Just a glimpse...

[kerrensimmonds]

Only four hours later than the typing and the sweating, Phil?
Congratulations anyway....hope you enjoy the tipple!

[Ajarn Philip]

Only four hours later than the typing and the sweating, Phil?
Congratulations anyway....hope you enjoy the tipple!

Thank you, Kerren it seems to be slipping down smoothly! The typing and sweating post was posted 6 hours after the typing and sweating started, by the way! Today, that is - it's been ongoing since Saturday. If there's anything you'd like to know about French Internet copyright law, feel free to ask...

[lonelymom]

If there's anything you'd like to know about French Internet copyright law, feel free to ask...

Erm, nope, it's okay thanks. (Is there a yawn smiley?)

[sejintenej]

If there's anything you'd like to know about French Internet copyright law, feel free to ask...

That, in present circumstances is a swear 4 words to beat all others. I've just tried to change my ISP from Orange to Alice, only to find that it seems to be Alice in Wonderland. First you buy your modem from the supermarket for 49 euros (refunded by Alice when you sign up, I hope). You then phone up for 40 minutes talking to some foreigner (well, his French speech was OK but he claimed to be foreign!) who can't spell in French! Then you connect the modem and S H 1 * and S H 1 * again. You phone Alice and eventually you are told that the modem was never intended to work - they are sending a proper one direct. Fine except a) the phone line has been cut for 4 days and b) you are having to phone on a UK mobile at horrendous cost.

I am at last connected and have internet except that after 5 minutes the crackling on the phone is so bad you can't hear the other fella and the PC keeps shutting down because it seems Alice does not like Windows. Oh and as for internet copyright law - that is a doddle by comparison - merely impossible.

FYI and apropos of nothing, in 2003 or so an estimated 70,000 people in Europe died of heat stroke; the Met Office today issued a warning of a repeat this summer - will make a nice change after 6 months of daily rain.

[kerrensimmonds]

OOh dear, David! I am sorry about your own experiences and despite the convoluted nature of what you have gone through, I really do hope that in due course (very soon.....) you will get your internet, e mail and telephone sorted. Sounds absolutely dire!¬ but with regard to the forthcoming hot weather warning I would agree that :-
a) we have not so far in the UK been overtly warned that it will be a hot summer, but one has only to look to the forecasts predicted by e.g. The Times or the Sunday Times
b) I have friends in France who were very worried about elderly relatives the last time (?2 years ago) that these warnings were issued and, yes, you guessed it, the elderly relatives passed away. AArrgghh...again

[sejintenej]

OOh dear, David! I am sorry about your own experiences and despite the convoluted nature of what you have gone through, I really do hope that in due course (very soon.....) you will get your internet, e mail and telephone sorted. Sounds absolutely dire!¬ but with regard to the forthcoming hot weather warning I would agree that :-
a) we have not so far in the UK been overtly warned that it will be a hot summer, but one has only to look to the forecasts predicted by e.g. The Times or the Sunday Times
b) I have friends in France who were very worried about elderly relatives the last time (?2 years ago) that these warnings were issued and, yes, you guessed it, the elderly relatives passed away. AArrgghh...again

Kerren:
that heatwave warning was issued by the UK's own Met Office and carried by Sky News this (Wednesday) morning

France "should" be better prepared but it is customary for everyone to go away for August leaving the old folk alone and at home. There is (?was) a law that, in order to reduce reliance on heating, the largest window area of houses must face south or thereabouts. (A bit crazy in Provence where it is traditionally hot and one man actually had to appeal to Paris for permission to have the main windows facing away from the sun - he was given exceptional permission after a fight).

Modern houses have thinnish walls (as in England) which fail to keep the heat out. Here at the farm some walls are 100cm (40 inches) thick and we keep the shutters closed on the sunlit side so we are unaffected by the sun except that during the canicule it was almost too hot to get up the 11 outdoor steps to the pool!

The UK would take a decade of committees to work out how to deal with a heatwave - the French learned fast and under two months later my local A & E already had their heatwave manual on a shelf in plain sight.

If you think France had it bad, Italy had far more fatalities and I don't know where the other occurences (47% of the total in Europe) were

[CHAZ]

Just a Glimpse today comes from China

I find myself on a biz trip to Beijing and tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the Tianamen Square revolt. Driving past yesterday one notices a stronger police presence and also comprehensive fencing off of areas. There are some evens planned but I shall be curious to see how things develop. As to be expected some people from the West and supporters of the uprising have been stopped at the airport.

