While waiting in the Car Park of B&Q Warehouse in Bolton yesterday, I saw something that is becoming increasingly common.
An inconsiderate driver in a black customised Vauxhall Astra (speaks for itself really) parked diagonally across one of the disabled spaces. Not surprisingly, when he gets out, neither he nor any of his passengers showed any signs of a disability – well not physical anyway.
Plans to expand Manchester Metrolink have today been scrapped by the Government in favour of London’s Crosslink.
Yet more evidence of the north/south divide attitude of the Government.
Londoners don’t know they’re born with the Underground. London has a perfectly good mass transport system that every other city in the UK would gladly accept, yet the government is not satisfied with throwing another £10 billion at London, it wants to kick the rest of the country (north of Watford gap) in the teeth by scrapping any chances of catching up.
It seems I’m not the only one to think so.
Manchester has just been mugged for £200 million. Somehow I don’t think the guilty will be brought to justice – David Blunkett is Home Secretary, and we know where he stands on accepting responsibility for his own failings. (Humberside Police chief being made scapegoat for Blunkett’s failing to organise a coordinated National Police Force)
Today, the Variable Message Signs (VMS) at M62 J8 were showing:
“A1(M) J48, Accident”
Considering that this is 69 miles away (as the crow flies) this has got to be applauded, except that they were unable to warn that the sliproads from the M602 to M60 were closed on Friday night, causing a 14 mile diversion, which could have been avoided by coming off the M602 at the junction before.
I think it’s crap that Intuit can’t come up with a UK version of Quicken for Mac.
I am forced to keep an old PC running just for this software, yet once again, the US customers are catered for. It’s not exactly difficult to change a dollar sign to a pound sign. I’m not interested in any US specific tax stuff. I don’t need Quicken for that.
Went to the Apple iTMS – it was empty.
So Apple have finally got round to opening in the UK, but where are all the tracks? 700,000 may sound a lot, but not when it’s full of dross from bands no-one’s ever heard of. Several artists are listed, but with no tracks, or a single obscure track. Where’s Madonna, Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley?
According to The Register, several record labels are holding out. Do these labels really prefer people to copy/download illegal CDs or are they going to realise that the rip-off years are over, and get with the future of music publishing.
We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks. At least it’s here now.
Saw a sticker in the back of an original Mini today. It Read:
“Guaranteed 100% BMW Free”
Just seen one of the many ‘Accident Claim’ adverts where people get paid out for being stupid.
This guy was working off a ladder (Stupid Mistake Number 1) drilling the wall when the ladder slipped because it wasn’t footed or secured (Stupid Mistake Number 2). Yet this guy claims and gets paid out £7000! It was his fault on both counts, yet someone else pays him out for being stupid! Guess who that is – everyone else by paying increased insurance premiums.
How have we come to this culture of ‘somebody else’s fault’?
Why are people refusing to accept responsibility for their own actions (or inactions)?
Why don’t the courts throw these cases out with “It was your own stupid fault – you got what you deserved”?