Die avonture van Pieter en Anca

London Roman's remains go on show

2007-05-28T08:37:00.000+02:00

The remains of what experts believe was one of the last Romans to have lived in London form the centre-piece of an exhibition which opens this week.

Visitors to the Museum of London will be able to see the headless skeleton of a man, thought to be in his late 30s or early 40s, laid in a limestone coffin.

It was found last year when a £36m building project was undertaken at St Martins-in-the-field, central London.

Curators said the man's death dated back to about AD410.

Wealthy and respected

Describing the find as "hugely significant" experts said the man had died around the time of the collapse of Roman Londinium in the City and the decision by the Romans to abandon Britain.
Francis Grew, senior curator at the museum, said the man would have been wealthy and well-respected and may even have been a "commuter" into the Roman city of Londinium.
"The man in the coffin may well have been living in a substantial Roman villa estate somewhere around Trafalgar Square - a big country house maybe with a little village, even, associated with it," he said.

The sarcophagus, along with a Roman tile kiln, Saxon grave goods and pottery unearthed at the site, sheds light on a "hidden" two hundred year period in the history of the capital, the museum said.

A clay pot dating from about AD500 suggests that the Saxon settlement of Lundenvic, built on the site of what is now Covent Garden, was established at least 100 years earlier than previously believed.

Jewellery, glass and metal vessels found in graves of people buried on the site after AD600, who may have been Christians, are also on show.

The display at the museum in the City opens on Thursday and runs until 8 August.

Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark

2007-05-21T14:29:00.000+02:00

A blaze on board the famous 19th Century ship Cutty Sark may have been started deliberately, police believe.

The ship, which was undergoing a £25m restoration, is kept in a dry dock at Greenwich in south-east London.

An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper had to be evacuated when the fire broke out in the early hours.

A Cutty Sark Trust spokesman said 50% of the ship was removed for restoration work. He said the trust was devastated but it could have been worse.

Charred planking

The decks of the ship are said to be unsalvageable. But much of the boat, including the masts, had already been taken away as part of the restoration project.

Chris Livett, chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises, speaking at the scene, said: "We had removed 50% of the planking, so 50% of the planking wasn't on site and that's safe and secure.

"And from where I stand there is not a huge amount of damage to the planking that was left on.
"There are pockets of charred planking and some have gone, but it doesn't look as bad as first envisaged."

Police are analysing CCTV images which are thought to show people in the area shortly before the fire started.

A police spokesman said: "There have been reports of a silver car seen leaving the scene but nothing at this stage to link it to the fire."

Insp Bruce Middlemiss, from the Metropolitan Police, said detectives were looking into the possibility that the fire had been started deliberately and would like to speak to some people seen in the area last night.

However, a spokesman for London Fire Brigade said it was "pure speculation" to say the cause of the fire was suspicious.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 0445 BST and the flames were put out by 0700 BST.
CUTTY SARK

Built in 1869 at Dumbarton on the River Clyde
Designed by Hercules Linton
First voyage February 1870
210ft (64m) long
Main mast stood 152ft (46.3m) above the deck
Attracts 15m visitors a year

Preserved as a tribute to merchant navy workers

Speaking to BBC News, the chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, Richard Doughty, said: "When you lose original fabric, you lose the touch of the craftsman, you lose history itself.
"And what is special about Cutty Sark is the timbers, the iron frames that went to the South China Seas, and to think that that is threatened in any way is unbelievable, it's an unimaginable shock."

Mr Doughty described the ship as the epitome of speed under sail.

The Cutty Sark left London on her maiden voyage on 16 February 1870, sailing around The Cape of Good Hope to Shanghai in three and a half months.

She made eight journeys to China as part of the tea trade until steam ships replaced sail on the high seas.

The ship was later used for training naval cadets during WWII, and in 1951 was moored in London for the Festival of Britain. Shortly afterwards, she was acquired by the Cutty Sark Society.

