Happy Halloween!

Now it's all hallows eve, the moon is full...

Miers steps down

Harriet Miers has decided not to stand for the supreme court. After some on the GOP (the Republican or Grand Old Party) thought she was under qualified. Indeed she described President George W Bush as being the "most intelligent and eloquent human being I've ever met" which perhaps points to her having not met that many human beings.
The person who voiced the concerns of the party to the President in private was another man who has a claim on being the most eloquent in Americans politics. The Govenator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger. Which in it's self could be a tactic for him to get his brother in law the nomination. It would perhaps be one that would appeal to the public. Not only is the an in question an experienced legislator he has ties to the American Royal family. His name. Mark Kennedy Shriver.

End of the road

Yet another nail in the coffin of London life as we know it, as one more route gives up the Routemaster bus. Again to be replaced with the Mercedes Bendy Busses. We all get sentimental about the Routemaster, and with good reason. It's a great bus and was built with the tight streets of London in mind. It works, people can hop on and hop off and most of the time you can get a seat. It also has a comfy ride. I've only ridden on the new single level busses once. Needless to say it was standing room only, as they have less seats than the Routemaster, the ride was bone shaking and you had to fight to get off the thing. The other problem is that the have a large turning circle. As they were built originally for the streets of Berlin. Now there is a large difference between the centre of Berlin and that of London. In London the street lay out hasn't much changed since the days of horses and carts. While Berlin has basically been rebuilt since reunification, their streets are wide and flowing and the busses have no trouble getting through. It is also worth pointing out that they run a longer version in Berlin which has more seats. In London the bendy bus has to mount the pavement to take what seem to me quite open corners, outside Holborn they even took some of the railing away to give the busses more chance of hitting pedestrians.
Of course the Routemaster couldn't last forever. It's original projected life span just ten years and we've had it for fifty. But a more logical replacement is the new Volvo built double decker. The type of bus that we have out here in Essex, which has more seats than the bendy bus and the Routemaster, has a comfy ride, and can cope with tight twisty roads and the A12 with ease. It also has one other advantage over the bendy bus. It can run on LPG which means it doesn't use as much diesel. All in all another bad day for London, as we get the second best option because it's cheep.

Sainsburys try to make a problem work

We all know what it is like when you go into a Sainsbury's. They never have anything you want in stock. At work it has got so bad that I now don't even look in Sainsbury's but take the walk up the road to Tesco. Which always has what I want. But it seems that Sainsbury's have come up with a bright idea to get around this problem. Make a series of ad's where Celebrity Tory Jamie Oliver fries up all the crap they do have in stock. Apples and Sausages, Rhubarb and Pork, Chicken marinated in own brand cola and now perhaps the most telling one which gives the game away. A hot salad using that ham with the face in it. You know the stuff, it's supposed to be for kids but they never eat it, and so every supermarket has piles and piles of it. Usually the only time they ever sell any is 3 am on a Sunday morning when some strung out clubbers decide to set it free.
Of course he shouldn't be making adverts anyway. Like Paul Daniels and Lord Lloyd Webber he did state that he would leave the country if Labour won this time. Unfortunately like the others he hasn't gone, and probably never will. Mores the pity.

Jackson back to court

Michael Jackson is due back in the same Santa Barbara court room where he stood trial on charges of child molestation. This time as a member of the jury. The computer which randomly selects jurors in the town has picked one M Jackson of Neverland Ranch. Although it is unlikely that Jackson will do his service, his lawyers are asking for a deferment as at present he is living out side of the USA. Currently in the Kingdom of Bahrain. But it would be fun to see him once more in the courthouse.
It isn't the first time that such an anomaly has turned up. Back in 1994 when jury selection for the trial of O.J Simpson got underway the authority's realized that there would be a large number of jurors rejected by the two legal teams, and so got a list of ever eligible person in the state. A list which included O.J Simpson.
Of course anyone can be called for Jury duty. The only people barred from it are the Royal Family, Members of the house of lords and the insane. Which dose mean that were Lord Archer stripped of his peerage he would be eligible for jury duty, even though he has served time.

Busses...

Twice a year I get to travel on the bus. This is when either mine or my mothers car has to go in for a service and MOT. Yesterday that meant a two part journey to Gallows corner in Essex to take my mothers car into Romford Toyota. The drive there in the morning was kind of strange as for the whole time I was immersed in an unearthly fog. Which was even more spooky when I went out of the back exit of the dealership and couldn't see the Tesco which was there only fog bound. In the end I found it and went in. I brought a lotto ticket, only because that was the best way of splitting a £20 note and getting enough change for the bus. Then it was off to catch the 174 to Romford Market. This journey was in itself uneventful, after that I had to get an 87 to Barking Garage which was packed.
Then at 3:45 the call came the car was ready. So off to get the 87 once more. Again it was packed. Compounded by someone with an oversized pram, and a big mouth. Who got into a slanging match with some old bloke who couldn't walk too well. Great fun. Fortunately the 174 wasn't quite as crowded and I got back there okay. Considering the high price that is soon to be extracted for journeys like this (when my car goes in to a Ford dealership in Upminster in January the round trip on Public transport will cost £18 more than double what it did this year) there should be more busses, not less. Just as there should be more tubes not less. Although according to Tfl running one train ever 10-15mins is the same level of service as when it was ever 4-6 mins. Work that one out I can't.

Moi!

Okay then, having been tagged by a Triffid which I'd assumed would be fatal here are 20 random facts about me.

1) My day dosen't start till I have read that day's Peanuts strip.

2) I use a Merkur safty razor, a Kent shaving brush and Trumpers Limes soap and aftershave.

