What's in a name, Staines?

When you read a headline, as there is on the BBC's website in the south-east today, that says: "Staines name-change moves forward", you think you can guess what the story is about.

Ah yes, you'll nod to yourself knowingly, they've finally decided they can do without all the bad jokes and innuendo coming from such a name and they're going to change it to Runnymedesville or something.

But no!

Reading beyond the headline into the article we find that the name change proposed is to make it "Staines-upon-Thames".

Well, that's better, isn't it!

Who am I to cast aspersions? Nobody.

So I say, good luck to the councillors and the people of Staines, and I hope the name change serves them well; I cast no "stubborn dirty mark" on their character.

When it comes to bin collections, who IS the customer?

I'm sure this makes many people cross. It's made me cross for years.

Why is that we, as CUSTOMERS, have to put our rubbish bins in exactly the right place - right at the edge of our property - whereas the bin people (SERVICE PROVIDERS) can leave the bins wherever and however they like?

Before:

After: 

What is going on here? Why is it SO important that we have to leave our bins in exactly the prescribed place, whereas the bin people can chuck them wherever they like with no regard for neatness, safety or access? 

There may be good reasons (I doubt it), but one thing's for sure: they've all lost sight of who the customer actually is here.

The Litherland Moment

Struggling bands are always looking for the “break-through”, when they “make it”. Most play pub and clubs and never have a break-through gig.

Even The Beatles played hundreds of gigs before their break-through. For them it came on Tuesday 27 December 1960 at the Town Hall Ballroom Litherland, near Bootle, Liverpool.

It is described by Mark Lewisohn in his book The Complete Beatles Chronicle: “If any one live performance in the Beatles’ career could be described as the turning point it would be this, their penultimate engagement in 1960. Their career was not without hiccups in the future, but, really, the group never looked back after this night.”

Wow! The Litherland moment .

The Beatles (who had only just changed their named from The Silver Beatles) had a line-up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney (still on guitar at this time), George Harrison, Pete Best (drums) and Chas Newby on bass (he only played one more gig, four days later).

There can’t be anyone who doesn’t know how the story developed after that.

The Beatles were, of course, unique, but I’m sure many other bands have had similar break-through moments.

My own band MP5 (www.lemonrock.com/mp5) never expects to have one (we’re too old!), but we still strive to please the crowds as much as we can!

The Litherland moment – what all bands dream of.