising this development is a very cool place that was host to a recent trip out for your author. Sitting just along Frederick Street from the famous Jewellery Quarter clock is a very pleasant looking glass fronted coffee and wine bar also called Fredericks. Fredericks Bar during the day features a spacious area out front with tables and umbrellas which is perfect for sitting with a coffee watching the World go by, particularly for those of us who still enjoy a cigarette or cigar. Once through the large glass doors the bar itself is beautifully appointed in the style of Seattle coffee shop or Barcelona street corner bar with sumptuous leather seating complimenting the dark wood feel of the bar and walls. It is often a concern when I see a bar finished to this standard of style that the substance of the place will fail to match up, but this is certainly not the case at Fredericks. The coffee is fresh and full flavoured, the espresso particularly rich and potent. The drinks range is broad with some great World beers and a strong emphasis on quality throughout the wine list. I tried a very pleasant fruity red wine from Argentina that slipped down very comfortably and left a delightful warm glow.

Having sampled the drinks I perused the food menu, and found it excellent for light bites as well as something a little more substantial. The baristas seemed knowledgeable and were able to talk in detail about the menu offering advice on ingredients for specific dietary needs, something that can be tremendously useful in these days of somewhat unusual food regimes. All in all the feel and look of Fredericks bar is exceptional, the coffee first class, the alcoholic drinks are well worth seeking out and the food is a perfect mix of strong flavours and elegant presentation. Highly recommended as somewhere a little different but still eminently accessible for a great night out in Birmingham....

Sunday 15 January 2012

The problem with conspiracy theories - eye witness evidence.....


Part of an ongoing series on the issues around some of the areas of study that interest me and that make me think. You may have noticed by now that I like thinking. I believe that it is fundamental to the progress of humanity to question and wonder and think about the World and all the wonders in it. I have a broad range of interests but they do tend to have a core, or nucleus around which they orbit. This core is based around psychology, philosophy, theory of mind and perception and how we, as a species view and understand and interact with our environment. A big part of that is trying to understand how the human mind works in terms of things like pattern recognition. A good example of this is the famous image of the face on mars. This is an image of a mountain on the surface of Mars that appears to be carved into the likeness of a stylised anthropomorphic face. Further photographs of the area have shown that there is nothing other than natural processes involved in the shaping of the mountain top, and that the “face” is simply an optical illusion caused by shadow and light in an unusual configuration. What is interesting is to show this image to people and ask them about it.

Almost everyone that I have shown it to has seen a face and has questioned how this can be. This is even the case with people who are completely convinced that there is not now, nor has there ever been, life on Mars so there is absolutely no way that a mountain top could have been artificially modified to show a face. They still see a face and wonder how it got there, as distinct from immediately seeing a mountain top with interesting pattern of light and shade. This is interesting as it suggests that pattern recognition is a powerful driver in perception, and one that is powerful enough to overcome scepticism or even reality. This, for me, has implications for the whole sphere of conspiracy theory per se in that if we are conditioned to see patterns and interpret them in a way which does not rely on fact or reality, we are thereby only ever observing subjectively rather than objectively and our perception of reality is not something on which we can rely outside the most mundane areas. This is an area that is coming into greater prominence as our criminal courts begin to react to this phenomena in terms of reducing the importance placed on eye witness reports in light of evidence that even when the witness is a trained observer, the evidence is subject to interpretation and is not reliable.

When looking at conspiracy theories it is frequently suggested that there are groups who are trying to control the world by infiltration, false flag operations, misdirection, symbolism and so on, and these are often spotted as patterns, either in data or architecture or group dynamics. Of course, if we are now suggesting that pattern recognition is inherent to the extent that it causes misinterpretation of evidence then these aspects of conspiracy theory become much more difficult to assess and to hold as being credible. If we consider the Masonic/illuminati conspiracy theories that major American cities are laid out along Masonic principles and the street systems show Masonic symbols we immediately see the problem – we are conditioned to spot patterns, so thats what we do, whether they are actually there or not. In the same way, if we look at UFO conspiracies we can see that lights in the sky could potentially be a rich area for misinterpretation and erroneous observation, even when the observer is highly trained and credible. The Phoenix lights case would be a good example of this, a line of lights being misinterpreted as a triangular shape.

