Striking to the heart of the problem

The notion of "cause and effect" is something that has been uttered, considered and utilised by generations of western civilisations dating back to the days of Aristotle, and even longer in Buddhist teachings on Karma.
Essentially the causality principle centres around the notion that every action (cause) has a consequential reaction (effect).

Don't worry this blog post isn't about to start spouting off scientific principles or utter sentences beginning with "If a butterfly flaps its wings...". Instead, watching the news in the past few days and keeping a close eye on all things social media in that time has brought the term in to my head on more than one occasion.

Not being a Londoner myself, the chaotic tube strikes which are now upon our nations capital are having little effect on me and my ability to get to and from work or play.
However, it is probably because I can sit from my perch 180 miles north that I am able to have an unbiased view on the potential outcome of this unfortunate inconvenience for London's commuters and visitors alike.

First off, I am not privy to the ins and outs of the numbers that Boris Johnson is using to evaluate the need for ticket offices. Nor am I saying that the cutting of staff and hundreds of people being made redundant is anything other than disgraceful in any industry, with effects to be felt in the lives of each of those individuals if the situation gets to that point.

However, what I am saying is that with strike action there is a greater impact to consider than just the required outcome for the 900+ tube workers that could potentially lose their jobs as part of planned modernisation to the underground system.

A friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook last night of the queues emanating from Oxford Circus station at 6pm...3 hours before the first strike was meant to start!
The same friend posted a second picture this morning, this time from Earls Court station, where the view from the overpass linking the platforms showed more resemblance to that of a 1940's evacuee reenactment than that of a Tuesday morning commuter rush.

The impact that the increased time and uncertainty of his journey from South West London to his job in one of the busiest retail stores in Oxford Street (and the world for that matter) stretches further than just adding time to his day.

Think about it, if one member of staff is unable to make it to work on time then workloads, rotas and potentially pay can be affected. Now, imagine if 5 staff are affected are unable to make their shift or work altogether? Suddenly the impact is growing. Granted the larger companies can swallow small impacts like this no problem, but what about the smaller independent business such as restaurants? The lateness of 5 staff would surely mean it doesn't open on time and thus impacts attracting potential customers and loses potential income.

Commuters are walking further to stations, a positive effect on health, but are then greeted by walls of fellow commuters at the next station, leaving streets congested and visitors unable to experience day-to-day London, something that will surely impact businesses even further.

And surely purchases in general will be down during this time, impacting sales figures, bottom lines and potentially target related bonuses, which has knock-on ripple effects on an unknown scale.

The daily number of consumers in London won't dip too much even with the strikes in force; pre-planned trips and people just wanting to be part of London's culture will ensure the economy thrives no matter what, but their shopping habits are likely to be affected.
If they reach the shopping areas such as Oxford Street and are greeted with walls of people, their first instincts are not to simply browse and purchase on the off-chance, but to prioritise their purchases and head straight for those areas to ensure they accomplish their initial goal.

Also, with the average commuter, who may pop in to a store as they pass on their usual route home of an evening, now fully concentrated on the time it takes to get home and making sure that they take the quickest route possible then they are unlikely to make off-chance purchases as well or at least put off purchases until the strikes pass.

And that's just an example of how one person and one company could be affected, in a city of over 8 million people, 70% of which are employed, the impact of this tube strike will be felt far and wide even outside the districts and boroughs that the tube line connects.

I read in the Independent this morning that an extra 266 buses have been added to the existing service in London for these 48 hours, meaning over 8,000 buses would be in use per day. These services, along with additional river services, are fine but surely at 90 people per bus still can't cope with the majority of passengers affected by these strikes.
But that is beside the point. Extra buses means extra fuel use and pollution, leading to yet another effect that would not have occurred prior to this strike.
Also, the tube strike may steer the minds of people looking to enter London to drive instead of using public transport, again adding extra cars to already congested routes, more pollution and ultimately lining the pockets of government further with all the extra congestion charges!

It is an example of how day-to-day services can be taken for granted and another old adage of "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" could always be thrown at this but ultimately, living in an age of information should mean that we are prepared for situations such as this.
But nothing can prepare businesses and domestic life for the impact that these delays could have. In a city of individuals, the variable number of impacts being delayed could have are almost immeasurable but could be felt long after the 48 hours are up.

I do hope a resolution can be found for both the modernisation of the underground as well as the safety of jobs in an obvious lifeblood of our capital city.

