A Clash of Cultures In Suffolk
Nothing serious or untimely, but I found this charming tale in the Daily Telegraph about the Rwandan athletes settling into their base in Bury St. Edmunds. Here’s the opening couple of paragraphs.
When Robert Kajuga was served a plate of food shortly after he arrived in Bury St Edmunds earlier this month, there was one item in particular upon it that he did not immediately recognise. It was certainly not anything he had encountered in his home country of Rwanda.
Thus it was that Kajuga, a 27 year-old distance runner who will compete in the Olympic 10,000 metres final on Aug 4, became acquainted with the concept of mashed potato.
“The potatoes,” he says in broken English. “They change the potatoes into, like porridge. Puréed. In our country, we just cook potatoes. We don’t do that.”
Let’s hope that the links forged result in something lasting and positive. Perhaps, we should sent someone like Delia Smith to Rwanda to teach them how to make mashed potato. Especially, if their athletes do better than they’d expected to on the strange foreign food.
Does My Bum Look Big In This?
Just watching the Tour de France and one guy is riding in an outfit with BigMat across his bottom.
It doesn’t do much for his figure!
Smart Bank Managing
When David was Metier’s bank manager, he did not put us in the bank’s database as a software company, but as a computer leasing company, as we leased the hardware and software as a package. He once told me, this was because those that be in the bank considered computer software to be decidedly high risk, but computer leasing, which was generally huge mainframes to FTSE 500 companies was a low one. He didn’t point out to those-that-thought they-knew-better, that some of the bank’s biggest losses had been in computer leasing. But then David had trust in his customers and knew those that would deliver. We did!
When David once asked me what was the difference between hardware and software, I told him, that the former hurts when you drop it on your foot and the latter doesn’t.
What Do You Do If Your Bank Is Taken Over?
Now that the Co-operative Bank is going to take over 632 branches from Lloyds TSB as is reported here, the question is what do you do?
If I apply my late friend David’s rules, there isn’t too many problems.
The Co-Operative Bank is owned by its members and domiciled in the UK.
The Co-Operative Bank is now probably of a size not to worry David, about the bank ending up being controlled by a forcefull and misdirected individual.
I’m not sure where they do their processing, but are they immune from an RBS/NatWorst problem?
On the other hand, just as some people feel that too many banks are close to the Tories, some might not like the fact that the Co-Operative Bank could be too close to the Labour party.
In fact that last point might make lots of customers go elsewhere, if they were to be transferred without asking their view. It’s like ordering a new Ford and getting a Vauxhall delivered.
And that is the heart of the matter. Can your bank account be transferred from one bank to another without your approval?
It strikes me, that this could be another part of banking, with rich pickings for lawyers.
But let’s face it most banks are the same to the general public. All they do is pay bills from on-line accounts. I bank with Nationwide, and I haven’t been into the bank for a banking purpose since probably November last year and that was to pay in a cheque for a few pounds. I do go into their branches sometimes to use a cash machine, as they often have comfortable chairs, where I can sit down to organise where I put my money.
Now here’s an idea!
Let’s put cash machines into coffee shops like Starbucks or Costa. Abbey National did have some Costa branches in their foyers, but then along came Santander and stopped it.
It would be interesting to see where I get my money out of cash machines. I’ve used these a couple of times in the last few weeks.
- Barclays by the bus stop at Islington Green, where I sometimes get off the bus.
- Nationwide next to Starbucks in Upper Street.
- Lloyds by the bus stop at the Angel, where I get the bus to come home.
- One of the machines in the subway at Kings Cross station.
So no real pattern there except that all these machines are of course free! I would never use me a cash machine that charges me for the privilege of accessing my own money.
Smoking And The Open
I just heard on the BBC Open commentary, that Lee Westwood is puffing away between holes.
Surely, this should be banned, as it sets such a terrible example.
Imagine what would happen if Gareth Bale or whoever, had a quick cough and a drag, every time they had a long run upfield.
Hastings Police Fail To Get Rid Of Dodgy Mobile Phones
I found this story in The Times today, but they got it from this page in the Hastings Observer.
Apparently, the police left marked mobile phones in bars and clubs, to attempt to find those nicking them in Hastings and St. Leonards. Unfortunately, every one was handed straight in to staff.
There are two possible explanations.
Perhaps people in the two towns are more honest than the police think.
Or the criminals in the area are brighter than they’re supposed to be and know a marked mobile phone, when they see one.
The Anonymous Widower 