The Cutty Sark is the world's oldest surviving tea clipper

The ship was undergoing a £25m renovation and was closed to visitors.

The conservation work was being carried out because sea salt had accelerated the corrosion of her iron framework.

The fire at the Cutty Sark may mean only one clipper from the same period is left intact.
The City of Adelaide, built in 1864 to carry passengers and currently at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Ayrshire, also combines a cast iron frame with a wooden hull.

Dr Eric Kentley, curatorial consultant to the Cutty Sark Trust, said of the ship: "It can be saved. It's certainly not completely devastated.

"We will put her back together - but it's going to take much much longer and a lot more money than we originally thought."

Longest serving cabbie in London (BBC News)

2007-03-26T16:20:00.000+02:00

Longest serving cabbie honoured

Mr Collins took his first passenger back in 1937London's longest serving black cab driver has been honoured with an award after 70 years of service.
Alfred Collins, aged 92, was given the award from Transport for London at a specially organised ceremony at the Public Carriage Office.

Mr Collins, from Colindale in north west London, drove his first passenger in 1937 and his last a few years ago.

Some of his most famous fares have included Margaret Thatcher, Joan Collins and Bruce Forsyth.

Treasured memories

The father of two said: "Life is all about communication and I have enjoyed sharing my vast experience of life as well as learning a lot with some of my passengers.
"I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life."
He added: "It has been a great privilege to serve the people of London.
"It really does not seem that nearly 70 years has passed by. I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life, politicians, celebrities and the great British public".
David Brown from TfL said: "We are proud of the invaluable contribution he has made to Londoners and visitors alike who value the black taxi as an iconic landmark."

Mr Collins said the secret to a long life was not to worry and always take a little exercise.

25 millionth ride for London Eye (BBC News)

2007-03-26T16:18:00.000+02:00

25 millionth ride for London Eye

Abbie joined her dad for a VIP trip on the EyeThe London Eye has had its 25 millionth visitor, seven years after opening.

The milestone at the 450ft-high central London attraction was reached when tourist Steve Harland arrived.

Mr Harland, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, and his daughter Abbie, three, were given a special VIP ride and other perks including a magnum of champagne.

The Eye's managing director David Sharpe said: "Thanks to the support of Londoners and visitors, we have managed to exceed our greatest expectations."
He added: "Just before the turn of this century, we were a mere concept.
"Today we have become a global icon, a contemporary symbol for modern Britain and have changed London's skyline forever."

Tower of London Key Ceremony

2007-03-20T14:28:00.000+02:00

I collected my ticket to London today. I am going to visit Pieter & Anca! They got tickets for the Tower of London Key Ceremony and I am really excited about it!

The ceremony takes place every night without disturbanceFor the last 700 years, the Tower of London has locked its gates at 21:53, exactly seven minutes before 10 o’clock. The Chief Warder, dressed in a Beefeater costume, marches his way to the front gate from the Byward Tower. Carrying a lantern in one hand and the Queen’s keys in the other, the Chief Warder walks to Traitor’s Gate and hands his lantern to a nearby guard. As he locks it and aims his way to the other ones, all Beefeater soldiers salute to the Queens Key’s. Never has a small piece of metal demanded so much respect.

As the soldier locks up all the gates, he makes his way towards the Bloody Archway tower, where he is stopped by a sentry. As part of its tradition, the sentry and Warder hold an exchange:

Sentry: ‘Halt, Who goes there?’
Warder: ‘The Keys!’
Sentry: ‘Whose keys?’
Warder: ‘Queen Elizabeth’s keys.’
Sentry: ‘Pass Queen Elizabeth’s keys – Alls well!’

After the traditional exchange the Chief Warder lifts his hat and proclaims ‘God preserve Queen Elizabeth.’ The clock chimes for 10 o’clock as the other Queen’s guards raise their bonnets and say ‘Amen.’ The entire process takes no more than 7 minutes, making the Ceremony of the Keys one of the shortest in London.