3) The last CD I brought was 'No Direction Home OST' by Bob Dylan.

4) I was recently mentiond in an article in the Independant about Madeleine Peyroux as another musician who had vanished, although I knew where I was all along.

5) When asked to describe myself in three words I usually say "Tall, Dark and Gruesome"

6) Yesterday I met Fizz Carr and Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall in Selfridges and got a signed copy of there book for my mother.

7) I have book's signed by Diamanda Galás and Douglas Coupland.

8) One of my favorite TV shows is Mythbusters.

9) My favorite Mythbuster is Scottie Chapman.

10) The last book I read was 'The call of the weird' by Louie Theroux

11) The last DVD I brought was 'Breakfast Club'.

12) I sometimes encounter Steve James, son of Sid, in ther street which is spooky as he looks just like his father.

13) The funniest thing I ever saw was a hanging sketch in an Alexi Sayle show.

14) I have Andy Warhol 'Liz' cufflinks.

15) I wish they would make more epesodes of 'Dead Like Me'.

16) I support Tottenham Hotspur.

17) I make shows for and engeneer at Resonance 104.4fm.

18) I support Ferrari F1.

19) I went to the same school as Billy Bragg, although many years later. Also Barking Abbey alumni are Alisha's Attic and members of Stereolab.

20) I don't work for MI6.

Well that is me. I here by tag The Dicksonian Institute.

OJ the anniversary

Back in 1995 it was said to be what Alan Partridge referred to as a 'Kennedy Moment'. In that you would remember exactly where you were when you heard. I know where I was when I heard. I was in the student union bar of the then London Guildhall University. This was before the Internet and still the main source of information was BBC radio. It was via that medium that I heard O.J. Simpson had been found not guilty on two counts of murder.
Looking back on the trial of the century, this week a decade old, it is hard to remember just how big the trial of O.J was. But it hit the headlines for well over a year, from the time of the famous get away in the white bronco, where Simpson was driven at speed while holding a gun to his head saying that he didn't deserve to live, through to the infamous "If it doesn't fit you must acquit" statement of Johnny Carson. Ever second of the trial was captured and broadcast by TV networks. Newscasters would find something to say, even if it was just to point out that Judge Ito had re filled his water glass. This trial was far more of a public spectacle than has ever been seen since. The judge in the Michael Jackson case wisely kept the press at arms length. An option which had been available in the Simpson case, only for it not to be taken. Ten years on people are still in two minds about O.J. This is partly because of the way he was found not guilty. Most of the evidence seemed to point to O.J. That was until it was found that at least one item of evidence, a bloody sock, had been fabricated by a Police officer with raciest views. At the hub of the case all along was the fact that a black man was being tried for the murder of a white woman. A woman he had married, and claimed to love. Even though she had divorced him die to his abusive behaviour. On October 3rd 1995 the jury gave the verdict of not guilty.
The faceless stars of the O.J show were the jury. Years before 'Big Brother' hit our screens we had those twelve people. Sequestered in a hotel, not able to make contact with the outside world. Banned from watching TV or reading the news papers. They were allowed to watch films, from a list approved by both sets of lawyers, and nothing made after 1960. Some classic TV shows were allowed as well, although certainly not 'Ironside' or 'Police Squad'. In fact the members of the jury led a life far more restricted to that of O.J.
And what of the juice himself. What has happened to Orenthal James Simpson?
Well for a start the family of the victims brought a civil case against him. In which he was found to be liable for the murders. This doesn't mean that he was judged to have committed the crime. Just that he was responsible for it. A legal quirk. Since then he has rather dropped off the radar. He did attempt to resurrect his acting career. Although with limited success. A few appearances as himself in daytime soaps. More recently he has attempted to get his own TV project off the ground. He brought the rights to a classic British TV show from the eighties, 'Beadles About'. He is with limited success attempting to sell this idea starring himself.
I'm sure a lot of people didn't remember where they were when they heard the O.J verdict. Most people had probably forgotten about O.J. More likely in ten years or more people will remember where they were on August 30th 1997 and September 11th 2001 than will remember October 3rd 1995.

Ronnie Barker R.I.P

One half of the greatest TV double act of all times has passed. Not only was Ronnie Barker a great comic actor, he was also a great writer. He had retired from performing in 1987, although still made some appearances. Most recently with Ronnie Corbett remembering some of the greatest sketches from 'The Two Ronnies'.

Ronnie Barker
1929-2005
...and it's goodnight from him.

The joy's of D.I.Y

No not the type of DIY you usually get on the net. This is the real mens stuff. I mean the real hard one. I mean well decorating and that sort of stuff. I have loads to do now that I have a little time. Starting with the Bathroom. Which will not be fun. Hopefully it'll not take as long as all that. The main thing is getting the wall paper off and then skimming the walls so that they are ready for a coat of paint. Hopefully I can get the preparation done by tomorrow. As I don't want to be going too long with out access to a decent shower (I guess I can always use the ones at the gym, but they just aren't as good. You don't feel you can spend a good quarter of an hour scrubbing).
Anyway once all the hard graft is over I get to do some carpentry which I actually enjoy. Then I have to start again on the toilet. Then the hallway!
One good thing today was going to Curry's to buy a Vax vacuum which was in the sale, and getting a small one with it. It's almost as good as the upright and will do nicely for the car and so on. Not bad at all.
Anyway expect a few more blogs from now on as I've more time on my hands, and when not using them for DIY (Decorating, not as Billy Idol put it dancing with myself) I'll write up some more blog's.
p.s. Sorry for the sub 'Carry on...' humour!