July 27, 2006
Rupert's blog
My friend and neighbour Rupert Walder has started a blog. Since he writes very wittily about hanging out doing nothing, watching the decorators, getting his nails painted, he has to be worth a link. (Checking) His first, but not his last.
Posted by Mark at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
James Wolcott on civilian casualties
Nice piece by James Wolcott on how the casual US attitude towards civilian casualties carries a high cost in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by Mark at 9:39 AM | Comments (0)
Postal problems in London SE16
The website London SE1 is a treasure trove of local information. Its forum has an active thread about problems with the local post office, which seem to be particularly bad. There are tales of stolen items, missed deliveries, misleading information, unanswered telephones. The thread is thirty-five pages long and full of gruesome anecdotes, but I was still struck by Paul Tyrrell's experience:
On 2 June, I received a "Sorry, you were out..." card at my house in Canada Water, SE16. Usually, Royal Mail delivers these when I am actually in, because they hardly ever bother to ring the doorbell. However, on this occasion I was genuinely out. So, all OK thus far. First problem was that the sorting office listed on the back of the card was in Streatham, SW18 1QA. Usually, I would collect parcels from Mandela Way (formerly Spa Road) myself, because on every single occasion I have ever arranged a redelivery, the parcel has not turned up, and I have had to phone Royal Mail to find out where it is. However, because Streatham is a good half an hour away by train, I decided to ask for a redelivery. Of course, when I tried to call the redelivery line, no one answered. I tried 2-3 times a day for about a week, each time letting the phone ring until the line went dead (sometimes after about 30 minutes - I have a speakerphone, thank God). Eventually, I decided to travel to Streatham because the parcel in question contained materials I desperately needed for work (and still need, though we'll come to that later). Notwithstanding a recent foot injury, which left me barely able to walk, I was reluctant to go because the Streatham office seemed too far away to affect me like this - a good half an hour by train - but of course, I had no way of establishing where the parcel actually was without turning up in person (it was a 'Special Delivery', by the way, so I was later able to establish its last location by contacting the sender). When I finally hobbled into Streatham's sorting office yesterday (19 June), I was told - quelle surprise - that I should be at Mandela Way. "Why didn't you call the redelivery line?" the woman behind the counter asked. When I managed to control my breathing and explain the situation, she seemed genuinely apologetic, though not for the lack of anyone answering the Streatham redelivery line, of course. So, I got back on the train and went to Mandela Way. There, one of the staff told me that the parcel had definitely arrived, but that he couldn't find it. "Can I speak to your supervisor?" I asked. "No, I'm sorry, he's not here," came the reply. It was about 2.30pm. "Why isn't he here?" I asked, eyeing the TV behind the counter that was blaring out a World Cup match. The man shrugged. "The managers finish at 1pm," he said. He then took my mobile phone number and promised that a manager would call me the following day (today). "I'd really rather wait," I said. "Because, with all due respect, people at Royal Mail have said they will call me back before, and they never have." He shrugged again and said there was no alternative. It's almost 5pm, I've yet to receive any phone call and I'm not holding my breath. So far, I have "only" wasted about a day on this, although I am now running late on the work in question. In aggregate, over the past few years, I would estimate that I've wasted weeks over post problems. Would anyone consider joining me in a class-action law suit for loss of earnings? As far as I am concerned, the day Royal Mail finally collapses and is replaced with a competitive market place that isn't so heavily unionised, Britain should rejoice.
Poor guy! Woe betide the post office when competition is introduced.
Posted by Mark at 8:01 AM | Comments (0)
July 3, 2006
Guantamo success "kills lawyer's career"
Charles Swift is the US Navy lawyer whose advocacy has resulted in the White House's proposal for bringing Guantanamo inmates to trial being ruled illegal. Swift was chosen by the military to defend Salim Ahmed Hamdan. He has made a good job of it. Swift thinks that his success in the courtroom is likely to kill his naval career. He sounds a bit of a hero to me. He compared George Bush to George lll.
Posted by Mark at 4:10 PM | Comments (0)