Despite it being a near millennia tradition, the ceremony has gone on every night without disturbance. During World War II, when German bombs rained down on London, the ceremony still took place with the exception of a direct hit. Even then, the ceremony was delayed by one-half hour.

I am going to see this :-)

BBC reports: Hybrid double-decker bus launched

2007-03-19T07:38:00.000+02:00

Hybrid double-decker bus launched

The bus will operate on route 141London's first "green" double-decker bus has gone into service to help cut carbon emissions.

The hybrid vehicle, which runs on diesel and electricity, will produce 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than regular buses.

It will operate between Palmers Green and London Bridge on route 141.
Mayor Ken Livingstone called for manufacturers to make hybrid buses more financially feasible to speed up their introduction across London.

The hybrid bus is a key part of a range of measures designed to meet targets for tackling climate change.

Mr Livingstone said: ""This is a world-first for London, marking our commitment to a cleaner, greener public transport network."

A battery pack powers the wheels of the new hybrid bus through an electric motor.
Unlike conventional buses, energy generated from braking is recycled and used to charge the batteries.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: "We are hoping to add 40 double-decker hybrid buses to the fleet this year and then gradually increase that number."

By the time of the 2012 Olympics, TfL aims for every bus purchased for London - up to 500 per year - to be a hybrid bus.

Single-deck hybrid buses have been operating on London route 360 since March 2006.

Mrs Henderson presents...

2007-01-20T18:54:00.000+02:00

Ek het vanmiddag na 'Mrs Henderson presents...' gekyk. Die storie is gebaseer op ware gebeure voor en tydens WO II.

Dis ook die storie van die Windmill Theatre in die West End. The Windmill was die enigste teater wat dwarsdeur die oorlog oop gebly het. Dit was ook die eerste teater wat non-stop vertonings gehad het.

Hier is 'n stukkie van hulle geskiedenis.

The Windmill Theatre Opened on the 22nd of June 1931 with 'Inquest!' a play by Michael Barrington. The Theatre's capacity as a proper Theatre was 322.

This part of London has a rural history. A windmill stood here from the reign of Charles II until late in the eighteenth century. This gave its name to the footpath leading to the mill from Piccadilly at the top of the HayMarket over Windmill Fields. From here could be seen the towers of Westminster and its palace. Great Windmill Street now runs from Coventry Street (Piccadilly Circus) up to Brewer Street, crossing Shaftesbury Avenue. in 1910 a cinema, the Palais de Luxe, was opened at the corner of a block of buildings which included the Apollo and Lyric Theatres (see Nos. 5 and 21) at the point where Archer Street joins Great Windmill Street just off Shaftesbury Avenue. This cinema was one of the first of the little West End homes of the early films. With the rise of the large super-cinema, it descended the scale and its programmes consisted of foreign films and classics. The property came into the possession of Mrs Laura Henderson who, in association with Bernard Isaac and J. F. Watts Phillips (The Windmill Theatre Co, Ltd), converted it into a theatre. The general manager was Vivian Van Damm. The architect, Howard Jones, remodelled the exterior in the style of a traditional windmill and the interior was entirely reconstructed to become a one-tier theatre of miniature size.

THE PLAYS

The theatre opened on 22 June 1931 with a new play by Michael Barrington called Inquest!, with Mary Glynne, Hilda Trevelyan and Herbert Lomas in the cast. This was only a mild success and once again films were shown which included The Blue Angel and Sous les Toits de Paris. In December 1931 it was announced that a policy of nonstop variety would be tried. Mrs Henderson gave her manager Vivian Van Damm carte blanche to try and help the variety profession which had been hit by the coming of the 'talkies'.
On 3 February 1932 this innovation began and Revudeville was introduced, a programme of continuous non-stop variety of a nature then new to London. The idea originated in Paris and proved most popular, drawing crowded audiences. The performances ran from 2.30 p.m. until 11 p.m.

