The Van Neste Blog

Raymond Van Neste

 

SAVING LIVES

In an article that I wrote in 2007 and published on this website about hope entitled:  Orbis: Sight Saving and Life Saving, I described how hope is something that has a powerful driving force and potential to help people in hospital or people who are suffering in one way or another to not only overcome illness but to beat the odds which are stacked up against them.  From this perspective hope saves lives.

 

A FALSE PROMISE?

I read an article recently where somebody argued that whilst they did not disregard the power of hope to give people a purpose especially in dire situations to keep going it is nevertheless useless.    It's okay to be conscientious and full of hope but then how is it possible for that hope to be sustained?  It's a false promise and a dead end!

Upon reading this I'm sad that somebody would relate to hope in this way and dismiss its power so easily.  It s a proven fact that people who have no hope for the future have accordingly no reason to live.   If somebody initially has hope it is undermining of their position to assume that they will lose their vision and need of having some kind of hope for the future. 

 

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN

Hope is not only a word it's much much more!  it's a state of mind and of being, of understanding that okay something might not be happening right now but it can still happen later on and I hope it will!  Having such a state of mind puts in to motion the forces that make things happen.  A disposition of hopefulness literally works miracles.

Norman Vincent Peale in his many books argues over and over again that what we hope for we get.  He cites examples of many of his clients and friends who at different stages of their lives had given in to negative thought processes.  Each day they confirmed within themselves  that the worst was going to happen, it's going to be a bad day today, I can feel it!  I'm going to miss the bus and my boss will crazy as usual!   Indeed, what was expected actually happened.

'We are what we think' is basically a truth worth considering so that whenever you feel hopeless in any situation in your life, counter the negative life draining thought with a positive one and you'll see, maybe not immediately but at some stage coming-up things will change for the better. 

 

HOPE AND REALITY

And so, whenever, I hear or read about what is happening around the world politically, wars and famine, terrible suffering and injustice, I can if I want to not only be sad but equally have great hope that things will change.  This is the beginning of the use of spiritual power.  It's the actual decision to not give in to gloom and doom.   I can't do anything to change the world but I have the power to hope and to pray!

 

Raymond Van Neste.   Hope or Fear?  Copyright 2009 ©

 

Raymond Van Neste

 

WHY SO MANY PEOPLE?

The Edinburgh international Festival currently the greatest annual festival of its kind around the world once again is in full swing at the heart of Edinburgh in Scotland. While reading about this year's Scottish festival I wondered: how is it that people from around the world flock to venues such as festivals, exhibitions or pilgrimages with a speed that seems like the blink of an eye and in massive numbers?


THE GREATEST ARTS FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD

The Edinburgh Festival is expected to have more than two million visitors going through it's doors this year, during the month of August. There will be over 2,000 productions and these are inclusive of a whole range taken from theatre, music or comedy. 19,000 performers will be present respectively coming from more than 60 countries. 250 venues in the capital city of Edinburgh are currently being taken up during this time with the glorious and full spectacle of creativity and a gratuitous amercement in the arts where the life style in Edinburgh, for the month of August is taken-up fully in this way.


THE ANSWER

In answer to the question why so many people go to festivals, the answer is basic and is no secret. Human beings are social animals. We are programmed to be that way in the big scheme of things. Festivals are places where people flock to in order to see and focus on an interest but most of all to tap-in-to the energy which is for the taking. From seeing the posters up everywhere in the city namely on the lampposts, walls and bollard's, windows, and seeing the people, participants, diversity, culture, endless reviews, venues, restaurants, to the opinions, the talk, enthusiasm, the energy and the inspiration are dynamic, all there for the taking. The crowds want it, they want to revel in it and rightly so.


POWERFUL ENERGY FOR LIVING

I am a son of Edinburgh. And so, not having visited recently, I pick-up on the energy from what I read about it and see about it in the reviews. From simply reading about it I can easily get a sense of the feelings in that place. That's how powerful and how loud this creative dynamic festival is. It's like a mountain waiting to give up it's energy, and when it does watch out because right now in Edinburgh the waves and the vibes are present for all.

Also, it's not simply about being attracted to and tapping in to 'energy'. it's more than that. it's about tapping in-to 'positive' energy. Positive energy is something that we can't live without and we need it to exist as well as for our well being and for creativity in our lives. On an everyday basis it's something that we take for granted but is very real. Positive energy heals us, re-invigorates us, makes us feel good enabling us to bounce back whenever we are feeling low. Opposed to this is negative energy and the many situations that can affect us so easily with the wrong vibes.

It's true that positive energy may not necessarily be found in a place that is assumed to be positive such as a festival. But it sure is the case that people flock to a venue simply because people are programmed to be social and to be with other like minded people. It's here that the energy lies. The energy of invigoration, of passion, of creativity, and of people whether it's a rock concert, a pilgrimage, a festival the effects are the same. It's the taking part that's important. It's not necessary to be a participant in the Edinburgh festival, an actor for example. No, what's important is that you are present, living the experience, and being a part of the energy which can only be experienced according to our passions for life and for living.

