Prostitution and the Olympics
Caitlin Moran in The Times, writes a controversial article about prostitution today and especially about how brothels are being closed in East London. In her usual way, it is witty and controversial in equal measure, but it misses one big area about prostitution and the Olympics.
Years ago, I was changing planes in Boston, so as I had a few hours and only a small cabin bag, I decided to take a taxi to the City Centre and have a decent lunch.
I’m not sure how it happened, but I found myself sharing a taxi with a hooker looking for a punter. I declined her offer, as I wanted to be on the connecting flight. But she did say she’d have lunch with me to pass the time, as she had things to do later. I said she was on if we split the tab, expecting her to get lost, as although she was rather good looking, I was quite keen to put temptation well out of my way. She chose a not particularly expensive, but good Italian restaurant in a restored area by the waterfront.
We had a good meal and she did pay her part of the bill. Even the tip! She also showed me how to get the ferry to the Airport, to save the taxi fare.
It turned out, she’d worked as a prostitute for about five years, since she had left University. She had a flat in Boston, but rarely lived there, following the big conferences and high class holiday areas as the year progressed. I remember, she said that she used to go to Aspen for the skiing season, but never got on the piste.
Girls like this will see London as the place to be this summer, but they will not be staying in East London by any means. It will be interesting to see the girls waiting in the popular and very expensive hotels. Some say, it has always been thus, as I remember a friend was propositioned in the bar of a five-star hotel a few years ago by an Arab, whilst waiting for her husband.
Chinooks Over Canary Wharf
I was a bit slow to catch them with my camera, but what were these two Chinook helicopters doing over Canary Wharf.
Chinooks Over Canary Wharf
If you look to the left of the Blackwall sign, you should just about be able to see them. I can’t find any reference to them on the Internet. I suppose they were some dummy security exercise for the Olympics
Will Harvey Smith Salute the Torch into York Racecourse?
It may seem a controversial choice, but Harvey Smith is carrying the torch on the final leg into York racecourse tonight.
So will he give the torch one of his special signature salutes?
Let’s hope he keeps both hands on the reins!
I once saw him give an equestrian demonstration with anecdotes of his life. If ever there was a larger-thsan-life Yorkshireman it’s Harvey.
The Fake Sheikh Strikes Again
With the demise of the News of the World, the fake sheikh, Mazher Mahmood, seems to have struck again for its sister paper The Sunday Times. It’s reported here on the BBC.
The Sunday Times alleges, during a two-month investigation in which reporters posed as Middle Eastern ticket touts, it found corruption involving people representing 54 separate countries.
Note the Middle Eastern ticket touts!
Obviously, these tickets weren’t distributed correctly, but then that had nothing to do with the London organisers. Yet again, Olympic rules are framed to feather the nests of members of the Olympic family.
I haven’t received my Sunday Times yet, but it will be explosive reading. They do name some of the countries on their web site and the list contains the usual suspects. The BBC reports that the Greeks actually asked for more tickets, because they had siold so many. This is from the BBC report.
Accusations include an allegation a member of the Greek Olympics Committee said he had “persuaded” Lord Coe, chairman of the London organising committee, Locog, to give Greece more tickets on the pretext demand had outstripped supply.
So did the Germans fund all of these Greeks to come to London?
I hope LOCOG trace the tickets that went to these countries and withdraw them, so that suckers will pay thousands of pounds for a worthless piece of card. There’s a fat chance of that.
After all the BBC has already exposed someone from Ukraine in this report.
Danny’s Vision
Danny Boyle‘s idea for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will probably work and it’ll certainly be different.
But I have one gripe. The horses doing the ploughing should be Suffolk Horses or Punches. As someone, who has spent probably three-quarters of his life in the county, could I say otherwise. I think though, that the colour of all chestnut might be wrong, although of course they are slightly smaller than Shire horses, but probably with a better temperament for the Olympic stadium. Have a look at this Suffolk Punch parading at Portman Road, before Ipswich against Burnley.
Where Are The New Buses for London?
They have been rather conspicuous by their absence of late and I whave been wondering they are either being retrofitted with some new mod or have been busjacked for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Perhaps, HRH is turning up on a 38 bus, as after all it goes round the back of Buck House.
Today though, I saw LT2 and LT6 at the Angel, so it must just be the reverse of coincidence, that I haven’t seen one for a few days.
The Olympic Torch is Now On The Red Button
This is so much better. And doesn’t use all that bandwidth on the Internet.
I wonder why it’s now available.
Every Party Needs At Least A Few Irish
The torch is now in St. Stephen’s Green in the middle of Dublin. I think, for the rest of the Torch Relay, the places that follow will have a lot to live up to.
I had thought about going and I’m afraid that this will rank as one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. There’s some pictures here.
On the log with the relay, there’s a picture of the torch being taken into Government buildings. They’d only do that in Ireland without malice!
The Republic Does the Torch Proud
This morning, I’ve watched the torch go through Dublin. Crowds are as big as ever.
You only know it’s Dublin, as you see green Irish rugby shirts, the odd tricolour and the Georgian houses still have their original railings.
The only problem was that they lost the 3G signal, when Jedward carried the torch, as everybody was there.
Everyone and Everything Is Leaving Me!
Not really, but it sometimes seems so. I now have no mobile phone and won’t probably until I get my Nokia 6310i in a few days. My wife and son have both left me and all I get is a visit from an occasional friend. The radio is just going on and on about the Diamond Jubilee and today’s episode, is not what I’m interested in. The torch relay has stopped for lunch and there is nothing to do this afternoon. My health seems to be going downhill rapidly and it seems that I get tired walking just a hundred yards or so.
At least Suicide is Painless!
But that is not an option, as it’s not painless for those left behind. My other son, who’s working today, by the way, has suffered enough grief in the last five years, and I would never inflict anymore on him, by my own hands.
They’re having a party in the Square, but do they really want me there, as I’m just rather a miserable killjoy at the moment.
The Anonymous Widower 