US’s Legacy To German Pharmacist
Obviously, it a day for German stories, this one was on the BBC.
But at least it proves there’s nothing wrong with American lard, no matter how old it is.
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?
Angelo Dundee!
Angelo Dundee has died and that is sad.
The BBC has shown a clip from the famous Henry Cooper/Cassius Clay fight, where Cooper hit Clay with half a house and dumped him on his bottom. In this clip, Dundee is seen in the ring with a fag in his mouth.
How times have changed! Would any of the audience be allowed to smoke now, let alone the trainers of one of the fighters?
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.
The Real Iranian Problem
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a lecture at the Geological Society of London about earthquakes. One thing said, was that Tehran is due a very large and damaging quake, because of the way they have developed the city.
Then in Cambridge last week, I had an Iranian taxi-driver and when I told him this, he said that most people in the city believe it and are incensed that their money is spent on unwanted vanity projects by the corrupt Iranian government. It was one of the reasons why he left Iran.
The Turkey/Iran area has always been earthquake-prone. And always will be. Remember Bam. The Wikipedia article pointed to, says some interesting things about Iran’s policy, including possibly moving the capital.
The Times today is saying that it can’t import the grain it needs because of sanctions stopping it being paid for. The sanctions are linked to non-compliance with international nuclear regulations. The nuclear regulations were in part put in place as a quid quo pro for American assistance over the Bam earthquake.
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!
Scotland on Sir Fred
Whilst searching for Scotland’s reaction to Sir Fred’s fall from grace, I found this page in the Glasgow Herald.
There are some funny bits, including one, about how you toast a haggis if you’re teetotal.
But this bit on Sir Fred’s Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh is priceless.
After The Herald revealed that disgraced banker Sir Fred Goodwin may have his Fellowship from the august Royal Society of Edinburgh removed, reader John Duffy in Edinburgh suggests: “Could they not just downgrade him to an Associate, just for the pleasure of seeing a more appropriate set of letters after his name.”
I’m not sure if he’s actually lost his Fellowship.
The Anonymous Widower 