It’s Not All Depressing News!
Clicking through the BBC News website this morning is particularly depressing.
We have the story of the all-Labour Newham Council trying to offload some of their residents who need houses on Stoke-on-Trent. That would be an interesting commute. Governments for too long, have ignored the problem of housing in the South-East and London in particular. Only yesterday, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London was asking for more funds to create more school places in the capital.
You can understand, why politicians on the far-right have been calling for an immigration clampdown. But being from two immigrant lines myself , I can’t complain can I?
We have an imbalance in the number of houses in the UK and the number of people we have here. The main solution is to build more houses, which the government appears to be doing. But also we should ensure that the houses we have are fully occupied. It could be said, that I’m greedy living in a three-bedroomed house by myself!
And then we have the story about how The Netherlands, which many think is one of the more stable of the Eurozone countries is in trouble.
I could find equally depressing stories, such as how Clare Squires died in the London Marathon.
But in some ways that story has a remarkably heart-warming ending as many are contributing to her cause; The Samaritans. The Reverend Chad Varah would have approved.
So perhaps the immense wealth of human spirit will win out! If you want to contribute to Claire go here.
Rain, Rain Go Away
There was a children’s poem, that my sister and I used to recite on days like this.
I’ve found some lyrics.
Rain, rain go away
Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day
I think, we used to substitute something like “Come again on washing day” for the last line.
It still doesn’t get round the problem of today’s bad weather. Especially, as it’s promised to get worse this afternoon and appears it’s going to be like this for a few days yet.
Harry Drops His Brother and Kate In It!
Prince Harry presented the prizes at the London Marathon today and was asked if he’d ever do it. He said possibly, but he said his brother and Kate were going to do it next year!
Who needs brothers or brothers-in-law like Harry?
Dorothy Tyler Starts the London Marathon
Dorothy Tyler is to start the London Marathon. She is 92, and the only female athlete to win an Olympic medal before and after the Second World War, as she won silver medals in the high jump in Berlin in 1936 and London in 1948.
The 1936 contest was surrounded by Nazi chicanery. It’s all detailed here. Hitler was really pleased that the event was won by the Hungarian,Ibolya Csak, who just happened to be Jewish. The Germans plan of getting a man to enter, spectacularly backfired, when Dora Ratjen came fourth.
The Unwelcoming Face of Addison Lee
I’ve never used a mini-cab in London, as usually when I need a taxi, I’m in a place where I can flag an empty black cab down. I also live close to the route back to the City, that is usually taken by black cabs. So when it is raining and say I need a black cab for the theatre, it’s only a few seconds before one appears.
So I doubt I would ever need one of the forthright John Griffin’s mini-cabs from Addison Lee.
A few days ago, he was urging his drivers to use bus lanes. As a very regular bus user, I am against this and am pleased to see that Transport for London is taking action according to this report.
Now he has had a go against cyclists. Again it is reported on the BBC. The comments here are mild compared to some sites I’ve looked at.
As some of their mini-cabs sometimes hang around my area, I had thought about possibly using them. But not now! How could I be sure, that I would get what I paid for?
I also find mini-cabs and some may be from Addison Lee a nuisance in the West End, when I’m trying to get my bus home from the theatre. Some tend to block the pavements and junctions, when they are waiting for their passengers.
I would not be bothered if wardens decided to clamp down on this illegal practice.
So I’ll stick to the reliable 38 bus and the occasional black cab.
A Chinese View of London’s Transport in the Olympics
This article from China turned up in one of my searches. It’s a good read and very positive in outlook.
The only thing about the article is that the pictures didn’t really go with the text.
Transport for London Bans Gay Cure Bus Adverts
I put up an article a couple of weeks ago about Stonewall’s adverts on London buses.
I thought there would be some protests and after watching them for nearly three weeks, I haven’t even seen one that has been damaged.
I usually read the Evening Standard and listen to the local news and have seen no reports of any protest either.
But now some gay cure adverts planned by an opposing Christian group, have been banned by Transport for London, as reported here.
I have read about the therapy they are promoting in serious newspapers and magazines and it is not something I believe will work. Therapy, such as that for smoking and nail-biting does work, but only because the person seriously wants to give up. So on the same basis if a person seriously wanted to stop being gay, some simple less agressive therapy might help. There is a serious article in the Guardian, that anybody who believes religious-based methods cure people from being gay should read.
But my biggest issue with the adverts, is that they mimic the ones from Stonewall.
Surely this is an infringement of copyright!
Just imagine the row if Pepsi-Cola copied an advert from Coca-Cola.
Wot No Fountains!
It is always reckoned that if you want it to rain on your event, you ask the Queen, as she is renowned for bringing the rain.
But the current drought has even stopped the fountains in Trafalgar Square, as this article in the Telegraph outlines. Here’s two pictures I took today.
The visitors don’t seem too bothered. The Queen’s bad luck doesn’t seem to be having any effect. It will of course bucket down at the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics
The Cables on the Emirates Air-Line Are Up
These pictures taken from both sides of the Thames, show that the cables for the Emirates Air-Line are now in place.
I should think that it’ll be there sooner than many people think. You can just see the cables on one of the pictures taken from Greenwich.
Oyster Cards for London Visitors
I have a feeling that London doesn’t do enough to publicise how a visitor to London gets an Oyster card and what the terms are. I was asked this morning by a couple of Austrian ladies and they seemed at a bit of a loss. So I asked a helpful London Underground lady at a barrier and she gave me the full rules, which include.
- To get an Oystercard you need to put up a refundable £5 deposit in addition to how much credit you want.
- You can top up an Oystercard using a credit card at machines.
- If you no longer want your Oystercard when you leave the UK, you can cash it in at certain places. Or even give it to charity!
Where’s the Oyster Information?
At
The Anonymous Widower 