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Blog
Discovering the meaning of 'value'.
There has been much written about measuring the value of online communities such as Social Networks or Communities of Practice. However, most pundits tend to think of measuring value from a...
By:
Stephen Dale
Last updated:
09 Sep 2019
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The Nemesis
Healthy completion is one thing but there is nothing healthy about a work place nemesis. Some one who seems to be able to push your buttons with what may appear to the others present the most...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
04 Sep 2019
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Too Good To Slip Into Special Measures
A critical audit report. A new chief executive. A confidential management consultant’s report. All three coming to the same conclusion. Those running the organisation and many who work within...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
03 Sep 2019
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Here today but not to stay
Management is about the management of change unless you are an interim manager in which case it is about stability. That is restoring confidence, repairing public image , reassuring members and...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
27 Aug 2019
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In the not to distant future
A few Years from now, when the high street is a wasteland and Local Authorities no longer exist and the once grand municipal buildings that housed them are fast food outlets half -buried in...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
19 Aug 2019
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Tackling Loneliness
The government's Loneliness Strategy was published in October 2018. It set out a wide variety of cross-departmental measures that the government would take to...
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Philippa Lynch
Last updated:
19 Aug 2019
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Is it ever acceptable to swear in an interview?
I was being interviewed for a directors post and I was asked about working with colleagues in Health. Having discussed points of conflict like delayed hospital discharges due to budget...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
12 Aug 2019
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Organisations get the Management they deserve
In the 80’s trade unions were strong and managers complained about not being allowed to manage. The response was organisations get the trade union they deserve. Meaning if you treat staff...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
11 Aug 2019
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The invisible Sword of Damocles
The feeling of ever present peril is one familiar to directors of social services. A former boss once confided in me that when ever he read about an abuse scandal he thought about a youth unit...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
08 Aug 2019
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Boss Quits Abruptly
The leader has a reputation for moving quickly and plain speaking. In the surprise ousting of the chief executive who has only been in the job 18 months , he has lived up to the speed part....
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
06 Aug 2019
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ALERC Website
A long, long time ago, in a meeting room far away, someone decided that the ALERC website needed at least a face lift. The website has already gone through several iterations over the years...
By:
Tom Hunt
Last updated:
06 Aug 2019
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Loyalty, ambition, betrayal, vomit and sudden violent death
I have always (nearly always) been loyal but sometimes my dissent was taken as disloyalty. I have always been ambitious but didn’t realise just how ambitious till I repeatedly put myself...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
13 Sep 2019
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Diversity isn’t a good thing
It turns out that diversity isn’t a good thing if everyone is different but the same. The gender balance and racial mix (and cross section of sexuality) may shout diversity but if every single...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
08 Aug 2019
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Are we kidding our selves
We know it doesn’t make a difference but we do it any way. Why , because it reassures us , makes us think we have more control over the way things turn out. The effort involved convinces us we...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
03 Aug 2019
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The glass Ceiling and the Cliff Edge
You have heard of the glass ceiling but are you aware of the cliff edge ? The glass ceiling is that invisible barrier to promotion. The expression was originally coined to explain why women...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
08 Aug 2019
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The Culture of Optimism
The culture of optimism won’t get us out of austerity. The restructuring didn’t make services better or more efficient, the cuts did have a very negative impact, things are worse much ...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
23 Jul 2019
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A team of Super Heroes
“ What we need is a team of heroic chief executives willing to step up and move outside of the comfort zone and take personal risks. .....We are trying to creat tipping points....The...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
05 Aug 2019
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Be Lucky
We down play the role of luck in achieving success. Parents teach their children that if you try hard enough almost anything is possible. This is a lie. But understandable since unless you...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
22 Jul 2019
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Using Knowledge Hub to host our first electronic exam
Our interview with Louise Budge, Registration Training Manager at the National Records of Scotland, reveals how they use groups to help disseminate information, manage contact, and standardise...
