vivweb01blog

Editor's note: Looking back at this blog from 2022 has been instructive in showing just how much has changed since then...and how much hasn't.... Putin is obviously as resolved as ever to continue is 'special operation' in Ukraine, and as the devious campaigner that he is, has found ways to circumvent all attempts by the West to broker a cease-fire deal. Even that arch-deal maker himself, Trump, well into his last term and clearly in 'legacy-seeking' mode, has singularly failed to make any impression, and has now finally realised that Putin has been 'playing him' all along. His surprise comments in a BBC interview this summer confirmed this, but Trump obviously hasn't given up yet on arranging his 'master deal'.  When he does finally realise it's hopeless, and that Putin's obsession is 'hard wired', things could get quite unpleasant for Russia on the economic front, and more to the point, for anyone found to be continuing to t...

A Warning to low Electricity and Gas users:   If you are anything other than a high user of both fuels, don't be tempted by offers from your supplier to fix your tariffs now.... Suppliers are now piling on the pressure to fix with a plethora of different and highly confusing offers, none of which include a reduction in the standing charge . These offers have been coming in thick and fast since last month following the latest price cap rise, and the unexpected rise in the cap from January, and OFGEM are effectively 'co-conspiring' with suppliers to try to get you to fix now, by soft-pedalling on a final decision on the precise details of any SC reductions. There is also a nasty rumour that OFGEM has caved in even further to the cartel and is likely to set a minimum consumption level (ca 666 kWh for electricity and 2500kWh for Gas) for a 'low' user to qualify for a reduced-SC tariff. This is ridculously high and would exclude many pensioners who have already cut their...

  Editor's note: See recent update 23.11.25 at the end of the main article for the latest news on the new UK.GOV plans for reorganising recycling collections....if you're waiting for a new food bin, don't hold your breath.... ---------------------------- As one of the more incisive questions of our age, "When is Bins ?" definitely deserves some attention…and hopefully a reliable and effective solution for those afflicted by the recent changes (i.e. most of us!). In days of old, life was much simpler when it came to getting our rubbish collected…. The majority of households had just one dustbin. We put it out for the dustmen (as we affectionately referred to them in those balmy 'pre-pc' days) on the same day each week, and with a bit of luck it got emptied sometime on that day.  Life is much more complicated nowadays when it comes to dealing with our domestic waste. The advent of recycling and climate change awareness, which admittedly was overdue  an...

  'Norovirus' (otherwise known as the 'winter vomiting bug') is the term in general use to describe the symptoms of an unpleasant stomach complaint caused by a virus.  This isn’t a new virus, in contrast with the causative agent of Covid19 i.e SARS-CoV-2. Many of us will already have been exposed to Norovirus during our lifetimes. It’s certainly not a ‘nice to have’, particularly for the very young and the elderly. Its incidence is to some extent seasonal, and the virus does seem to be gaining the upper hand this winter, with significant numbers catching it in UK, hence the recent reports in the news media. There have been quite a few consequent hospital admissions over the last few weeks, hence the use of the term 'epidemic' in the press. The NHS is concerned about a rapid influx of new patients, at a time when it's already stretched to the limit,  if the situation continues to worsen. The recent surge in admissions hospitals are already facing due to an em...