11 August 2009

 

Edinburgh International Festival: energy for living.  Raymond Van Neste.  Copyright 2009 ©

 

Raymond Van Neste

 

After a visit to British Home Stores department store here in London's West End, UK, Raymond Van Neste writes that the experience of the visit was one to be remembered and not for good reasons.  

 

THE NIGHTMARE OF OXFORD STREET IN LONDON'S WEST END

Yesterday, here in London on an ordinary Wednesday, I had some free time so I went up to Oxford Street at the heart of London's West End in the UK to visit a shop known as British Home Stores.    Anybody who has been in London for more than five minutes will know that Oxford Street and other areas geared to the tourist market are basically to be avoided at all costs.   Oxford street, 'the nightmare of the Western world' has, again as Londoners know here, been the controversial subject of debate for many many years, namely the lack of walking space in the actual street and the amount of traffic which is almost one hundred percent busses and taxis, taking up most of the room and the dangers that these hazards cause.

 

STAYING ALIVE AND HEALTHY

To mention just a few, some of the dangers while visiting Oxford Street are: being run over by a bus or taxi, being mugged, being pick-pocketed, suffering from the pollution of traffic diesel engines just feet away from the pavement and of course being pushed and pulled by the frustrated people on the street, the exhaustion connected to this in trying to avoid the elbows, shoulders and carrier bags while huge crowds of people fight for space.   Not to mention the fact that the traffic is jammed at a permanent stand still because of the narrowness, lack of space, too many busses and taxis and terrible condition of the street.  

Walking down this road is I would say almost as bad as having to navigate your way through almost impossible terrain.    It's the common culture here that the second a person walks on this street your blood pressure will rocket and your anger too, because of shortage of space on the street and the amount of people walking in every direction which won't avoid you if you if you don't happen to see them.   So, if your hot blooded and not very healthy don't go anywhere near this place.   When tourists are checking out the places to visit this kind of information is not mentioned.   

 

BRITISH HOME STORES

Anyway, as if all of that is not bad enough I found to my surprise and sadness that there is still more gloom and doom yet to come.   As stated I visited a department store called: British Home Stores which is one of the main stores competing for shoppers on Oxford Street, along with the other stores: Marks and Spencer, Selfridges and John Lewis. 

 

SHOPPING INNOCENCE

Innocently, wanting to buy some shirts, as stated again, my journey took me to BHS.   Upon entering the store I immediately looked for notices, sign boards which would direct me to the correct floor for the 'Men's department'.   There were no such sign posts.   Ok, I thought, I'll just wander around and see if I can find it for myself, that is assuming I can find staircases, lifts up to the other floors.   One thing,  which I suddenly became aware of and not really bothered about in the past is the fact that upon entering the store everywhere around you, the whole of the ground floor is dedicated to women, women's clothes, accessories and anything else that takes your fancy.   That of course is great, but what about us guys?   Hey, isn't this store called 'home store'?   Presumably such a store would take into consideration in an equal way that there are an equal number of men compared to women living in the United Kingdom!

 

CAFE BLUES

After some time, fast losing hope and energy, I came up to the third floor.   Still no sign posts and still no men's department.   I wanted a quick lunch so I thought, ok, I'll have a break and then re-start the task of finding this mysterious department where I might be able to buy some items.    I eventually found the cafe.   Upon entering everything seemed okay.   I asked for baked potato (on the menu clearly displayed)!    'Yes, sure, I can get a backed potato for you, and what would you like on your baked potato'?   Oh, coleslaw, I replied!   I was handed a plate with a baked potato on it!   But hold on, shouldn't a baked potato be bigger than the same size as a tomato?   Shouldn't the 'accompanying salad' be bigger than not enough food to feed a mouse?   Shouldn't the coleslaw be visible with more than one table spoon of the filling, cole slaw?   I joined the cue waiting to pay for my 'meal'.   I chose a cup of tea as a drink.    But hold on, where's the milk?  This was my question to the cashier!  'It's over there'!  Was the answer that I received.   I found the milk which turned out to be in an unknown kind of small long sachets which look the same as the sauce sachets, that's the milk sachets'?!  

 

HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?

In the cafe by the time I got to a table the meal (if you could call it that) was stone cold.  Looking around me I could not help but notice that ninety five percent of the people sitting in the very large café area were women in an older age group or elderly.  Again, looking around I couldn't see anybody who was actually eating food except for an elderly couple who were sat at a table close by.    The table I was eventually able to get was next to the window showing the scene below in the street.    I could see from the window that the people below on the street were mainly young men and women.   And in the pub opposite, through their large window it could be clearly seen that their tables were filled by the same young men and women.  

  

TIME WARP

But, looking around me here I wondered if I was in a time warp?  Had I been kidnapped by aliens and was I in the process of being transported by a time machine through time?  Had I been transported to some very sad and unwholesome place 100 years ago?  Even if I was stupid enough to eat in BHS and even consider buying an article of clothing in this shop, common sense seems to kick in by telling me that we live in 2009 in an age where both men and women both want equality of the sexes and an equal sharing for both in every way!  But not in BHS.  Here, if you're a man you're an alien.  

