Ten Big Mistakes
This piece on the BBC web site lists ten of the greatest mistakes of all time. They do have one from the Liverpool Echo.
The Liverpool Echo, in a rare error, once described Violet, the mother of the Kray twins, as “Mrs Violent Kray”.
I disagree with the statement it was a rare error. Fritz Spiegl, wrote a whole book on the subject of errors in Liverpool’s evening paper.
One I actually saw, was when they referred to the 1697 Arab-Israeli War.
Knowing the city well, as I do, I was always a bit suspicious that some of mistakes in the paper were not as accidental, as many would believe!
My First Real Fish And Chips In Thirty Years
I’ve never been a great one for greasy fish and chips in newspaper and my late wife, C, wasn’t either. Although, when we lived in St. John’s Wood, we did occasionally get a takeaway from Sea Shell in Lisson Grove. But even in the 1960s, that was of a different quality to for example the chip shop. I remember in East Barnet close to my mother-in-law’s.
Yesterday I read in Giles Coren’s restaurant review in The Times of The Fish and Chip Shop in Upper Street, Islington. I passed it yesterday whilst shopping, popped in and found they could do gluten-free fish and chips. So later in the day, I returned with my son for supper.
The Fish And Chip Shop, Islington
I had plaice in a gluten-free batter and my son had a fish curry. We both found the food excellent and I finished off with an ice cream, the quality and flavour of which, probably betrayed the usual source of most good ice cream in restaurants in the northern and central parts of London; Marine Ices in Camden Town.
The one problem with the restaurant was that we were a bit cramped on the bar, so if you’re thinking of going, book early. My son and I usually decide to go for a meal, perhaps an hour or so before, so we tend to end up in somewhere like Carluccio’s, Pizza Express or Côte, where booking is optional early in the evening or at lunchtime.
On the other hand, as it is very convenient for me, with the 30 bus stop opposite, it’s one of those restaurants, where if I need supper because my fridge is empty or the cooking has gone wrong, I’ll go and sit on the bar and partake of a plaice and chips. As Giles Coren said in his review, the chips are nice, proper, potatoey English chip shop chips.
Eating out in my local area has just got better!
Should We Have Unit Pricing For Energy?
Go back thirty years or more and you paid for what you used with energy. I’m not sure if you paid a standing charge, akin to a telephone line rental, but you knew exactly where you stood. If you used more electricity you paid more money.
Now it is not as simple and to be cynical, I think the energy companies like it that way, as customers find it hard to compare prices.
So when EDF suggests going back to simple pricing, as is stated in this report, do I think it is a good thing?
Of course I do!
But there is something we need even more urgently and that is a smart meter, so we can see how much electricity and gas we are using.
I haven’t seen any reports yet, but a smart meter connected to a smart phone and then linked back to smart heating controls, must save a lot of money. Just think of this simple case. Do you switch your central heating on and off, at the most optimum times. Without information you’re just fishing in the dark.
But I doubt I’ll ever see unit pricing and smart metering, as the energy companies will do all they can to delay its implementation.
Foreign Libel Cases Are Still Held In London
Despite the new Defamation Act on which I talked in this post, individuals and companies, who are not ostensibly UK-based, continue to fight libel actions in the UK. Here’s a case reported on the BBC web site.
I can’t say I object to this, as I suspect a few nice fees are trousered by a few lawyers and hopefully, they’ll spend it in the UK to give employment to tailors, builders and a few other trades.
The problem comes, when these sort of cases are pursued against a small individual, like an impoverished blogger, who perhaps has said something like Liberace couldn’t play the piano.
It’s Now The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
As this sign at Stratford station shows, the Olympic Park has now been given its name for posterity.
It’s Now The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
The web site has an unusual URL of noordinarypark.co.uk. Let’s hope it lives up to the name.
The End Of The Beginning
Last night, I went to the celebration party of the Libel Reform Campaign at the FreeWord Centre in Farringdon. For a start, I liked the board outside the venue.
Free Word Of The Day
Ostensibly it was to celebrate the passing into law of the Defamation Act of 2013.
But there is still work to do. They gave out a flyer last night, which stated these loose ends to be tied.
- We need clarity that the new statutory public interest defence will not lead to the importation of the problems of the Reynolds defence.
- We are still awaiting new court procedures which must provide for early strike out of trivial claims along with the Government’s plans for costs protection.
- We need the regulations and procedures to accompany section 5 on internet publication to deliver an effective defence.
- The Northern Ireland Assembly has failed to adopt the Defamation Act.
My support has only been moral and financial in a small way. But if you read this blog you will find many stories where libel has been inappropriately used to suppress views or information.
As the post yesterday about Nespresso showed, big companies and powerful individuals, are not slow to use the law to protect their interests.
Hopefully though, the Defamation Act 2013 will have removed one of their most effective weapons, the inappropriate and threatening use of the law of libel.
We are in for some interesting times, as the lawyers of the powerful, search for new ways to suppress the truth.
But perhaps the biggest lesson of last night, was that a well-organised campaign, with the support of decent and right-thinking individuals, acting in the public interest, can successfully drive from conception to execution, by using the Internet and the media, and motivating the general public to push their legislators hard.
Similar tactics were used by the Lighter Later campaign, but sadly that well-run campaign I supported, was killed by the dinosaurs in Parliament. The difference was probably that, the Libel Reform Campaign had the backing of all three political parties.
The trouble is that some groups may use similar tactics and methods to stop projects and ideas, that most believe should be implemented. Two that come to mind are the cancer database announced yesterday and HS2.
If I was to propose a campaign, it would be one to make the UK fully metric. That will never happen.
I’ve Just Joined The Tate
I want to go to the Tate to see the exhibition called Lowry and the Painting of Modern Life.
To avoid the queues for this sort of exhibition, pre-booking is a good idea. But as I might want to go with someone, what day do I choose?
On checking the Tate website, I found that if I joined as a Member+Guest, it only cost me me thirty pounds more than joining for just myself. And you get to jump the queues!
So I did! So I only need to go to a few exhibitions with friends, often from outside London, to make the whole exercise extremely good value. As in the past, I’ve gone to several exhibitions at the Tate, with both C and friends, I doubt that the membership won’t be used profitably.
Do Weather Babes Make Weather Forecasts Better?
When did you last see an ugly or obese lady doing the weather on the television?
Even the Scottish lady of a certain age, who does the weather on BBC Breakfast, would be an acceptable partner on a date. I did see her once in the flesh and I think she looks younger on the box.
Today with the end of summer, BBC London has brought out one of their most glamorous presenters from a stable, that only includes one make, who seems to be only let out in the evening.
I do think that television, sexes up the weather.
Remove Weight To Make Something Better
You would think, that by now, we’ve pushed the technology in lifts, as far as we safely can.
But, go up in a very tall building and you’ll often have to change lifts to get to the top.
One of the problems was that the weight of the steel cable that holds the lift car up, was just too much.
But now Kone have come up with a carbon fibre lift cable, that is both light and strong. They call it Ultrarope and it’s described here on their web site.
They claim that maximum lift heights can rise from 500m to a kilometre, whilst saving energy too.
That sounds good to me.
It’s a classic case of improving something, by using a new lighter and stronger material.
John Stephen Remembered
This plaque in memory of John Stephen was at the Southern end of Carnaby Street.
John Stephen Remembered
I csan remember some of his fashions from the 1960s, although I never bought anything.
The Anonymous Widower 