This is not to say that conspiracy theories are wrong, or irrelevant, but simply that reports must be viewed from the perspective of understanding that at the most fundamental level, we are conditioned to see things that are not real, and to misinterpret things that are real in such a way that it can be suggestive of large scale conspiracy in a very plausible way, when in fact there is little if any evidence. This applies to a very wide range of conspiracy theories. This is far from being the only issue, but it is a good start point to bear in mind....

The problem of UFO's, ghosts and other paranormal phenomena...


I have an interest in the theories regarding extra-terrestrial life, life after death, reincarnation and various other alternative viewpoints that are outside the mainstream, but I am also a staunch realist with a scientific background and a healthily cynical attitude. Given this caveat you are probably, if you are a “believer” in UFO stories and the like, already switching off, and this is at the root of the problem that I am going to address. Let us be clear about this. Forget conspiracy theories for the moment, forget Area 51 and Roswell, and everything else you have read of heard about for a moment. Whatever the various governments and secret societies may or may not know one think is absolutely clear. There is NO conclusive evidence regarding the existence or otherwise of UFOs, ghosts, ESP or anything else in the public domain. None, not one piece. But how can I say this? What about the Phoenix lights? What about Rendelsham Forest? What about x,y and z? These are reports, not evidence. They may be very credible reports, from very credible witnesses, but this is irrelevant to the premise being discussed. They are not evidence. If I went to court and claimed that you had just stolen my car and I had seen you this might be enough to have you investigated by the police but certainly wouldn't be enough to convict you. This is not evidence, it is a report. The reason that the police would perhaps investigate this is to gather evidence to prove or disprove the report to the satisfaction of the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, and then a Judge and jury to gain a conviction.

The point is that the report is just that, a report, an opinion of an event, real or not, and that is all that we, the general public have with regard to any of these things. This presents a problem, because this is not the impression that many people have when they think about these phenomena. There is a general confusion regarding what constitutes evidence, and of course in this area it is always argued that any evidence that is found is immediately hidden and those finding it are silenced. This may well be the case, and at no point am I dismissing the possibility of UFOs, alien contact or anything else, but this is the problem. Whether there has been evidence hidden, or no real evidence at all, the result is the same. There is no evidence in the public domain. Consequently the only thing that we can reliably say about these areas is that they are interesting, and that there are possibilities that these phenomena exist and may have an influence, and yet the majority of people in the UK believe that UFOs and ghosts exist. It is a small majority, depending on which figures you believe, between 52% and 63% of the British public believe in at least some of these things, but a greater number than vote for our Government.

This is a problem, because it means that whenever reports are made in the media, it becomes impossible, in my opinion to investigate these reports effectively because of the belief that is generated. A classic example of this has already been mentioned, the Phoenix Lights report. A UFO sighting report from multiple witnesses in Phoenix, Arizona of a series of lights in the night sky. According to the reports these were anything from a line of lights that appeared in sequence, a report corroborated by the video footage available, to a gigantic triangular craft the size of two football pitches, or at least 250 metres long flying silently and slowly over the city, a report uncorroborated by any video evidence available. Having studied the evidence and communicated with witnesses personally I am satisfied that this is not a UFO sighting but is a case of a military aircraft dropping battlefield illumination flares over a military exercise some considerable distance from Phoenix. This is in part similar to the official story presented by the US official investigators, and therefore not accepted by UFO believers, however, it is by far the most likely explanation, and using Occams Razor it is the default position until such time as additional information is uncovered.

The problem is that there are many more people, some of whom are witnesses to these lights, some of whom aren't who go beyond disputing the official story, or putting forward alternatives, to categorically stating that this is a genuine alien craft sighting, which is of course not the case. The investigation has not reached a conclusion, nor is it likely to, but that is another story....

Why programmes like CSI are a bad thing....