By:
KHUB Focus
Last updated:
18 Jul 2019
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Institutional Harassment
There are managers who are bullies and then there is systematic institutional harassment. In the latter HR rather than protect employees against bulling and harassment advises senior management...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
15 Jul 2019
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Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People have published their report on Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People on 4 July 2019. The report follows an in-depth...
By:
Philippa Lynch
Last updated:
12 Jul 2019
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How much experience do you need?
Would you appoint some one to a high profile senior management post with only one years experience of management? Would you expect a minimum of three years, more than five years or at least...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
15 Sep 2019
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How do you recognise a good employer?
About a year ago my son started a new job and it’s gone really well. My nephew was recently looking for a new job and I told him there were vacancies where my son works. I explained that I...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
18 Jul 2019
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Your work nemesis
According to a survey carried out by the recruitment firm Totaljobs 20% of people have experienced an enemy at work to such an extent that they have called in sick because they couldn’t face...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
04 Jul 2019
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Austerity the new normal
It must have been 10 no 12 years ago. My boss, the Director of social services returned from a budget meeting with the chief executive. We were expecting bad news, more budget cuts to plan...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
25 Jun 2019
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Naivety and Idealism
I was told about a lecturer on the social work course who had taken a year off to gain a social work qualification but mostly to get a reality check. He deliberately choice to do a...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
21 Jun 2019
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Managers who support rather than challenge
We all want managers who are supportive. A little bit of praise goes along way whereas constant critics undermines confidence and can be demotivating. All to often we hear of managers who...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
17 Jun 2019
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What if recruitment adverts were honest and truthful
Recruitment adverts for senior posts are about spin, showing the organisation in the best possible light, portraying the LA the way the members would like to be seen . Which is a shame...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
10 Jun 2019
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Black Horses
I don’ know what makes an effective advert. Presumably it must stick, if not in the conscience then in the subconscious. You would think it important that it is clear what product is being...
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Blair McPherson
Last updated:
06 Jun 2019
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Tips for winners
As well as saying thank you could give a small tip. I’m not talking about in the restaurant, hairdressers or taxi, the places most of us give a tip. I’m talking about in the office. This new...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
31 May 2019
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Do no Evil
Didn’t that use to be the motto of Google? I think we would want something more positive in local government. But it does capture the idea that we need to have values and...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
30 May 2019
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Featured blog: How can open standards and reusable cubes help solve problems for local places?
Over the past decade a number of providers have built their own directories and often linked them to their proprietary products for children’s or adults social care and family services....
By:
KHUB Focus
Last updated:
22 May 2019
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Can a manager stick to their principles and still be successful?
Marcela Bielsa has a reputation as a non conformist manager some one who goes against the trend and makes the rest of us question are definition of success . Some one who has a very clear...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
18 Jul 2020
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Secondment opportunity at NHS Digital
The Adult Social Care Statistics team at NHS Digital are currently seeking to recruit a number of secondees from local authorities. The aim is to draw on their experience of working with a...
By:
Philippa Lynch
Last updated:
16 May 2019
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Featured blog: Why do we need a new approach to digital?
This needs to change if we are to meet the financial challenges that have become the new normal after ten years of austerity – which despite government promises that “the era of austerity...
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KHUB Focus
Last updated:
15 May 2019
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How to be moderately successful
Follow the rules Rules are made to be followed in a meek manner. You know this to be true just as you know those “ how to get to the top” books aren’t to be taken literally. After all...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
12 May 2019
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1. President's introduction
It is a great pleasure and an honour to present this first Newsletter during my Presidency. It is our ambition to inform members of our National Associations about the activities of our...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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2. UDITE - A new captain and crew on the ship
In Sliema, Malta, the Biannual Conference and the Governing Council was attended by delegates from the different members associations. It was organised with the support of Primo Europe. ...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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3. New President Paul Gatt meets representatives of EU Institutions
On 30th March , UDITE President Paul Gatt made a study visit to Brussels to meet several institutions and partners. Paul was accompanied by Ronny Frederickx (Executive Director), Jack Kruf ...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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4. Roles, competences and responsabilities of local chief executives in Europe.
