Eclipse of the Sun
Tomorrow’s partial eclipse of the sun could be one of the most spectacular seen from the UK for some time, as the sun will rise partially obscured by the moon at around 8:00 in London.
You will need to be able to have good view to the south east, so I’ll be going to either Primrose Hill or Hampstead Heath depending on the weather.
What Are the Odds on England Staging the 2014 World Cup?
According to The Times today, the progress for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is virtually non-existent, with stadia and transport links, either not planned or years late.
FIFA would never take the World Cup away from Brazil, but where will they stage it in that country? I’m told the beaches are nice, even if the stadia are crap!
There are only a handful of countries that are ready to stage an event like the World Cup tomorrow, of which England and the United States are two. But as they aren’t on Sepp Blatter’s Christmas Card list, it would be unlikely they’d be given the chance.
But then the finals will have to be played somewhere!
Crapman – An Australian Hero
This piece appeared in The Times today.
It is not just sport that they take seriously in Australia. In a country beset by drought and at the mercy of its climate, the environment is high on the agenda. On a Christmas Eve visit to the impressive Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary near Melbourne, we were quickly aware that the battle is on to get Australians to use recycled toilet paper. “Wipe for wildlife” signs greeted us at every turn and at regular intervals we are wished “G’day” by a superhero figure whose cape was decorated with an unfurling toilet roll.
It was only towards the end of our visit that I discovered that our green crusader rejoiced under the name of Crapman.
The Australian sense of humour has a distinct edge.
Amazing People
There have been some amazing stories in the papers about the aftermath of the Lonon bombings, but surely there is none to compare with that of the Hyman family, who have setup the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust in memory of Miriam, who died on the number 30 bus in Tavistock Square.
This is the statement on the front of the Trust’s website.
Miriam was one of the fifty-two people killed in the London bombings of 7/7/05. Her family and friends set up the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust in May 2008 and equipped the Miriam Hyman Children’s Eye Care Centre within the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. This is a living memorial; a place of hope, healing and rehabilitation for children who need eye care services, irrespective of the ability to pay.
The suffering that follows violent terrorism is intense, extensive, avoidable and cannot be justified in any circumstances. In addition to its work in India, the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust is seeking to address this by promoting social cohesion and good citizenship primarily, but not exclusively, through schools.
Let’s hope they succeed in their aims.
Why Should We Subsidise Northern Ireland Water?
According to The Times today, the rest of the UK subsidises Northern Ireland Water to the tune of £267 million annually. And they pay no water or sewerage charges in the province.
It also turns out that there is a mutual help agreement between all UK water companies and Northern Ireland Water didn’t use it until several days after it became obvious they were in the mire.
The Times has a very strong leading article criticising the situation and saying that everybody is playing pass-the-parcel with blame. They also say that privatisation is the only solution, but will any government have the guts to impose that sensible solution?
I doubt it, as with a few riots Ulster always says no and gets its way.
Let’s give Ulster with our blessing to Eire! But I forgot, they’re in an even bigger mess!
Giving Up on Ipswich Against Forest
I was late back from Upper Street after breakfast and shopping at Waitrose and it is now too late to make the last train to Ipswich, as especially with a coach in the middle, there’s a high chance it will all end in tears.
I should have allowed more time, but probably it’s another consequence of the quadruple weekend Bank Holiday.
So they’ll have to do without me!
The World’s Bravest Cat
Pogo the cat tests the suitability of dogs for living with felines for the Dogs Trust.
There’s a video here on the BBC.
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.
Could Chelski End Up Fifth in the Premier League?
That’s where they are this morning and they look good to me in that position. Hopefully, the two Manchester clubs, Tottenham and Arsenal will keep them there!
Let’s hope so and perhaps Chelski’s dip in form will give Ipswich a chance in the FA Cup.
Are We That Stupid?
The weather woman on BBC Breakfast this morning was giving snow depths in centimetres and then using the irrelevant inches, which I gave up with all the other Imperial units in about 1970.
Small Brain Says VAT Rise is Wrong
He might make statements like this, but wasn’t Small Brain part of the government that got us into this mess in the first place. Let’s face it, there are only so many things a Chancellor can do and raising VAT is one of them.
What would Small Brain do?
He would certainly not apply the old adage, that if you’re in a hole, you stop digging.
His friends in the unions would probably have walked him to the IMF by now!
If others use their car less, then the VAT rise would be a pain worth enduring!
But he’s ignoring Newton’s Law here. People will take actions to avoid the VAT. They’ve either bought early or will be delaying purchases until things get better.
I think we’ll all wonder what the VAT fuss was about in a couple of months. Except of course for the truckers, who will protest! But it could be argued that they’re losing more business because a lot more goods are being moved by rail.
The Anonymous Widower 