Italy Goes To Ireland
Next year, the Giro d’Italia will start on the island of Ireland with three stages. It’s all here on the BBC.
Knowing the Irish as I do, I think that they’ll have a good party.
They Do Things Big In Swindon
I’ve only ever been to Swindon once and thought it was rather a quiet inoffensive town. But last night someone or perhaps more, slashed the tyres on 150 cars in the town. The incidents are reported here on the BBC.
In some ways it just reinforces my view, that cars are an unnecessary evil, especially, when you have lots of buses and friendly taxi-drivers.
They Do Things Big In Las Vegas
This story from Las Vegas shows one of the reasons why I will never go to that dump again. It really is a supremely tacky place, especially if you see it as it gets up in the morning, with the lights off.
I suppose a holiday in Syria might be a bit quieter.
The Bombers From Central Casting
You shouldn’t laugh at bombers, as what they aim to do could be serious. But this team from Birmingham, who have just been found guilty could be part of the plot of Four Lions.
They have given comedians enough ammunition to last for quite a few gigs.
I particularly liked the part, where they raised money from street collections and then lost it by speculating on the Internet in various financial products.
The Shard Is Now On The Buses
A lot of the buses in London are now promoting The Shard.
The Shard Is Now On The Buses
The picture shows the advert on the side of a 277. I wouldn’t think this is that necessary as for the Leamouth end of the route, if you’re upstairs on the bus, you can actually see the building.
I wonder if advertising the view from a building on the side of a bus, is a bit like advertising a film? With films, they are usually not up to much, so is the view from The Shard, not the best view for the cost.
A Crossing At The Angel Has Learned To Count
Transport for London is installing counters on some of the pedestrian crossings as they detail here.
A Crossing At The Angel Has Learned To Count
As the picture shows, one has now been installed at the Angel.
I haven’t used this crossing since the system was installed, but where they have been, I think they are a good idea.
The ISA Rip-Off
It’s the cash ISA time of the year and I’ve just been looking at the rates. As to what an ISA is, it’s probably best summed up by this page in Money Saving Expert. Here’s the first paragraph.
A cash ISA is just a tax-free savings account. You don’t need to lock the cash away, many are easy-access. Each tax year EVERY person over 16 in the UK can put a new £5,640 in these accounts that pay up to 2.8%. And once in there, the money stays tax-free, year after year.
The rates are derisory and are very poor compared to what I get from Zopa.
Admittedly, there are tax advantages, but why can’t I get those with a peer-to-peer lender if I agree to lock my money away for several years?
A Taxi From Liverpool Street
I don’t often take taxis from Liverpool Street station to home, as there are quite a few convenient buses. But on Tuesday night, it was very cold and late, so I decided to use one.
Since I last used a taxi from inside Liverpool Street station, they’ve moved the taxi rank to be alongside Platform 10, so the first problem was finding one.
There was only one there, which probably shows how few people coming into the station actually use them.
The driver was very apologetic, as he said he’d have to go round the houses a bit because of traffic restrictions behind the station.
He got me home quickly, talking as ever about football.
And then he refused any tip, because of the delay in getting out of the station.
A Warning Not To Rely On Your Phone
Ed Sheeran must feel a right chump this morning, after losing his phone at the Brits. This is from the BBC’s report of the show.
A double award-winner at last year’s Brits, Ed Sheeran suddenly went white with fear at this year’s show.
“I’ve lost my phone,” he said, panic building as he patted down the pockets on his suit.
“It’s not locked. It has the whole of my new record on it. And it has quite a few phone numbers that shouldn’t be released.
“That’s not good, is it?”
I suppose many will excuse him, as he is from Suffolk, a county that the locals often pair with silly. But generally, they are just using it as self-promotion.
The Danger Of Religious Fraud
This story is running on BBC’s London News. This is the first part.
TV shows made in London that encourage viewers to believe they are cured of life-threatening illnesses by prayer have been condemned by charities.
Charities criticised an episode of the Miracle Hour show, on Faith World TV, during which a diabetic caller was told he was “set free” from the disease.
“It is particularly dangerous and puts his life at risk,” said African Health Policy Network head Francis Kaikumba.
It strikes me that when people like these make dangerous television programs like this, that the law should get involved.
At least they should be charged with fraud, as that is what it is!
The Anonymous Widower 