In 2016 a comparative study was published called ‘Statuts, compétences et responsabilités des dirigeants territoriaux en Europe’ – Roles, competences and responsibilities of local ...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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5. CEMR paper on "Future of Public Services in Europe"
Recently, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions published a new position paper : ‘Strong public services through Local Government’. Knowing that waste collection, public transport,...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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6. UDITE - VEOLIA secures exhibition space at Europe's premier environment conference
EU Green Week 2019, the final initiative of Maltese European environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella will take place in Brussels at the Bluepoint Conference Center, 80 Boulevard A. Reyers this...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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7. UDITE to be represented at European Week of Regions and Cities 2019
The European Week will be organised in Brussels 7 – 10 October. It is an annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcases their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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8. "Public services and citizens" SNDGCT annual conference 2019
Following the success of previous years, the next edition of our Territorialis® Professional Conference will continue their modernization. Dedicated to all territorial senior executives, they ...
By:
UDiTE Admin
Last updated:
14 May 2019
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Featured blog: Placecube’s Digital Place
In my career to date, leading digital for Bristol City Council, and then working with the MHCLG Local Digital team on the Declaration, several things have become clear to me. Our...
By:
KHUB Focus
Last updated:
08 May 2019
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Being a bit of a comedian
I like a number of my colleagues had applied for the post of area manager. We were all siting in this room waiting for our individual interviews. Maybe it was nerves but this one guy kept...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
15 Jun 2019
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Don’t waste my Time
If you can’t manage yourself how are you going to manage others? But it’s not as easy as it sounds. There are generally three strands to a management development programme, managing change,...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
02 May 2019
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Probably not the best
A new era of honesty and self awareness has been ushered in by the revised Carlsberg advertising slogan. Where the private sector leads will the public sector follow? Most people know the...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
30 Apr 2019
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Am I talking to a real person?
In the film Blade Runner you could not tell who was human and who was AI by looking at them. Those who hunted down rouge androids had to devise a series of questions to expose one who was...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
02 May 2019
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What do dragons eat?
So John Snow is prepared to give up his position as King of the North in order to form an alliance which he believes is their best chance of survival. But those loyal followers who crowned...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
16 Apr 2019
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Line of Duty
In every organisation there are those who cross the line. Whether it is fiddling their expenses, accessing porn on their work computer, “ inflating ” their performance figures or influencing...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
15 Apr 2019
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Artificial Intelligence signals the arrival of Big Brother
The ability to harvest large quantities of date gives bosses the means to monitor in detail how staff are using their time and when they are wasting time. The ability to record stokes on a...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
08 Apr 2019
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Being associated with success has a down side
Liverpool’s striker has become an international super star due to his goal scorning exploits. It is well know that this Egyptian footballer comes from a small remote village. According to the...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
07 Apr 2019
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Thinking Strategically
This blog is intended to begin a conversation about where we, as the Local Environmental Record Centre (LERC) sector, want to be headed. Our strategic direction. I’ll start with some chat about...
By:
Clare Blencowe
Last updated:
08 Apr 2019
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The Public Sector is supposed to be a model employer
The public sector is expected to behave differently to the private sector. Where as the private sector often requires legislation to improve the condition of workers or act in a way that...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
03 Apr 2019
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Backwards to a Glorious Future
Where change has failed, let there be continuity. This is how one national news paper described the significance of a new person in charge in Manchester. That is Manchester United Football...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
30 Mar 2019
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The Office Revolution
Last year I visited the BMW-MINI Production Plant, at Cowley, Oxford. This was arranged as part of our theme on 'innovation' for Warwick Business School's Innovation network. The bodyshell...
