Steve Norris Pushes For Crossrail To Stansted
This story from the Cambridge Evening News shows how a lot of good thinking is going into sorting out London’s airport problem.
Extending Crossrail to Stansted would be a simple addition to London’s infrastructure and because of the link at Farringdon station, London’s three main airports would be well-connected.
Why Can’t I Buy Tickets For England v Brazil?
I’ve bought tickets for England home games in the past, but I can’t even get logged in as a registered England fan to even see if I can purchase tickets. I just get a message saying.
According to our records, you are not eligible to purchase tickets for this event.
I suspected that this could be because I have moved house, since I last bought a ticket.
So I registered as a new England fan at my new address and tried again. And what happened?
I got the same message again.
I wonder why I’m not allowed to buy tickets. I have e-mailed them and guess what? I’ve not received any reply at all.
So it could be that FA doesn’t stand for Football Association, but something else.
Or could it be that I’m too old? Or perhaps someone with the same name as me, is on a banned list?
All I want is a ticket for myself and a couple for friends.
By the time that I get logged in, they might all have gone!
I think, I’ll reach for my solicitor if that happens. I think my human rights have been abused.
Bread That Lasts Sixty Days
This story shows the ways Americans will go to get people to eat more crap food.
I bet the bread in the article isn’t gluten free.
And Now A Pop-Up Post Office!
Camden Market now has a pop-up Post Office until Christmas. Read about it here in the Standard.
After Bendy Buses We Are Getting Bendy Phones
Apparently, companies are working on mobile phones that can be folded and rolled up. It’s here on the BBC, where they refer to them as bendy phones.
It’s an interesting idea, but what will the battery life be like, as any reasonable battery would be substantial and pretty rigid?
I’ll stick with my Nokia 6310i.
Is Now The Time To Ditch Your Bank?
Mervyn King is warning the UK’s big four banks to make sure they have enough capital in their balance sheets to provide for future losses on dodgy commercial loans. The story is here on the BBC.
They only talk about the big four banks; HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Lloyds.
So where are these banks going to get the money they need? Shareholders will probably tell them to get lost, as you don’t throw a lifebelt to a man, who’s obviously dead in the water. You get prepared to fish him out and take him to the mortuary.
They will get the money from the mugs in this equation; the customers. Charges will increase, interest on savings will drop and I believe that free banking will end in the next few years. It’ll probably not end before the next election, as then the hated bankers will give the election to the Labour Party.
So in my view, the best thing you could do is to see if you actually need your bank. Especially, if it’s one of the so called Big Four!
But where would you move your money?
How about a big foreign bank?
I know that Santander hasn’t been specifically named as in trouble, but with Spain on life support, you wouldn’t want to keep your money there. It after all breaks one of my late friend, David’s Golden Rules. Never bank with a bank that is head-quartered outside of the UK.
There’s always the Bank of Mattress. Sadly, I think many wll start to use this, when they are levied the inevitable bank charges.
But I suspect that my combination is one of the best. I use an old-fashioned building society for my working capital and paying bills, and keep the rest invested in various places such as safe investments and peer-to-peer lending.
BT Will Setup BT Sport On The Olympic Park
There was good news today for Hackney, when BT said that they will run their BT Sport operation from the Broadcast Centre on the Olympic Park. It’s all here on the BBC.
As BSkyB is also London-based, does it not look to have been a bad decision to move BBC Sport to Manchester?
The Leveson Enquiry
What a waste of time and money! If the law is broken, throw the book at them.
Anyway regulating the newspapers is a waste of time, as everything can be posted on the Internet without checking. And it will be!
Newspapers will just be used to wrap fish and chips.
The View Tube Reopens On Saturday
This is good news and now I’ll be able to take a walk along the Greenway and have a coffee.
A Day Without Violent Crime
New York is celebrating Monday, which was a day without violent crime. It’s reported here on the BBC.
I’m reminded of an episode in the Peter Seller’s film called The Wrong Arm of the Law. London is suffering a crime wave from an Australian gang, who impersonate police officers to do major crimes. So London’s two criminal masterminds, played by Sellers and Bernard Cribbins, decide to have a crime-free day to trap the Australian gang.
I hadn’t realised but this comedy was written in part by Galton and Simpson.
The Anonymous Widower 