Another anecdote and very topical...swine flu. We stayed on board our 747 until every passenger had been zapped by a sort of temoerature gun to see if there were any flu victims. As the last people were zaped a brief round of applause broke out. I had fears of being locked up in a hotel for a week with the whole plane if there had been any victims. And then after getting of the plane and walking into the terminal, we were confornted this time by those nfamous heat detector guns as we walked through immigration. Surprisingly severla people were stopped and whisked behind blue curtains...all very strange!

[J.R.]

Not a time to stand in front of any tanks, Chaz !

[Ajarn Philip]

Help me out here...

Gordon Brown is fighting for his political life after Defence Secretary John Hutton became the latest member of his Cabinet to quit. Mr Hutton was one of Tony Blair's closest allies and was known to have private reservations about Mr Brown becoming leader.

His decision to stand down follows hard on the heels of the shock resignation of Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell.

[Blablabla]

...Defence Secretary John Hutton - another leading Cabinet Blairite - said: "I am sorry that my good friend James Purnell has decided to resign.
"I think he has made the wrong decision because I firmly believe that Gordon Brown is the right man to lead our party and our country."I urge everyone in the party to remain united behind his leadership."

I ask for help because, although I've never heard of either of these people, this quote was from the same article (Yahoo/ITN news - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090605/tuk ... a1618.html) If it's not a mistake, that must be the quickest change of mind in history.

[J.R.]

It's called 'Politic-Speak'....

which roughly translated means......

'Last one to leave must turn out the lights !!'

[midget]

Help me out here...

Gordon Brown is fighting for his political life after Defence Secretary John Hutton became the latest member of his Cabinet to quit. Mr Hutton was one of Tony Blair's closest allies and was known to have private reservations about Mr Brown becoming leader.

His decision to stand down follows hard on the heels of the shock resignation of Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell.

[Blablabla]

...Defence Secretary John Hutton - another leading Cabinet Blairite - said: "I am sorry that my good friend James Purnell has decided to resign.
"I think he has made the wrong decision because I firmly believe that Gordon Brown is the right man to lead our party and our country."I urge everyone in the party to remain united behind his leadership."

How can you change a mind if you don't have one to start with?

I ask for help because, although I've never heard of either of these people, this quote was from the same article (Yahoo/ITN news - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090605/tuk ... a1618.html) If it's not a mistake, that must be the quickest change of mind in history.

[CHAZ]

So the 20 anniversary of the Tiannemen Square uprising was a damo squid in Beijing. However in Hong Kong (the only place the Chinese allowed any remembrance celebrations) there were thousands apparently.

Today's odd Asia story as I travel concerns a flight from Seoul to Busan and back. My customer was travelling with me and had a penknife on her key ring. As her bag went through the Xray this was picked up. However rather than taking the deadly weapon away, she was given a recepit and told the item would be on th ebelt at Busan, Sure enough at Busan the envelope with her penknife appeared. On the way back today she registered her knife and duly picked it up this evening at Seoul...

Amazing...can you imagine other airports doing that in Europe....I think not and yet it's such an easy exercise finally.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

On a trip to Slovenia, some years ago, I handed my Penknife in to the Crew, and was told that it would be held by the Captain and returned to me in Zagreb -- before onward trip to the Julian Alps, to Ski.

Guess what ? at Zagreb all knowledge was denied of this --- the Captain said it had been handed to the Police -- the Police were unavailable, Lost Property didn't exist.

Neill The Notorious stood in the middle of the Arrivals Lounge and declared in ringing tones, that he would be reporting this THEFT to the British Ambassador, the Yugoslavian Government, the United Nations etc etc.

Miraculously --- the penknife --- which was a particularly nice, stag horn handled, specimen --- was found !

Some Yugoslav Police Officer, had decided to add it to his collection ----

I don't speak any of the Slav languages -- but here it is in Italian --- NON VENERE IL VECCIO ACIDO CON MIO SOLARE !

(Don't come the old Acid with me -- Sunshine !)

[Ajarn Philip]

Went to the annual Hua Hin Jazz festival yesterday (a 3-day binge). There's not a lot of real jazz, but never mind. Much to my surprise, up popped Shakatak, a real blast from the past. Easy listening, but rather good. What a long way from home!

[kerrensimmonds]

Glad you enjoyed that part, Phil!