During the first years the project lost £20,000, but the tide turned and the theatre became an established part of the London scene.

The Windmill was the only theatre in London which never closed, except for the twelve compulsory days between 4 and 16 September 1939, throughout the blitz, the performers often sleeping night after night in the theatre during the worst of the attacks from the air.
The death of Mrs Henderson in 1944 was a great loss to the Windmill, but it was announced that the policy of the theatre was to remain unchanged under the direction of Van Damm. After his death in December 1960 the theatre was carried on by his daughter Sheila, who had become his partner. Many famous comedians of today made their first impact here and a roll of honour was fixed to the exterior of the theatre. The full history of the venture has been told in To-Night and Every Night by Vivian Van Damm (1954). The last edition of Revudeville was seen in 1964.

In October the theatre was sold to the Compton Cinema Group and it closed on 31 October 1964 and was reconstructed as a cinema and casino. In 1973 a campaign was started to revive 'The Old Windmill Days' and re-claim the theatre. Eventually, in February 1974, the theatre was bought by Paul Raymond, from Laurie Marsh, who transferred a 114 year lease to him.

Raymond announced his intention of making it a home for nude shows 'a la Revudeville but without the comic element'.

Die rand en die Britse pond en vakansie-begrotings

2007-01-14T12:06:00.000+02:00

Ek het op nog 'n oulike webtuiste afgekom.

Smartsave (http://www.discountbritain.net/) gee jou aflaaibare afslagbewyse vir die meeste toeriste-aantreklikhede in London.

Ja, die pond is sterker as die rand en ja, die rand verswak nou effens, maar dit beteken nie dat mens nie 'n baie lekker vakansie in London kan hou nie.

Daar is baie spesiale aanbiedinge en BAIE gratis goed om te sien. Byna al die museums & gallerye (waaroor ek later sal skryf) is of gratis of het gratis periodes.

Samuel Johnson het geskryf: "Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

Bottomline? Daar is ALTYD iets om te doen in London en dit hoef nie eens duur te wees nie :-)

Ek gaan kuier!

2007-01-14T11:59:00.000+02:00

Ek gaan in April by Pieter & Anca kuier. In die lig van die kuiertjie het ek weer meer aktief oor London en die omgewing begin lees.

Ek het op 'n baie oulike site afgekom - http://londonwalks.libsyn.com/ (ook onder die lys van links op hierdie blog) - waar jy staptoere heeltemal gratis kan aflaai in mp3 formaat.

Die gids se naam is Robert & hy woon in Kensington.

Kersfees is verby & die lewe gaan aan!

2007-01-09T07:52:00.000+02:00

The Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square was shredded by Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron and children from a green spaces scheme to urge Londoners to recycle waste (BBC News)

Britse nuwejaar :-)

2007-01-09T07:42:00.000+02:00

Weather hampers New Year revelry (BBC 01/01/2007)

London's celebrations went ahead, with about 350,000 revellers Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party was among a string of events cancelled as bad weather hampered New Year's Eve celebrations across the UK.

A firework event in Newcastle was called off and one in Liverpool moved to 5 January, while in Belfast an outdoor concert was scrapped.

Glasgow's Hogmanay party was also cancelled due to the weather.

But in London around 350,000 revellers came out to watch a midnight fireworks display at the city's Eye attraction.

The Metropolitan Police - which had 3,200 officers on duty - said all viewing areas on the Thames were full. Fifty people were arrested.

Organisers of the annual London New Year's Day Parade due to take place later say it will go ahead.

Australian singer Kylie Minogue launched the British leg of her Showgirl Homecoming tour at Wembley Arena in London on New Year's Eve.

Gusts of wind in excess of 70mph had been predicted in northern parts of the UK.
Power in around 8,000 homes in lowland Scotland was also affected by the poor weather.
About 100,000 people in Edinburgh had to be make alternative plans after the official celebrations were cancelled.

