Marks And Spencer Go Back To The Future
This story from the BBC web site is another interesting marketing and publicity idea.
More than a century after one of the UK’s most recognisable high street brands started trading the firm is going back to its roots with a stall in a city centre market.
It has returned to the very market building, in Leeds, where it was founded, in a move councillors hope will bring additional shoppers in.
The opening comes 129 years after Michael Marks, a Russian-born Polish refugee opened a stall at Kirkgate Market in 1884 – the small beginning from which Marks and Spencer evolved.
It’s an idea that might work or it could be a terrible failure.
But why shouldn’t a big company, try something a little out of the ordinary?
Although, I don’t think the traders in the markets round here, would like to see Marks and Spencer open a nearby stall. Although for many years, there has been a small Marks and Spencer at the side of Chapel Market at The Angel. Perhaps they should move their coffee bar, which is just inside, into the street outside?
How Many Roman Catholic Priests Are Married?
Most people, myself included, would have answered none to this question. But now after this case reported here and in several papers like The Times, the question is how many other priests are leading a hypocritical double life?
I think the Catholic church should take serious action to stop priests from doing things their vows of chastity explicitly forbid them. I’m told that there are fiendish devices available on the Internet, which have their origins in those, that mediaeval knights locked around their ladies interesting bits.
Alternatively, they could change the vows and make them more in line with the real world.
Cardinal Says Paedophilia Not Criminal
This astounding statement was made by Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier and is reported here on the BBC. Here’s the first few paragraphs.
The Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier, has described paedophilia as a psychological “illness, not a criminal condition”.
The South African cardinal told the BBC that people who were themselves abused as children and then abused others needed to be examined by doctors.
Do these guys live in the real world?
A scandal sheet has pointed out that hailed Pope is actually an anagram of paedophile. Search for the phrase in Google and you find a lot of matches.
My father who was a stickler for spelling would probably be arguing that paedophile is properly spelled with a diphthong. As I said in this post, diphthongs in letterpress type have a really solid feel.
The Joke’s On The Recession
We may be in the depth of a recession, but you wouldn’t suss this from the magnificent response of the public to Comic Relief, as reported here on the BBC.
Maryland Abolishes The Death Penalty
It was on the cards and it is reported here in the Guardian.
All it needs now is for the Governor to sign it into law.
The Giraffe Web-Site Has Crashed
Tesco have taken over the Giraffe restaurant chain, as is reported here in the Guardian. This paragraph explains their strategy.
For a retailer that accounts for more than one in every £8 spent in UK shops, with UK sales of £47.3bn, the deal is pocket change. But added to the grocer’s recent 49% investment in artisan coffee shop Harris + Hoole, the group’s Dobbies garden centre business, and a stake in the embryonic, luxury bakery Euphorium, and the beginnings of a bold strategic shift begin to emerge.
I also wanted to look something up on the restaurant’s web site and got this message.
Due to today’s Tesco announcement we are experiencing extremely high volumes of traffic to our website.
We are currently working to accommodate the extra demand and will be back online later this evening. We apologise for any inconvenience.
I wonder if the wags will come up with jokes about Tesco swapping horse-meat for giraffe-meat.
An Optimistic E-Mail About The Death Penalty In The United States
I have just received this e-mail about the death penalty from a abolitionists in the United States.
The famous phrase, “may you live in interesting times” is said to be a Chinese curse, but for a death penalty abolitionist the times are both interesting, and exciting!
Last Wednesday in Maryland the state Senate passed the death penalty repeal bill 27 to 20 and sent it to the House of Delegates. On Friday afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee passed it to the full House with a 14 to 8 vote. There are just two more big steps to go!
The countdown to repeal in Maryland continues with the second reading of the bill to take place starting around 6pm EDT tonight. The third reading and final vote in the House of Delegates is anticipated for Friday, where it is expected to pass and be sent to Governor O’Malley for his signature, making Maryland the 18th state without the death penalty!
We’ll keep you up-to-date as the Countdown to repeal moves forward.
ALSO THIS WEEK: Two more campaigns are introducing legislation to abolish the death penalty: Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, and the Delaware Repeal Campaign. And last week, the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty launched its bill. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has been deeply involved in all of these efforts and will bring you the details as they move forward.
Thank you for your support during these very “interesting” and exciting times for death penalty repeal in the United States.
Look for our updates throughout the week!
I hope that the optimistic nature of the e-mail is well-founded.
A Comment On The Election Of The Pope
I cut this out of the BBC web site. It is a comment, that I suspect is typical of the way many Catholics are thinking.
I am praying that the conclave has voted for a progressive Pope. The aggressive rebuking of homosexuals and continued opposition towards contraception have left me doubting whether my social values are compatible with my Catholic faith, to the point where I have considered abandoning my faith. I hope the new Pope will treat these subjects with compassion rather than contempt.
It will be a tragedy, if they elect another backward thinking Pope.
We need leaders, who look forward with clear and radical scientifically-based answers to solve the problems of the World.
Profits Before Health In New York
It would appear from this story about banning the sale of large sizes of fizzy drinks in New York, that American lawyers are on the side of corporate profits and really can’t care about the obesity and health of the American people.
As someone, who is built like the Aldgate Sphinx, and has always been like that, I have never understood obesity and why people get that way. My father was the same and it looks like my son is too! At least we could share clothes, if we wanted!
Times When I’m Glad I Don’t Own A Car – 2
Last night was cold and we only got a few flurries of snow.
But my gas kept coming through the pipe and the electricity kept coming through the wires.
For most of the last forty years, the worry was could the gas tanker get through the snow to the remote houses I lived in, in Suffolk.
As I don’t drive any more, I wasn’t tempted to venture out in the snow towards Sussex.
I suspect some of those who did, are regretting their actions. After all, these days, there is no excuse not to know that bad weather in on the way.
I also wonder how many of those were commuting home from work. I’ve never understood why anybody commutes, as I’ve worked at home since 1970!
The Anonymous Widower 