It may seem like an odd subject for a blog post, but I have a theory, yes I know, one of many, but hey, I'm a thinker. Anyway, the theory goes something like this. Programmes like the CSI series, Bones, Cold Case and so on do a significant dis-service to modern society. They do this by perpetuating the myth that science can provide answers to “mysterious” occurrences. Further, I believe that this is a deliberate ploy on the part of the geo-political-media complex to continue the process of controlling the way we, the public view the World. Recently there has been increasing cause to question in the criminal courts the evidence of forensic experts. There have been several cases of miscarriages of justice based on forensic evidence including fibre analysis, DNA fingerprinting, injury analysis and so on and the reporting of these has been less than full in the mainstream media.

There can be little doubt that the advances in scientific understanding over the last hundred or so years has been incredibly rapid and has given tremendous advantage in terms of standards of living, but as yet science has not given us a complete understanding of the way the World works and the intricacies therein. A couple of non-specific cases that leap to mind are the series of “Satanic abuse cases” in the late 1970's and 1980's, the series of miscarriages over “shaken baby syndrome”, the erroneous use of psychological profiling in several serial killer cases, and these, and many more like them suffer from a common fault. They all rely on experts in their fields presenting apparently credible evidence in criminal investigations and cases that because of an incomplete picture of the science involved, both on the part of the experts involved, and the investigators and later the courts and jurys, is fundamentally flawed.

Why do I say this? Well, the hind sight evidence is clear. There have now been several cases where evidence provided by expert witnesses has been subsequently successfully challenged despite the original evidence being seen as unquestionable. This has been the case in all of the examples listed above. To date there has not been a single successful prosecution of a Satanic cult of any type, nor any evidence for the existence of Satanic abuse other than as an excuse for abuse in general. There have been several high profile cases of families torn apart by criminal convictions for child abuse that have later been overturned, and several cases where serial killers have been free to continue as a direct result of investigators being misdirected by incorrect profiling by psycholgists. So how does this link to my concerns over what are, on the surface, innocent, entertaining TV shows? These shows focus strongly on the use of forensic science as a panacea to miscarriages of justice and as a perfect way of reaching the truth, and this is a problem.

It sets the tone in the mind of the viewing public, some of whom will go on to carry out jury service, that forensic evidence is black and white, unquestionable and inviolable and that experts in these fields have all of the answers. This is simply not the case, but by creating this mindset it allows for the possibility that jurys can be manipulated and directed in ways that can lead to these miscarriages. I think these programmes should come with a warning stating clearly that they are works of fiction and that they represent an idealised version of the way in which these experts work and the facilities that they have available to them, and do not represent fact, but even with such a warning, would that make a difference? Now don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy these programmes, but I am in a position where I have an understanding of the science involved, and am clear on the difference between fact and fiction, but I am also aware that I am in the minority in a society which is becoming increasingly scientifically illiterate once you get beyond those who follow a scientific career. If you don't believe me, next time you are out with friends in their late teens and early twenties and turn the conversation to any science subject, you will find it shocking I'm sure how quickly people who don't have an interest in science get out of their depth and start coming out with information that is just wrong. It is quite worrying really, but that is a subject for another post....

Saturday 14 January 2012

Why there is no substitute for personal experience...


Whether in business, or in a hobby or pastime or as part of a spiritual system there is nothing that can replace the benefits derived by personal experience. This may seem like something of a sweeping statement, and I have often heard it argued particularly by business owners in a sales environment that employees with experience tend to lack the drive and ambition shown by younger, less “Jaded” employees. In my own experience I have found this to be a fallacy based on mis-conception and misunderstanding of the sales cycle and process. Certainly it can be argued that employee in a sales role is less likely to take a gung ho, bull by the horns attitude, but it could also be suggested that this is precisely because they have less need to, having developed a more complete range of complementary strategies that allow for a more balanced and sometimes more effective approach.

Having a consultative role means that I have the privilege of working with a wide range of different businesses and business owners and also with a wide range of employees. I get to work with and mentor and train groups from 16-18 year old apprentices through early to mid twenties graduates right the way through to fifty plus re-trainees looking to return to the workplace after a prolonged absence, as well as people who have been in their careers for many years. I find in the main that the age and experience of an individual is far less relevant to their drive, passion and ambition than is the way in which they are motivated. I have found that motivating older employees requires a totally different mindset to that required to motivate a school leaver. In the same way, motivating someone with a career is completely different to motivating someone who has been long term unemployed. However once these differences are understood and allowed for, anyone can be motivated to give or take the same degree.