Forgive my input in to this delicate situation but sometimes it is important to make sure all factors have been considered.
For the cause may be worthwhile...but as we have already briefly discussed, you've got to remember that there is always an effect.

'Tis the Season...

It's that time again folks...it's the most wonderful time of the year...

No, not Christmas! Don't worry, you haven't gone to bed last night and had 8 months sleep rather than the recommended 8 hours.

No No No (sorry couldn't resist another Christmas-esque pun), 'Tis the season and most wonderful time of the year for those closest to me, who have all of their birthdays within 12 days of each other...oh and this year for good measure there was a Mother's Day thrown in too!
So that's Sister, Mother's Day, Best Friend, Girlfriend and Mother to buy for, treat and spend time with all within just under 2 weeks and all within one pay slip!

This seasonal time may explain my absence from writing this blog for the past 4 weeks as it is always filled with copious amounts of celebrating, enjoyment filled evenings catching up with friends and family and of course food aplenty (most of which is indulgent and needs rectifying in the weeks that follow)!

But 21 days in to April, you don't want excuses, your excitement can only hold so long...for I know you've all been checking back eagerly awaiting an update on all things #RandomTask related...No? Well, you're going to get one anyway!

For those regular readers of you out there, you'll remember last month I achieved my #RandomTask of 14 Yoga sessions in February and decided to emulate this pattern in to March with the following addition to this years approach to New Years Resolutions...

#6 Keep up the good work and undertake Yoga on a minimum of 15 days throughout March.

So what do you think? Don't look ahead...did I complete this challenge for the 2nd month in a row?
Did I achieve my increased target?
Can I, for the first time since undertaking this blog, sit here and write to you in a state of positive achievement, knowing that I have successfully stuck to at something for more than an initial honeymoon period?

Is it a yes? Or am I building you up for comic effect to tell you that somewhat predictably I have failed?

Have you got your answer? Time to stick or twist as I can now reveal that...

I am delighted to tell both the believers and the doubters out there that I...have only gone and achieved it! (If this was an audio blog this would be the moment that a chorus of "Hallelujah" rings out in the background!).
There were a few set backs but with perseverance I managed to achieve the 15th round of yoga on 31st March at 9:05pm, determined to not let myself and you, the reader, down!

All has been going really well with my enjoyment of this new hobby and my willingness to stick to my target and the regret I feel when not undertaking it hasn't wavered so understandably after all this triumphant celebrating I started April with all the good intentions that have seen me through the past 2 months in full force.

But this is where this birthday season comes in to conspire against me...

Not just financially (being the generous gift giver that I am! ;-) ), but with the even more precious gift of time.

For these 3-4 weeks of birthdays are filled with searching for, picking up and wrapping presents, meals out and time spent with family and friends (which I love and am very thankful for but let's be honest I can't exactly get changed and tell them all to "talk amongst themselves" whilst I undertake 20 mins of Yoga in the front room or whilst out at the restaurant!) and adding this to the usual day-to-day working and household activities that get in the way all year round, then this all seems to work against me and the new Yoga routine that I've built for myself.

However, it is not all lost as I have realised that it is not always about the number achieved but the benefit gained from each session (sounds a bit "oo er missus" but you get where I'm going with this). I have already undertaken 6 yoga sessions since the 1st April and with 9 full days still remaining I have every faith that I will at least hit double digits by the time May 1st swings round.

So no Yoga related #RandomTask from me this time. Let's see how well I get on without it and especially now that birthday season has passed.

And as for blogging, well just because I haven't posted anything until now this month, doesn't mean I haven't been busy.
Having already blogged more than the entirety of 2013 and with this post I have equalled the 2012 total that kick started this little side project of mine, I am feeling rather pleased with myself and positive about the year ahead!

As in the small amount of spare time I have managed to find and as always in the random notes that I take down on my phone at whatever hour the inspiration comes to me, blogs are slowly piecing themselves together and I intend to share a couple of them with you before this month draws to a close...so keep an eye out for those as I increase my blog count further and further.

For now though, I will simply sit back, wish you all a very Happy Easter and wait for pay day to roll around as I find my feet again...no doubt just in time for birthday season to creep up on me again this time next year!

Oh and for those of you keeping count...
#RandomTasks Set = 7 Completed = 4 Pending = 1 Failed = 2