A concert headlined by the Pet Shop Boys and Paolo Nutini had been planned.

Pyrotechnic display

Glasgow's cancelled event, in the city's George Square, had been expected to attract 25,000 revellers.

Also in Scotland, a party in Stirling was cancelled.

Belfast City Council said the decision to cancel its outdoor Rock the Hall concert, due to be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2, had been taken entirely because of safety reasons.
The Met Office had predicted gusts of up to 80mph in the city, a spokesman said.
The bands involved performed indoors without an audience.

Storms and high winds have caused accidents across the country this weekend.
On Saturday, Rebecca Smith, 18, died when a 60ft tree toppled in high winds on to a caravan in Cheadle, Staffordshire.

A house in Aghalee in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, was damaged on Saturday by what the Met Office believes was a tornado.

The New Year's Day parade in London begins at noon in Parliament Square and is expected to attract more than 400,000 spectators.

Event spokesman Dan Kirkby said: "We are here and we are going to have great fun."
DJ Fatboy Slim will host a New Year's Day party on Brighton beach.

TV puts Blair on trial 08/01/2007 15:56 - (SA) News24

2007-01-09T07:37:00.000+02:00

TV puts Blair on trial08/01/2007 15:56 - (SA)

London - The British TV channel behind Death of a President- a drama in which US President Bush was assassinated - plans to broadcast a dramatisation of Prime Minister Tony Blair's retirement from office and the build-up to his trial on war crimes charges.

The Trial of Tony Blair, which airs on January 15 on Channel4 TV, takes place in 2010: Hillary Clinton is the new US president, and Gordon Brown, Blair's deputy, has taken over as prime minister.

But Blair is haunted by the continuing carnage in Iraq, and tormented by an obsession with his legacy so overpowering it blinds him to the looming threat of an indictment by the International Criminal Court.

Blair is played by respected British actor Robert Lindsay.

Channel 4, the broadcaster that operates the digital channel More4, said the show was a "comedy-drama," which would have light moments thrown in with darker ones. Still, the show's message was meant to be taken seriously, spokesperson Gavin Dawson said.
"Part of our remit is questioning authority," he said. "You want people to be provoked into thinking about the world around them."

Dawson said the show had been in the works before Death of a President generated enormous controversy - and buzz - for the station in Britain and abroad.
He denied any political motivation behind the choice of subject matter, although he acknowledged not everyone was likely to see it that way.

Powerful undercurrent of anger towards Blair

"It's a satirical drama, obviously it raises questions. ... I don't think the (US) Republicans will like it, but I think they should see it first," he said.

The feature-length show taps into a powerful undercurrent of anger many Britons feel toward the man who led their country into Iraq.

While it does not feature the actual trial - the show concludes with Blair flying off to defend himself at The Hague - it isn't the first time Britons have toyed with the idea of putting their political leader in the dock.

London's Tricycle Theatre is preparing a stage version of a Blair trial, using interviews with lawmakers, diplomats, international lawyers and UN officials as the basis for the dialogue.
Called to Account - The Indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair for the Crime of Aggression against Iraq is due to premiere in April.

Investigation by the war crimes court

Not everyone has been content with simply pretending to indict the prime minister. Since 2003, a group of anti-war lawyers has repeatedly tried to have Blair and his foreign and defence ministers investigated by the war crimes court, each time without success.
Another attempt is planned for next April, said Legal Action Against War founder Chris Coverdale.

Alistair Beaton, who wrote the Channel 4 TV show, said he was not convinced his scenario was unrealistic.

"I gather Mr Blair is very concerned about his place in history. This film is my idea of where that place might be," Beaton said. "Whether it's fiction or prediction remains to be seen."
Blair's 10 Downing St office had no comment on the show. "We don't publicise other people's television programs," said a spokesperson, on condition of anonymity in keeping with the government's policy.