The big difference that I have found is that when working with older people is that having found the right motivational keys the additional life experience can allow that person to thrive more fully because they are able to parley that experience into a better communicative conversation with clients, both internal and external, and consequently are better able to effectively utilise new skills and abilities to drive a business forward. They are also, in the main, having become motivated, better able to maintain that motivation and therefore become easier to manage. The downside of greater experience is that greater care must be taken in that management, and a more refined management style is required. The motivational cues of a junior staff member are rather different to those of more mature employees.

This situation is seen particularly in conversation with a wider range of employee types. The older and more experienced staff members tend to be better able to converse across a broader subject range than the less experienced and it is the job of a good manager to be able to draw on this resource effectively and to maximise the benefit derived. Particularly in these difficult economic times, the benefit of that extra breadth can be invaluable as with it tends to come greater credibility. Business owners and managers ignore the benefits to be derived from working with older people at their peril....

Friday 13 January 2012

Avoiding workplace conspiracies....


There are many people who will tell you that the current rise of conspiracy theories is nothing to worry about. That the transition of conspiracies into the mainstream does not present any major problem, but I am inclined to disagree for at least one very clear reason. Increasingly in the several workplaces that I am involved with I am seeing an increase in what would perhaps best be described as conspiracy based paranoia amongst colleagues and even extending out to clients and customers. I am also seeing purchasing decisions being influenced by conspiracy theories at a large scale. What concerns me is the way that this can translate into problems in the workplace. Business is difficult enough in these challenging times without having to deal with errant employees creating fictitious difficulties because they have bought in to conspiracy theories.

Lets be clear about something. On a personal level I find conspiracy theories to be slightly amusing, slightly interesting insights into the human psyche. I occasional have a little fun with people around me on these themes. I am of a scientific bent and tend not to buy into most conspiracy theories – as an example, one I had fun with is a less well known one that all Walmart stores have an owl statue hidden on them somewhere because the founders of Walmart were part of the Skull and Bones group that worship the Owl God Moloch – have a look, next time you are at one, you will almost certainly see an Owl statue – the fact that this is because the Owl statue is designed to frighten off pigeons is largely irrelevant, it is a bit of fun. Now when I had a little play with this and pointed out the owl statue on my local Walmart, and then a couple of others locally a colleague of mine began to get a bit nuts and started confiding all sorts of paranoid thoughts to me about the company we both work for as well as various governments and institutions.

Again, this could be brushed off as just a minor distraction, but for this chap, his conspiracy delusions were such that he was not able to work at his full capacity because he was constantly analysing what his colleagues were doing and second guessing their motives rather than focusing on his own work. This ended up costing the company at least two project contracts that he was involved with, and there was no doubt that the conspiracies he was worrying about within the workplace were complete nonsense. In the end he had to be disciplined over some of the things he was saying to colleagues and even bosses. It turned out that he had been heavily into conspiracy theories for years and that it is likely that immersion in these theories had a profound negative effect on his psychological balance.

Conspiracy theories can be fun, but they are only ever a bit of nonsense. I'll be blogging more about why conspiracy theories are a nonsense shortly, but for now, just trust me, they are all money making scams and can be safely ignored, and most importantly they have no place in a workspace environment....

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Why businesses fail....


There has been a big push for people to take up the torch of entrepreneurship and to start their own businesses. There are many good reasons for doing this, and some not so good but in the main if you have a good idea and a bit of backing you can make a good case for setting up a business. For most people in their first forays this is done on a small scale, setting up as a sole trader or a partnership perhaps testing the water and seeing how things develop. This is a perfectly good way of starting out. Taking on too much debt or other baggage initially can be a disaster so starting with something manageable and something that you can grow with and develop with and learn with can be a great start point. There are plenty of resources available to provide advice and support for the new business owner, but one area that they often miss out on is what can allow things to go wrong, and what can happen if it does. Of course, no-one wants to appear to be negative when you are taking those first tentative steps, particularly when there is such a push to get people thinking along these lines but these are important points and should be highlighted.

