Rocking All Over the World

“Here we are and here we go” rocked Status Quo “Rocking all over the world”.

Yet the tiny rock island of Saint Helena seems to crop up all over the world. My elderly Aunt died recently and my Cambodian wife took a liking to one of her knick-knacks pictured above.

It led me to a another journey of discovery and coincidences fuelled of course by Google Search.

Northumberland and Saint Helena have pride of place in my blog as the two best places to live in, not that I am biased. It is a totally objective opinion based on well-established liveability criteria such as the quality of the local bars and fish-cakes.

Railway Superbreaks Cambodia-style

From Alnmouth, it’s possible to take a rail superbreak, transport and hotel all-in, anywhere in the UK.  We’ve been to Whitehaven in Cumberland and to Aberdeen where my Cambodian wife took a liking to the free Buck’s Fizz served at breakfast.  Oddly, the cost of these packages can be less than booking the fare-only.

So once Cambodia’s rail system was restored, I couldn’t resist the temptation. A trip to Kampot or Sihanoukville is a bit long for me, but Takeo just an hour and a half from Phnom Penh, was just the ticket.

Governing well, or not so well?

William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong CB FRS (26 November 1810 – 27 December 1900) is one of Northumberland’s most famous sons, and whose home Cragside, pictured above, remains one of the county’s most attractive venues for visitors.  Not many people know that despite his brilliance he was an early victim of poor governance.

“When in Rome do as the Romans do” may be sensible advice generally, but it should not lend itself to human rights and governance.  We are all supposed to share universal and inviolable rights, aren’t we?

Now this blog is going to be quite unusual in that it is not a grumble about Cambodia, but it does suggest that countries like the UK do allow Cambodian ways of doing things to creep in, for lots of reasons, such as expediency.

Careless Talk Costs Lives

Dark Skies at Kielder Water Northumberland, United Kingdom

As dark as possible helps astronomy but not politics!

(Kielder Water exemplifies where modern development, environmental issues, and local people’s interests work together to benefit all.  You can read more on this other blog)

Why did a Cambodian Civil Society Analyst die?

Probably we will never know the real motive, but what he said and stood for must have upset someone.  

Built-in obsolescence

Larger image below or read on website here Page 16

Built-in obsolescence, the personal kind, doing yourself out of a job

A recurring theme in my blogs is the unwillingness of many in the aid and development business to see that real success is "to do yourself out of a job". 

Right over Might (Part 2)

My first “right over might” blog was prophetic, courtesy yet again of Tottenham Hotspur kindly giving way again, this time not to an Alnwick trader but a football club.

It was all the way back in the 1960s when our family left Northumberland for Leicester, and since then both of my brothers have been avid Leicester City fans, right through even the dark days when the club was bankrupt. 

The George in Alnwick and surrounding area was rocked by the raucous screams from thw two of them as Hazard equalised for Chelsea and when the final whistle blew, gifting Leicester the Premier League championship.

Everyone is absolutely amazed by the success in the face of the rich and powerful clubs who normally dominate. Nobody saw it coming a year ago nor can they believe it now.

That is a lesson and encouragement for underdogs everywhere.  The club’s Thai ownership and connection hopefully will impact across South East Asia.  Spread Leicester’s hashtag #fearless!

The Trouble with "Aid", Nate's Exit.

A community self-help group managing their money.  In a typical development project of US$120,184, $24,000 or just 20% was allocated in the form of direct money to beneficiaries. In the end they received less; one of the 8 groups received nothing at all.

In my blog last week, I referred to the decision of a fellow longtime "Aid" worker to give up in frustration. Was he sensing something now allowed in Aid circles (Failure?) Nate invited me to give a guest-post to go with his writings.  Here it is, as posted on his site.   If you would like a sound-track as you read, try "You really got a hold on me".

No good winking at a Sheila in the dark!

Most readers will have no idea what this means, least of all its relevance to “Life after Aid”.