By:
Stephen Dale
Last updated:
29 Mar 2019
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Sometimes the Leader is to Blame
As a senior manager I always signed up to the view that when something goes wrong we should resist the temptation to find out who was to blame. It’s not just that a blame culture makes...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
25 Mar 2019
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Gardeners Question Time
The residents committee has just named my neighbour as having an outstanding garden and to my embarrassment has named and shamed us as having a poor garden with little prospect of...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
24 Mar 2019
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Child poverty and housing…We need to talk
1) Do we really understand how affordable our rents are for families? 2) Are we prioritizing rehousing for overcrowded and larger families? 3) How do we respond to families...
By:
Hanna McCulloch
Last updated:
11 Feb 2020
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Managing the Millennials
Millennials are defined as the children of baby boomers. By 2020 they will make up 20% of the global workforce. Do they expect to be managed differently? Yes, more engaged, more involved and...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
12 Mar 2019
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INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION
(Previously published at Stephendale.com) I don’t like Monday’s by The Boomtown Rats, says it all. Released way back in 1979 before millennials had become, well millennials, the...
By:
Stephen Dale
Last updated:
04 Mar 2019
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Are social workers the champion whingers?
I’m a former social worker and someone who believes strongly in the professions values. I think that there are things social workers, whether working with young people or vulnerable adults, do...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
05 Dec 2023
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How to Use
This regional network is for organisations, health practitioners and individuals interested in climate and health issues relevant to Northern Ireland, to enable access and sharing of...
By:
Stephen Jones
Last updated:
04 Sep 2019
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Just saying
You know all those articles which tell you the importance of learning to say “No”. How liberating it is, how you suddenly regain control of your life and establish a work life balance....
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
23 Feb 2019
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Knowledge Hub is a finalist in the European IT & Software Excellence Awards
With over 450 projects submitted from across Europe in a wide range of categories! We are delighted to announce that Knowledge Hub has been selected as a finalist in the Public Sector or Utilities...
By:
KHUB Focus
Last updated:
20 Feb 2019
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Back in time to the 60s
Recent research by the Centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, has revealed that recruitment discrimination is as bad as it was in the late 60s Despite...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
19 Feb 2019
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This charming man/woman
Ever wondered why candidates with less experience and knowledge get promoted so quickly? Could it be they charmed the interview panel? “He must have had quite a lot of charm ,as he was promoted...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
19 Feb 2019
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Knowledge Hub is built on an industry leading Digital Experience Platform
You may not know this, but the technology behind the Knowledge Hub platform is Liferay and for the ninth consecutive year, Liferay has been named an industry leader in the Gartner Magic...
By:
KHUB Focus
Last updated:
15 Feb 2019
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Property Flood Roundtable
The PFR roundtable has been in operation for about 2 years and has membership which includes leading insurance companies (Graham Brogden the Chair is from Aviva) and leading industry actors. 2017...
By:
Robbie Craig
Last updated:
11 Feb 2019
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The Good Place
Two people die and believe that a case of mistaken identity has resulted in them being admitted to the Good Place ( Heaven)in error. They attempt to ensure they are not found out and sent to...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
11 Sep 2019
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The Plan
How long do you stick with a plan that isn’t working? At what point should you bend to the pressure to change the way you do things? How long is long enough to prove your way will deliver? ...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
04 Feb 2019
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Don’t pay the Ransom
That’s what the police say. The statistics say something different. A small percentage of hostages escape and very few are rescued. Less than 1% are killed. If you, your family or your...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
01 Feb 2019
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Shrink to Fit
Austerity set Local Authorities a very big challenge how to get smaller without too much pain? You can shrink people as in the film Downsizing , this solution turned out to have its...
By:
Blair McPherson
Last updated:
01 Feb 2019
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Learning to walk again
The pain was excruciating. Even moving two metres to the bathroom was a huge struggle. I was lying in a hospital bed with complications after leg surgery and getting up was a big deal. My leg...
By:
Brendon Marshall
Last updated:
02 Mar 2019
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