Beaton has previously written A Very Social Secretary, which lampooned an infamous affair by a member of Blair's Cabinet with his secretary.

'n Vrouewag vir die Toring van London! (Beeld 4/1/2007)

2007-01-04T07:57:00.000+02:00

Ná 5 eeue bewaak vrou Britse toringJan 03 2007 08:08:45:393PM - (SA)

Londen. - Besoekers kan binnekort ná meer as 500 jaar die eerste keer foto’s saam met ’n vroulike lyfwag by die Toring van Londen neem.

Dié vrou, wie se naam nog onbekend is, was een van ses aansoekers, waarvan vyf mans was, vir die pos. Die hellebaardiers by die Toring van Londen poseer daagliks vir tientalle foto’s saam met toeriste en werk as toergidse vir dié toeriste-aanloklikheid se sowat 2 miljoen besoekers jaarliks.

Die aanstelling van dié vrou is glo nie ’n foefie nie. Sy het bloot baie beter as die manlike aansoekers gevaar.

Die lyfwagte doen sedert 1485 diens ná koning Henry VII se oorwinning in Bosworth.
Hulle het oorspronklik die kroonjuwele en gevangenes opgepas.

Volgens The Sun is die nuwe rekruut aangestel, maar sy het nog nie haar kontrak onderteken nie. Sy sal na verwagting in die somer begin werk. – Joylene van Wyk

Trafalgar Square vanoggend (28/12/2006)

2006-12-28T08:47:00.000+02:00

Hierdie is 'n foto van Trafalgar Square vanoggend om 8:45 SA tyd (6:45 local time). Dit was sommer net 'n mooi prentjie met die rooi bus en die Kersboom.

Ja, ek mis Pieter & Anca. Hulle is in London en het vir die eerste keer vandat hulle saam is nie Suid-Afrika toe gekom vir Kersfees nie. Anca se ouers kuier by hulle.

Die weervoorspelling sê die word vandag 10 grade Celsius in London. Brr....

Princess lights up Christmas tree

2006-12-13T15:50:00.000+02:00

The lighting of the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, a highlight of London's festive period, has taken place.

A Norwegian Spruce, complete with garlands of energy-efficient light bulbs, was switched on by Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

The huge tree has been an annual gift from Norway since 1947 in gratitude for Britain's support in World War II.

It was felled from forests near Oslo in November and brought to Britain by sea.

A specialist rigging team erected it in the square, where it remains until 6 January before being recycled.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "For many Londoners the Christmas tree and carol singing in Trafalgar Square signal the countdown to Christmas."

The princess was accompanied by her mother Crown Princess Mette-Marit for the switching on ceremony.

En dis ook nie net by jaareindfunksies waar daar vreemde geskenke uitgedeel word nie ;-)

2006-11-29T16:11:00.000+02:00

Native American honoured by Queen

The Queen is handed a copy of the original 18th century petitionThe Queen was given a peace pipe at a memorial to a Native American chieftain to symbolise the righting of a wrong.
Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, she paid her respects to Mahomet Weyonomon, of the Mohegan tribe, who died of smallpox in London in 1736.

Tribal leaders in traditional regalia blessed a memorial stone in his honour.

Mahomet had travelled from Connecticut to petition George II about the capture of his tribe's land by English settlers but died before he met the king.

Foreigners were barred from being buried in the City of London so his body was interred in an unmarked grave.

'Proper burial'

The Queen and the duke were joined by tribal spiritual leader Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum and other Mohegans wearing deerskin leggings and headdresses made with turkey and eagle feathers at the memorial ceremony at Southwark Cathedral on Wednesday.
She was presented with a scroll containing a copy of the original petition and a red stone peace pipe.

Mr Bozsum said: "We are glad that we have given him a proper burial now.
We cannot right past wrongs but we can remember them and transform them
Very Rev Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark"The Queen said she was very pleased , very honoured to see us and have us here. It meant a lot to us. This is the highlight of my life to meet the Queen."

