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Free Breakfast

For most of us who work in small businesses, finding new customers is a continuing struggle. There’s direct mail, advertising, our own websites, directory entries. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. And yet we tend to ignore something that most of us have heard, more than once: “The best publicity is word of mouth” That’s what the free breakfast is about. I’m part of a local business group that meets weekly, over breakfast. Well over half of my new business comes through ‘word of mouth’ referrals from members of that group. And as a group, we’re always keen to meet other business people in the area. That’s why we’d like to offer to buy you breakfast. By meeting other people, we get the chance to tell them what we do. More importantly, from your point of view, you can tell us what you do. There’s a good chance we’ll know people who can benefit from your services. And you might know people that could become our customers. We think of our networking group as a proactive, structures way to generate word of mouth publicity, and new business. And it works, for us. Would it work for you? The one sure way to find out is to come and have breakfast. We meet every Wednesday morning, at 7.00 am (we’re finished by 8.30) at the Plough and Harrow, 121 King Street, Hammersmith. You’re welcome to come along on any Wednesday morning, but we’d like to book you in as soon as possible so that we can start referring business to you.email alyson@thesnippet.net to book your place

Alyson Roach ● 6925d4 Comments ● 6925d

Another disgrace.

Two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing. The Child Benefit data on them includes name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25 million people. Chancellor Alistair Darling said there was no evidence the data had gone to criminals - but urged people to monitor bank accounts "for unusual activity". The Conservatives described the incident as a "catastrophic" failure. CHILD BENEFIT HELPLINE 0845 302 1444 In an emergency statement to MPs, Mr Darling apologised for what he described as an "extremely serious failure on the part of HMRC to protect sensitive personal data entrusted to it in breach of its own guidelines". MPs gasped as Mr Darling told them: "The missing information contains details of all Child Benefit recipients: records for 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families. "   The police are not aware of any evidence that it has been used for fraudulent purposes or criminal activity Alistair DarlingChancellorPoint-by-point: Darling Q&A: Records lost  The chancellor blamed mistakes by junior officials at HMRC, who he said had ignored security procedures when they sent information to the National Audit Office (NAO) for auditing. Mr Darling told MPs: "Two password protected discs containing a full copy of HMRC's entire data in relation to the payment of child benefit was sent to the NAO, by HMRC's internal post system operated by the courier TNT. The package was not recorded or registered. It appears the data has failed to reach the addressee in the NAO." He added: "The police tell me that they have no reason to believe that this data has found its way into the wrong hands. "The police are not aware of any evidence that it has been used for fraudulent purposes or criminal activity." Fraud protection The HMRC has set up a Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 for customers who want more details. The data was sent on 18 October and senior management at HMRC were told it was missing on 8 November and the chancellor on 10 November. MISSING DATA INCLUDES... National insurance numberName, address and birth datePartner's detailsNames, sex and age of childrenBank/savings account details Mr Darling said banks were adamant that they wanted as much time to prepare for his announcement as possible. He added: "If someone is the innocent victim of fraud as a result of this incident, people can be assured they have protection under the Banking Code so they will not suffer any financial loss as a result." Mr Darling said people should monitor their accounts "for any unusual activity". Chairman resigns The Metropolitan Police are investigating the disappearance of the two discs and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which monitors HMRC, is investigating the security breach. Uniformed officers were earlier checking HMRC's offices in Washington, Tyne and Wear. It is the latest and by far the most serious of a string of missing data incidents at HM Revenue and Customs. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Check your bank statements for odd transactionsMonitor your account if you bank onlineChange your account password if it is a date of birth or nameSource: ApacsHow worried should you be?  HMRC chairman Paul Gray resigned earlier after the latest incident came to light. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said: "Let us be clear about the scale of this catastrophic mistake - the names, the addresses and the dates of birth of every child in the country are sitting on two computer discs that are apparently lost in the post, and the bank account details and National Insurance numbers of 10 million parents, guardians and carers have gone missing. "Half the country will be very anxious about the safety of their family and the security and the whole country will be wondering how on earth the government allowed this to happen."

Kevin Farnan ● 6927d1 Comments ● 6927d

New boats on the Thames

We have some new river boats on the Brentford/Kew stretch of the Thames. The ‘Richmond’ PLA patrol boat sailed past Brentford Dock this morning, in the mist:And her sister boat, the ‘Chelsea’ sailed past on Monday:The PLA website  http://www.portoflondon.co.uk  says that:“These new launches were built by Ecocats Limited in 2006/07, for use in the PLA's Upper District, following a three-year research programme into wash characteristics in shallow water carried out by the PLA and Southampton University. The overall length of 10 metres and beam of just under 4 metres gives a large open platform and a spacious island wheelhouse from which the river patrol can provide ready assistance and guidance to rowers, canoeists and other small boat operators. The narrow-beamed hulls and light displacement (3.9 tonnes) cause the least possible resistance, which substantially reduces the power required to achieve normal patrol and emergency response speeds. Due to the vessel's low resistance, the twin Yanmar 36hp diesel outboards provide power for 17 knots, but offer a substantial 67% fuel saving when compared with the former Upper District patrol launches. This fuel economy, together with the solar panels provided to supplement electrical systems onboard, offer savings not only in operating costs but also in emissions of CO2.”Thames Water have also introduced new boats to help clear up the Thames, described on their  website http://www.thameswater.co.uk/UK/region/en_gb/content/Section_Homepages/Multi_Download_001182.jsp?SECT=Multi_Download_001182  they say that: “‘Skimmer’ boats have been specially designed to collect surface litter from the River Thames following occasional sewage discharges.”“Clearwater I and Clearwater II are the first vessels of their kind in the world. Thames Water commissioned the Skimmer vessels, which began operation in September 2007, operating from as far upstream as Kew to the Thames Estuary.

Duncan Walker ● 6932d4 Comments ● 6927d

Autumn

What about lending some Autumn colour to the forum?Has anybody any autumn photos? - Jim, Michael, Tim.....Doris, I bet out there in Oregon, it's a fine sight.Here's a well known poem to get you in the mood:To Autumnby John KeatsSeason of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells. Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep, Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers: And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cyder-press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours. Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, - While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The red-breat whistles from a garden-croft; And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Duncan Walker ● 6948d24 Comments ● 6928d