Odd Stories On The BBC
Perhaps because it is Saturday, four of the most read stories on the BBC, are a bit odd or offbeat.
Thermal invisibility cloak in first demonstration
North Korea’s silent football matches
Turning a scandal into a ‘-gate’
Fake airline pilot ‘landed planes at Gatwick’
Although the science behind the first, may find applications in cooling electronics and I wouldn’t like to be flown by a fake pilot.
I May Not Be Old Enough To Listen To Radio 2, But I Did Get Invited To Take Part
I was invited to appear on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 today, even though I’m not old enough to listen regularly.
If they put it on-line, I’ll give a link.
Jeremy Clarkson Is More Popular Than Hillary Clinton In Iran
This story from the BBC’s web site must be the strangest to come out of Iran in recent months.
It is about how Top Gear is very popular in the country and relates the story of a visit to Kurdistan, by the actor, who dubs our Jeremy into Farsi. Here’s an extract.
The BBC cannot operate freely in Iran, so Top Gear’s popularity is hard to measure. But last year, when PTV dropped an episode to air an exclusive interview with then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the audience protested bitterly.
I think in some ways that the man or woman on the Teheran omnibus or stuck in the Isfahan traffic jam think about the same things as their equivalemts in New York, Glasgow and Sydney.
Perhaps, Hillary Clinton could be a star in a reasonably priced car to raise her popularity in Iran.
The Odd Stories On BBC World
BBC World seems to have some stories that you don’t normally pick up, although of course the main BBC News may have covered them.
Cooking Oil Theft – It costs the Treasury a lot of money
Fortnum and Mason’s Bees – I must try some!
Death Penalty For Groundhog – He didn’t get the weather right!
The Joke’s On The Recession
We may be in the depth of a recession, but you wouldn’t suss this from the magnificent response of the public to Comic Relief, as reported here on the BBC.
A Presentation By David Rose At The Duke Of Wellington
David Rose is one of the most important people in the history of British television and film drama.
Tonight he gave a fascinating and insightful presentation of his work at the Duke of Wellington in the Balls Pond Road.
I remember him in some ways for the work he did in the 1960s with Z-Cars and Softly-Softly. Did Z-Cars and the music scene in Liverpool in some way influence me to go to University in that city? If it did, David is worth a big thank-you, as I’ve often said that Liverpool made me. I did of course meet C there, although she was fairly local to me in North London.
His later work for the BBC in the 1970s, was not something I remember very much, as it was the time, when we were bringing up the kids and working hard, so we didn’t watch television very much.
If David’s presentation turns up at a venue near you, it is very much worthwhile seeing.
I just wish, I’d seen more of the plays and films he has produced. Sadly, it would appear that copies don’t exist of all of them, due to the BBC’s policy of reusing videotapes.
A History Of Syria With Dan Snow
I am watching this program on BBC2 as I write this and I’ve never seen a program that explains the tortuous history of the troubled country of Syria so well.
The program is being repeated tomorrow at 23:20 according to this page and is an absolute must see!
If you don’t see the program, your ideas about and solutions for Syria won’t be correct. Unless of course, you are someone who has studied the country and its history and problems for years.
It has been some time, since I’ve seen such an informative and well-made documentary on such a terrifying subject, that might boil over on all of us!
And to think that one of the causes of the current round of troubles in Syria, is the bad doctor, Bashar-al-Assad!
One phrase from Dan Snow summed up the mess.
The threads running through this conflict, mean there is no simple solution.
As he finishes the program, he does at least feel that there is some hope, because of the resilience and experience of the Syrian people.
I hope he’s right!
The Oscar Pistorius And Vicky Pryce Cases
These two cases going through the Courts in South Africa and London, are in my mind not news and it is wrong they lead the BBC News.
The first is a tragedy for everyone involved and the second is a bit of political tittle-tattle that is all about the breakdown of a marriage, which went a lot more than wrong.
Why is the BBC wasting my licence fee on these sort of stories? The cases should be left to the tabloids.
The third story, the rise in the number of employed in the UK,should have led the News. Jobs are much more important than gossip.
Readers Favourite Stations
It’s not a scientific poll, but look at this article from the BBC’s web site.
I’ve actually been to most of the stations they show, except for Madrid, St. Louis and Dunedin. Although some were visited years ago.
I think too the article shows what a world-wide serious readership, the BBC’s web site has, as all of the stations were suggested in response to an article a week or so ago, praising Grand Central station in New York.
If I was going to be chauvanistic, I’d leave the choice to the head of SNCF. He has called St. Pancras, the finest station in the world.
But I’ll probably disagree in a few months, as when Kings Cross has the square in front, it might be better than its neighbour.
A Take On The Name Benedict
With Pope Benedict due to retire, there is this piece on the name Benedict on the BBC’s web site.
It gives a fascinating insight into the psychology of having an unusual name.
I don’t think C and myself, would have used the name for any of our children and even any of future ones we didn’t have.
To return to the author of the article, Benedict Milne. I bet having the name Benedict has got him through the door at either a good university or in a good job. One of my sons has a famous combination of names and he is immensely proud of them and they got him one of the best jobs in London.
I’ve just checked and benedictmilne.com is available. So he can even be his own dot com. Having that as I do, is a great advantage, as you only have to give your name once to also give the e-mail address.
The Anonymous Widower 