Murray Celebrates Like A True Sober Scot – Irn-Bru And HobNobs
The Times has reported this is how Andy Murray has celebrated his victory in the US Open.
I suppose deep-fried Mars Bars are difficult to get in New York. But then he doesn’t look like he eats many!
An Interesting Slant On Apple
I found this article on the BBC web site. I like this interesting snippet.
This is what happens when a company is too cheap to invest in research and development. Did you know that Apple spends far less on R&D than any of its rivals – a paltry 2% of revenues, versus 14% for Google and Microsoft?
I’ve run R&D and you must spend to keep ahead of the game. Perhaps, Apple are too interested in making money?
But mugs will still queue up for the iPhone5. I won’t!
Are Those Opposed To Gay Marriage Bigots?
Nick Clegg has got into hot water over the draft of his speech saying those opposed to gay marriage are bigots.
I must admit, that the only people I’ve ever heard, who are against gay marriage, and there haven’t been many, have been opposed to homosexuality as well.
I get a lot of evangelicals knocking at my door trying to convert me and I asked one, what their views on gay people was. They were told politely to Foxtrot Oscar, after I heard their views.
The other thing that annoys them, is when I say my God is female. But it has the right effect and they move on.
Carry On Baling Out
It has just been announced that Germany’s top court, has allowed the Euro bail-out to go ahead.
Will this allow the solution to go ahead? Possibly! But what about the Dutch elections?
The First Legacy Venue Opens
I was born in Enfield and spent the first fifteen or so years of my life in Cockfosters, which in those days had a Hertfordshire postal address.
A couple of times, I cycled down to the Lea Valley to do a bit of fishing, although I wasn’t that good or keen. I also had three summer jobs at Brimsdown on the Lea, working for Enfield Rolling Mills. Incidentally, that job came because my father just phoned up John Grimston, the Earl of Verulam, and asked if they had a job for a sixteen-year-old, interested in electronics, in the company, where he was Chairman. The company was the biggest customer for my father’s printing business. I have a feeling that I have inherited my father’s nothing-is-impossible gene.
So yesterday, I was rather pleased to read that the first of the legacy venues has opened after the Olympics, on that river, which was part of my formative years. The Lea Valley White Water Centre, where I watched the canoeing, is now open and will be expanded. Who’d have thought there’d be white water sports in the mountains of Hertfordshire?
I think it just goes to show, you just have to have enough imagination.
Real Michelin Chefs Use Microwaves
I was in Waitrose buying some supper, when the young lady in front at the prepared vegetables shelf picked up some mixed green vegetables and put them down. As I picked up another one, she said that she didn’t have a microwave. I said not to worry, as a friend of mine, who’s a Michelin-starred chef uses one. She smiled and said perhaps she’d get one.
Where Now Lord Coe?
The Times today, has a leader which praises Lord Coe for the work he did in getting the Olympics to London and making it a success.
I can remember sitting with C and listening to his speech in Singapore that won us the Olympics in the first place. As a barrister, she said it was the finest plea in mitigation she had ever heard, as it was thought at the time, that we would lose to Paris.
The Times leader also poses what Lord Coe should do next.
I only think, that whatever he does, he’ll make a success of it!
Divorce Is A Bereavement
This glib and totally fatuous statement was made by Charlotte Friedman of the Divorce Support Group on BBC Breakfast this morning.
As someone, who lost his wife of forty years and 37-year-old son to cancer in the space of two years, she ought to try widowhood at sixty for a few days.
My wife was a family barrister and I can see her in my mind, laughing at the lady. Probably along, with some of her former colleagues, who have sadly passed away in the last few years.
Why Do They Try To Play Cricket In Manchester?
Everybody knows that it always rains in Manchester. There’s even an old phrase beloved of cricket commentators.
If you can’t see the Pennines it’s already raining, if you can it’s just about to.
So why did they try to play a Twenty20 cricket match last night? Guess what? It rained, as is reported here.
Zopa Simplifies The Markets
Zopa has today announced that instead of having five markets; A*, A, B, C and Youth, this will soon be simplified to just three, with C and Y being discarded.
Effectively this will bring it in line with what I do, as I don’t invest in the Youth market and although I’ve recently added the C market to my offer, I haven’t lent anything there yet. All market rates of late have been very stable, so my control engineering theory says hat everything should be in balance.
I think they are right to do this.
- They would now be appearing to be making a much better offer to younger borrowers with a good credit rating.
- The simplified structure makes it easier to decide your lending strategy.
- It also makes it less important to get it right on the optimum.
We shall see if they are right and business and returns improve.
The Anonymous Widower 