The Very Rev Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, gave an address about the significance of the events.

He said: "We are here to dedicate a memorial, to complete an unfinished commission, to remember we share with the people of the United States a story which, like all human conduct, is marked by good and bad.

"We cannot right past wrongs but we can remember them and transform them to inspire better conduct throughout humanity now and in years to come."

The Queen also unveiled a stone sculpture, carved by Peter Randall Page, which stands in the south churchyard.

The five-tonne piece of pink granite came from the tribal reserve in New England. It is customary to name a boulder after a chief who has died.

En dis nie net in SA waar name verander nie :-)

2006-11-29T16:09:00.000+02:00

Tube map to get new station names

Wood Lane and Shepherd's Bush Market will join the Tube mapThe Tube map is to get two new names in west London, it has been announced.

A new station called Wood Lane is to be built on the Hammersmith and City Line and Shepherd's Bush, on the same Line, will be renamed Shepherd's Bush Market.

There are currently two Shepherd's Bush stops on the Hammersmith and City Line and the Central Line and it is hoped the changes will end any confusion.

Wood Lane station, which should open in 2008, will be built between Shepherd's Bush Market and Latimer Road.
It will be the first time in more than 70 years there has been a new addition to an existing route which has not been extended.

London mayor Ken Livingstone said: "The naming of the new Wood Lane station and the renaming of Shepherd's Bush is the latest step in the massive improvements of transport links for west London.

"These improvements will bring in regeneration to the area and give this part of the capital a world-class service for the first time."

Energy row over Christmas lights

2006-11-29T16:06:00.000+02:00

Concerns have been raised about the amount of energy used by the Oxford Street Christmas lights.

On Thursday girl band All Saints switched on the lights on the shopping street. The 260,000 bulbs will be on 24-hours-a-day until 6 January.

Organisers said they were using low energy bulbs and consume 50% less power than four years ago.

But Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly have called for renewable energy to be used.

Carbon emissions

Mike Tuffrey, of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats, said: "It's great there are lights and it's great they are going to be low energy but this whole exercise of lighting up Oxford Street is going to put out 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

"We think they (the organisers) should go that bit further and make the thing carbon neutral by using renewable energy."

He also proposed organisers spend £4,000 to buy 400 trees to offset carbon emissions.

We have over 40 million visitors coming from London, the UK and overseas to come and see these lights

Jason Tyrrell, New West End Company

Jason Tyrrell, of the New West End Company, said they had done an "enormous" amount to cut energy usage by 50%.

"Let's remember the lights are a major draw for London. We have over 40 million visitors coming from London, the UK and overseas to come and see these lights."

He said the lights remained on 24 hours a day was because people came at "all sorts of times" to see the lights.

Olimpiese Spele 2012

2006-11-29T16:01:00.000+02:00

Olympic Games face huge tax bill

VAT on construction work was not included in the original bidOrganisers of the 2012 London Olympic Games have discovered they may be facing a huge additional tax bill.
Tory Olympic spokesman Hugh Robertson said the government had assured him the £2.38bn cost of construction sites would not be subject to VAT.

But the Treasury is demanding the tax, and has said European regulations state it cannot be seen to be supporting the organisers of the event.

It is in discussions with the Olympic Delivery Authority over the matter.

When the London bid was submitted to the International Olympic Committee in 2004 it included an estimate for building various sites in east London.
'Specific undertakings'

It estimated the cost at £2.38bn, but that did not include VAT on construction work or other costs.

Mr Robertson said forcing the Olympic organisers to pay VAT at a rate of as much as 17.5% would be devastating.

He said: "The issue of VAT on the Olympic sites was raised by the Conservative Party during the passage of the London Olympics and Para-Olympics Bill, and we received specific undertakings from the government that the Treasury would waive these costs.

