King’s Cross Has Got Its Hat On!
I walked from King’s Cross to St. Pancras and the new roof can now be clearly seen and looks almost finished.
It’s certainly going to be much better than the old west facade damaged by German bombing in 1941.
“Banking Will Be The Mining Industry of the Nineties”
My old friend and bank manager, David, said that quote about 1995 or so. At the time he had just been promoted to Business Banking Director of Lloyds Bank. One day, I’ll tell everybody about the rest of that lunch, but I suspect that some of the guilty are still involved in banking.
What I would say, and I know others will agree, although one has now joined David as one of the Devil’s right hand men, is that there never ever was another bank manager who was as good as David, when it came to guiding and nurturing companies from inception to stardom. In some ways though, he was a rogue. But he was always a rogue on the side of the angels.
He had seen banks at all levels and knew that they were massively overstaffed and that the only way in his view they could survive and prosper was by cutting out the deadwood. He told me that what had happened to the miners would happen again to workers in the banking industry.
And then yesterday, Lloyds announced a lot of job losses.
So David was eventually right, but he had seen the writing on the wall all those years ago.
An Unusual British Export to America
It has been said many times to me by American friends that roundabouts don’t work. But then American driving rules are a bit strange, with the four-way stop something that you never see in Europe. So it was a surprise to see this article on the BBC web site.
I just wonder though how Americans would get on with some of the European experiments of completely clutter-free streets, with no signs and barriers. Apparently, it’s being tried in Ipswich. I should look next time I go to the football.
CyberCriminals Up The Stakes with New TDL-4 Botnet
According to this report on the BBC, an indestructable botnet called TDL-4 has been created. There’s another report on the BCS web site here.
If you read the BBC article, it would appear that the UK is quite infected, but that the botnet comes from porn and pirated film sites. So be sure what you look at!
Lamb Leg Steaks With Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
This is another recipe off the side of a packet of meat from Waitrose.
You will need.
- A packet of four lamb leg streaks. The ones I used were new season Welsh ones.
- 200 ml. of lamb or chicken stock
- 2 tsp sun dried tomato paste
- 2 tbsp of creme fraiche
- 25g of fat soft cheese
- lemon juice.
- fresh basil.
And this is how you do it.
- Grill the steaks, which should take about 15 minutes. Keep them warm.
- Put the stock in a pan and bring to the boil with the tomato paste.
- Add the creme fraiche and the cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice and season well.
- Simmer for one minute, add a few shredded basic leaves and pour over the lamb
It says serve with rosti potatoes and sugar snap peas.
Perhaps Not The Cheapest Way To Borrow Money!
I saw this advert on the Underground today.
An Advert for QuickQuid on the Tube
Note the interest rate of 1734% APR!
House Fires Are a Problem of the Young Affluent
This may seem strange, as headlines often say fires are caused by stupid smokers and others, but this report on the BBC, says those that cause accidental domestic fires are often young, have a degree and a good job, and may well have just been down the pub.
Text Messaging Is Good For You
This article in the Guardian reports on a study where motivational text messages helped people to quit smoking.
I’m no psychologist, but it strikes me this technique could also be used to stop other additions and help in losing weight. And why does it have to be an SMS message? Could it not be a desktop alert or an app for a smart phone?
I’m certain a decrepit programmer like me could write some of the software.
Is This The Worst Film Ever?
Just in terms of the taking of just £121 in the first week, Love’s Kitchen, now holds the record for the worst commercial start for a film in the UK.
The critics didn’t like it either, as Wendy Ide gave it no stars.
Edinburgh’s Second Disgrace
The National Monument on Calton Hill in Edinburgh is unfinished and according to Wikipedia it is often known as Edinburgh’s Disgrace Folly. I’ve never heard any of my friends in Edinburgh call it a folly.
This morning the BBC is discussing the new Edinburgh Trams, as the Council is deciding today, whether to complete or abandon the project. The BBC reporter, who is from north of the border, has just called the trams, Edinburgh’s Second Disgrace.
The Anonymous Widower 