Farewell – Sir Henry Cooper
Sir Henry Cooper was a gentleman in a sport that doesn’t have too many. Although one wonders if recent British boxers have taken their lead from the way Our Enry behaved.
I saw him once, as he had been asked to open a new shop opposite our offices in Ipswich. He was just strolling down the street confidently towards the shop, people were calling and talking to him in a friendly way and he was signing autographs and chatting to the crowd like only real celebrities do.
He’ll be sadly missed by all.
The Future Worldwide Public Transport Ticketing is Almost Here
I read last month, that Transport for London would be aiming to introduce ticketing using contactless bank cards before the Olympics next year. They would work instead of or alongside the Oyster card.
So after some of the comments with regard to public transport in the Aston Martin post, I thought I’d look up the progress.
I myself have a Freedom Pass, so you might ask why I would need to pay in other way. I usually keep it in the back pocket of my trousers, so I have forgotten it a couple of times, when I’ve changed in the middle of the day. I also keep an emergency Oyster card in my wallet, in case I lose the Freedom Pass or I meet someone from outside London, who doesn’t have an Oyster.
So how is it all progressing? Read about it here.
This is an extract.
Hany Fam, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland, said: ‘We’ve been working closely with TfL since 2006 to make this shared vision a reality and recently announced a deal for the exclusive branding of TfL’s Oyster card wallet for 2011.
‘MasterCard was the first to introduce contactless bankcard payments on UK public transport in 2009 and we’re delighted that from 2012 consumers with a PayPass card issued anywhere in the world can use it to access London’s transport system.
‘We believe that London’s leadership will pave the way for adoption of contactless payments in other major cities across the world.’
What is this worldwide universal ticketing, going to do for worldwide tourism?
So perhaps the banks, helped by lots of clever engineers and computer programmers are going to do something worthwhile for a change.
You might ask what’s in it for them?
These contactless transactions are much cheaper to process than one with a pin. I suspect too that as your bank card will be able to buy your travel, your paper and your lunch, you’ll only carry one card much of the time and hence theft and the associated fraud will be a lot less.
Visiting the Lee Valley Park
Today, I needed to get to Blackhorse Road station for lunch nearby, and as Arsenal were at home around the same time, and this would mean a lot of people at Highbury and Islington station, I decided to take a more roundabout route.
The plan was essentially simple.
- Take a 73 or more preferably a 476 bus, as I hate the bendy ones, to Seven Sisters station.
- Take a National Express train from that station to Cheshunt.
- Walk through the Lee Valley Park, looking at the new Lee Valley White Water Centre for the London Olympics.
- Walk to Waltham Cross station for a train to Tottenham Hale and then to Blackhorse Road.
It wasn’t as easy as it should have been, as although the park was pleasant, there was an event going on and the public weren’t allowed into the White Water Centre.
But I was running late, so I had to get to Waltham Cross station. But don’t go there on a Sunday, as trains are only one an hour. I’d also been sold the wrong ticket at Seven Sisters, so I had to buy another. but it was only £1.30, so it wasn’t a problem.
It does look though, that they’ve got a good venue for the Olympics, as set where it is, you could take a picnic there on a train from Central London. I’ve put in for some tickets.
Smartphone Coverage Not As Good As Networks Say
I have a very dumb phone with a robust constitution, that does everything I want of it. But there are reports in several papers, including the Daily Mail, that the major networks coverage isn’t as good as they claim.
I’ll stick with my trusty Nokia 6310i!
Farewell to Ted Lowe
Here was a commentator, who through his knowledge of the sport and the power of his words, gave a lot of pleasure to many.
Sadly, there are few if any of his ilk left.
Ipswich Town Supporters in London
I’ve just set up a web site for Ipswich Town supporters, who live and/or work in London.
I have used WordPress to set it up and it can be viewed at ipswichtownlondon.wordpress.com.
In some ways it is showing how you can use WordPress to create a Blog-Based Small Business. Although this isn’t a business, we’re trying to attract Ipswich Town supporters and create a source of useful information.
The World Has Problems, So What Does the Pope Do?
This sort of thing is what really bothers me about organised religion. Instead of taking a moral lead against dictators, poverty, bad health and the problems caused by lack of contraception, the Pope spends millions on a vanity ceremony.
He also invites Robert Mugabe.
The man is a disgrace! In fact both of them are a disgrace and a complete irrelevance.
A Plaque on a Bridge
This picture shows a plaque on the bridge that carries the Northern Outfall Sewer over the River Lee Navigation .
A Plaque on a Bridge
It is the only evidence in the area, that Joseph Bazalgette was responsible for the massive works, that still handle all of the sweage from north of the Thames.
The Anonymous Widower 