Russia And China Give Their View On Freedom
Russia and China have vetoed a resolution from the West and the Arab League to try to end the carnage in Syria.
But then what is going to happen, when their own dissidents protest? After all to Putin it would appear democracy is something to be manipulated for your own ends and the Chinese just feel it is not the right system for China.
What Do Fred Goodwin and Manchester City Have In Common?
They’ve both lost their title in the last couple of weeks.
Where is the Wunch Now?
So Fred Goodwin has got his comeuppance, but do you ever wonder where all the others, who are part of the same wunch of bankers as Fred, who got us into the financial mess are?
I am indebted to Citywire for the details.
It is interesting reading.
Mums Launch Student Home Swap Scheme
It’s all here on the BBC. And their web site is here at unihomeswap.co.uk.
As it says in the article it’s just returning to how it was done in the 1960’s, except that you didn’t actually swap.
For instance in my first year at Liverpool University, I was in digs at Huyton, which was quite a long bus ride to and from the City Centre. Students may moan about their lot these days, but we had a whole different set of moans and digs a long way from the University was one of them.
These days as I wander around London, it seems most students have their own room in a modern block, somewhere near their University or College. But then they are expensive.
Even when I got into Hall for the third year of my course, it was still a long way from the University.
Incidentally, C wasn’t very lucky with the digs she shared with a girl called Sandra and had terrible trouble finding something where they could stay. In one case, the landlord wasn’t a man, any sane father would let near his daughters.
I think it’s a good idea and I wish the designers of the site well.
Hitler’s Possible Legacy for CrossRail
It is being reported that they are searching the Connaught Tunnel for any legacy of unexploded bombs from the Second World War, before they rebuild the tunnel for CrossRail.
Suppose they did miss a small one and it did a little bit of damage to one of CrossRail’s German-built TBMs.
It would be embarrassment all round!
When Was The Last Time the Met Police Commissioner Patrolled on a Horse?
At Tuesday night’s football at White Hart Lane, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe was part of the mounted force policing the match. It’s here in the Metro.
It’s not the first time though that Hogan-Howe has been at a high-profile event on a horse in uniform. This is an extract from a report in the Guardian.
One of Bernard Hogan-Howe’s greatest pleasures as chief constable of Merseyside police was riding through the crowds on horseback at the Grand National. It gave him the chance to pursue his passion for horse-riding while also soaking up the very particular atmosphere of Aintree.
I’ve always felt that horses are an interesting part of a Police Force’s tools. If of course they are used properly.
But I do wonder who was the previous high-ranking Police Officer who patrolled on horse in London?
The Beast of Woodchester
According to this report on the BBC, the so-called big cat in Woodchester Park doesn’t exist, as only fox DNA can be found.
What a pity for Woodchester Park!
Instead of being the centre of a media storm, with satellite trucks everywhere and every Tom, Dick and Harriet ready to be interviewed by reporters from Iceland to India, some proper scientific research has left them with precisely nothing.
They will have to find some other ruse to get visitors to their oh-so boring part of the country.
The Luckiest Footballer Alive
Former Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly, was lucky not to be involved in the rioting in Port Said, despite playing for one of the teams involved. Apparently, he’d been sent off before the trouble started and was in the dressing room.
Can there have been a better time and place to get a red card?
An Obituary For an Unknown in the Fight Against Capital Punishment in the UK
I have said before that C used to visit prisoners in Holloway Prison in the early 1970s.
Yesterday, the Times and other papers carried reports of the death or full obituaries of the death of Stella Cunliffe.
Here is the report of her death on the Surrey Today website.
I have a feeling that C used to visit Holloway prison in a group, which involved this formidable lady. She seems to have provided the statistical evidence for the abolishment of capital punishment in parts or all of the UK. The obituaries vary.
There’s more here on Wikipedia, which states she was one of the first civilians to go into Belsen.
I think I met her a couple of times in about 1970 and we never knew what she did. Her male friend and they were just that, was a senior hospital manager and one of the best practical jokers that I’ve ever come across. I have to admit to stealing one of his best jokes.
What Do You Call People You Don’t Know?
They had this discussion on the BBC this morning, after a bus driver called a lady babe in Brighton and she objected.
Generally, I don’t mind, except if they call me Jim. Jim was my father, as I said before.
You should never assume any nicknames and to me, ones like sir, thanks, mate and luv are generally acceptable. I notice also in London, that a lot of drivers often wave you through after your ticket has been accepted. Which is acceptable to everybody and especially those who are hard of hearing. The machine also tells you to go with a visible message.
I had to laugh though when Quentin Somerville of the BBC, then said his report was on his Twitter account called MrSommerville.
So not everyone is informal!
The Anonymous Widower 