The biggest cause of business failure within the first twelve months of business is failure to control the finances of the business, either the income in terms of not bringing cashflow into the business, or the outgoings in terms of having too much money going out of the business unnecessarily. It can be an absolute nightmare trying to chase payment from people that you have provided goods and services to, particularly if you are offering credit terms to your customers as many businesses have to do, particularly in the business to business sector. It is also very easy to look at invoices as money in the bank, and to spend based on those figures rather than actually waiting till the money hits. This is even more of an issue if you are trying to run a business without reasonable financial backup when as a business you can be operating in a hand to mouth fashion. Having at least a basic understanding of business finance is absolutely crucial, certainly in terms of being able to manage day to day book-keeping tasks, invoicing, bill paying, the basics of payrolls and taxation, basic credit control and so on. You don't necessarily need a computer or any computer ability to be able to do this. Computers help, and save time as long as you know how to use them reasonably well, but before computers businesses ran perfectly successfully using notebooks, accounting books and all the rest involved in a manual accounting system, and that is still the case. Many people aren't that comfortable with computers, and if you are one of those, find another way that you are comfortable with, otherwise you won't be confident that you are getting it right, and mistakes will be made.

There are of course other causes of business failure, and I will cover those in more detail over the coming weeks, but in brief, relying on other people completely to run your business for you is generally a bad idea, as is trying to grow too fast, as is paying staff too much, as is not focusing enough on sales, or focusing too much on sales and not enough on fulfilling orders, but this finance issue is significantly more of an issue than most of the others. Having suggested that, the other area that isn't covered so much is what happens to a business when it does fail, and what the implications are for the business owner in that situation. The answer to this depends on how you have set up your business. If it is your first business there is a reasonable chance that you will have set up as a sole trader or partnership. In these cases you are personally responsible for debts incurred by your business. If, on the other hand, you have set up a limited company, you are usually not responsible for the liabilities of the business, although this may not be the case. Whichever way you have the business set up, failure can be devastating, and the earlier you get good advice the better. This is why understanding the finances is so crucial. As soon as you can see difficulties in paying bills or even worse, wages you need to get advice. Your accountant can help, as can your bank and there is good advice available online and through local business organisations such as chambers of commerce. Taking advice early can mean the difference between recovery and failure, so never be too proud to ask for help.

Belated New Year first post....


So, as you can probably guess by the delay to this post, there have been many and various changes in your authors circumstances with the dawning of what I have decided will henceforth be called LYoH rather than 2012 given the insanity that will undoubtedly develop over the coming twelve months. The acronym of course stands for Last Year of Humanity, because if the Mayans don't get us, the New World Order will, and if they don't it will be the Illuminati or the Rosicrucians or the Masons or even the GodSquadders finally pissing off the almighty that we get another flood. Yes, it is finally here, the real, final, absolute, no really it is, look I mean it this time, honest to goodness End of the World Show! I could care less to be honest. Lets assume that there is a natural cataclysm. The chances of an individual being able to increase their survival chances are remote. Same for global conflict, and even if survival was possible, unless you are Ray Mears do you really think you can survive a complete loss of technology?

I will be devoting this year to exploring some of the more interesting conspiracy and esoteric theories along with expanding the series of articles on neo-spirituality and business philosophy. I am also planning to expand the blog remit into economics and particularly global politics, so that should keep me busy. Fortunately, as I now find myself with rather more time on my hands than I had planned that shouldn't present a major problem, but we will have to see. Whatever happens, it will be an interesting year I'm sure with many ups and downs and some fascinating developments. Having to find new gainful employment of my time, and new sources of income will be interesting as will having to improve my health, both physical and mental. So a challenging year ahead, more focused than last year perhaps, more intense, perhaps more engaging but we will have to see.

There are a couple of projects that I already have in mind beyond the blog plans, but more of those as the year develops. They are only at the most basic planning stage as yet, so no details are available other than it could lead to an increased personal profile for WhatBoxCreatives and may lead to an increased ability to fund the ongoing development of project Loki – although even that might be saying too much. I could tell you all about it, but I would have to silence you....

Watch this space over the coming days and you may be in for a treat or two....