 

NON EXISTENT INSPIRATION FOR LIVING

If you are a visitor to London, or if even if you are a Londoner and if you are looking for inspiration of some kind in the city, forget it because this shop is a lost cause.    Having endured the distasteful and very poor performance at this shop and after loosing hours in order to visit it, I felt that this justified doing some research into the affairs of BHS.   Yes, technology and the internet have a lot of positive uses and I checked out the state of their success in the retail index during the last few years and their current situation in the retail market.  

 

RESEARCH IN TO BHS'S RETAIL INDEX

Immediately upon doing some research it was clear that BHS is doing very poorly in the ratings compared to other rivals.   With the current situation the economy in most places around the world is in a mess but especially in the West.  It's a well known fact here in London UK, having been on the news for the last year, that only a percentage of retail outlets have survived and are still in business.   Those that are still in business have had to completely change their approach to marketing but more importantly have had to change their whole approach to customers.  

 

IT'S A BUYERS MARKET

One of the effects of the credit crunch and the economy downturn was that people in the high street have become 'the buyers'.  They are the ones that do the buying and everything depends on them.   It means that the whole of the retail sector is competing for whatever people are out there who can still afford to buy in their store.   Marks and Spencer is an example of this.   Marks and Spencer have drastically cleaned up their act and over the last year prices there have been halved in many cases.  It's a nice experience to shop at M&S and I wish that I had stayed with them without straying on to other shops such as BHS.   I live and learn.   Again, I quickly found, on the internet, a website called: www. Moneyweek.com.  Cris Sholto Heaton writes about the downturn of BHS:

 

'Schadenfreude: don't journalists love it? There was plenty of glee in the papers last week when Phillip Green unveiled some rotten results from Bhs chain. Pretax profits plunged more than 60% to £42m as a result of what Green called "stupid and fundamental mistakes".

It's unlikely Green cares very much about the snide headlines. After all, his empire has made him – or technically, for tax purposes, his wife – far richer than any of those doling out judgement on him will ever be. Whether he achieved it through being a great retailer or simply through clever financial manipulations such as loading up Bhs with debt is irrelevant as far as his bank balance goes.

Some may wonder whether this is all a fuss about nothing. After all, Bhs is a private company, so there's no shareholder base to worry whether the King of the High Street's crown might be slipping. But the results are still important - because they show how bad things could get for the rest of the retail sector...

Bhs's problems are at least partly self-inflicted. Green admits that the company had got its merchandise wrong in many areas, notably in the crucial womenswear market. The staff responsible for this mess-up have fallen – or more likely been pushed – onto their swords and a new team installed.

But tough competition from the rest of the high street has also been a major contributor. What must really sting for Green is that this slump comes as Marks & Spencer – which he tried to buy two years ago – continues to beat expectations. Other firms such as budget fashion chain Primark are also doing better than Bhs. In other words, he's being squeezed on both style and price.

That may sound as if it's all Bhs's fault for failing to keep up with its rivals. But equally possibly it's because the chain was ahead of the pack in building profits at the start of the retail cycle and is simply hitting the buffers sooner than the rest. The problems that it's experiencing now may well be the same problems that other retailers run into a little further down the line.

Overall, the retail market is growing very slowly. To generate major revenue growth you need to steal sales from your competitors – thus M&S's gain is Bhs's loss. But the problems go further than that. Because competition is so tough, it's been very difficult - certainly in recent years - to push up prices to boost margins. Prices are falling or static across much of the sector'. 

 

BHS, A DINOSAUR FROM THE PAST

This article was written in 2007.   However, it seems as if BHS has not moved on and it's at its own peril.   It remains in it's own time warp, a dinosaur from the past.   Looking at BHS's website shows that it's stock is also from the prehistoric times.   Who are they trying to market too?   Young people?   Older people?   Looking at their website and after reading a little about the people who are running BHS it's clear that they are very rich, talking about huge mergers and huge finance.   

 

MONEY, GREED, BLINDNESS AND COMMON SENSE

I would argue that money and greed have blinded the owners of this shop.   One of the things about business is that the first thing that you have got to get right is 'common sense'.   Common sense dictates that if you can't get it right at home then you won't get it right anywhere else.   It's a fact that a brand new market has come in to being recently in the USA to cater for men and men's toiletries and clothing, accessories' have become one of the leading markets brought about by demand.   

 

THE NIGHTMARE OF BHS

It's obvious that only a fool would ignore the fact that men make up fifty percent of the world in which we live, not to mention the fact that men are currently demanding more than what they are currently getting, hence the huge market changes in the USA.   The potential for business is immense.   But BHS and 100 year time warps go hand as well as bankruptcy.   Common sense showed me that the experience of visiting one of the BHS stores here was an experience that I'll never forget, it was a nightmare!  I will never visit one of their stores in the future and ask men everywhere to take the same stance and learn by my mistakes.

31 July 2009 

 

'Men', beware!  Visiting British Home Stores can be bad for your health.  

Raymond Van Neste.  Copyright 2009 ©