It would be wrong for there to be any further council tax increase
London mayor, Ken Livingstone

"It would be catastrophic if (Chancellor) Gordon Brown were to renege on that commitment now."

A Treasury spokesperson said: "We are in discussion with the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) issues and we are confident we can find a way forward.

"But it would not be helpful to give a running commentary on those discussions."
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "It would be wrong for there to be any further council tax increase, I will not be proposing or making one, so there will not be one."
Officials at the Olympic Delivery Authority declined to comment.

New hybrid bus

2006-11-29T15:57:00.000+02:00

Hybrid double-decker bus unveiled

The bus will produce 40% less emissionsMayor Ken Livingstone has unveiled London's first hybrid double-decker bus in a bid to make commuting in the city a greener experience.
Built at a cost of £285,000, the bus runs on a combination of diesel and electricity and will produce 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The mayor said the bus was the first of a fleet that will make London "one of the world's most sustainable cities".

The hybrid bus will be on the road by the end of November.

Six single-deck hybrid buses are currently operating in London.

Attractive prospect

A battery pack, which is run by a Euro IV complaint Diesel engine, powers the wheels of the new hybrid bus through an electric motor.

Unlike conventional buses, energy generated from braking is recycled and used to charge the batteries.

Mr Livingstone said: "Creating a low-carbon bus fleet is an important part of our work to cut the emissions which are causing climate change."

He said the vehicles still needed a manufacturer and needed to be "financially feasible".
But he said it was a good opportunity for such a company.

"The first off the mark will get to corner the bus market until the others catch up with them - that should be a really attractive prospect."

The bus will be exhibited at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 in Birmingham next month.

When it returns to London it will operate on the route between Wood Green and London Bridge.

Royal Courts of Justice - the High CourtStrand, London WC1

2006-07-18T11:13:00.000+02:00

The Royal Courts of Justice are the nation's main civil courts.

Here, the High Court presides over the most serious civil trials in the country including divorce, libel, civil liability and appeals. Criminal cases are handled by the Old Bailey.
The imposing Victorian Gothic building, designed by G E Street, was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882, the architect's finest achievement, and the last major Gothic revival building in London.
Made from 35 million bricks faced with Portland stone, the Royal Courts of Justice are said to contain 1,000 rooms and 3.5 miles of corridors. The stress of building was so great that it caused Street's early death.

The interior of the building is as magnificent as the façade.

The public are admitted to all 88 court rooms and can come and go as they please, although Judges will not suffer interruptions when they are passing judgement or witnesses are taking oaths.

Prominent lists in the central hall indicate which case is being held in which court and how far the proceedings have gone.

The Royal Courts of Justice also contains a small exhibition of legal dress.

Hittegolf!

2006-07-11T10:05:00.002+02:00

A group of Polish tourists cools down in London's Hyde Park as a heatwave hits England. (Picture from BBC)

Die grys, koue London is (bloedig) warm! Temerature styg tot in die 30's (Celsius), maar ek dink nie die Londoniete kla nie.

Lord Nelson word (weer) onthul

2006-07-11T10:05:00.001+02:00

Restored naval hero is revealed

The years, and the pigeons, have taken their toll on Nelson's visageAfter having his arm X-rayed and being pigeon-proofed, the renovated statue of Lord Nelson is due to be unveiled.
The world famous column in Trafalgar Square has undergone a four month restoration, its first since 1986.

As part of the £420,000 refurbishment, Nelson's left arm, which was struck by lightning in the 1880s, was repaired.

Bronze straps on the arm were removed, and previously unavailable Craigleith stone, the material used to make the statue, was used to restore the arm.

Since the closure of the Craigleith quarry in Scotland 60 years ago, getting hold of the stone has been virtually impossible the company behind the restoration said and previous renovators had patched up Nelson using a mixture of mortar and cement.

Donated stone

The Craigleith stone used to repair Nelson was salvaged during a restoration of Donaldson's School for the Deaf, an A-listed building in Edinburgh, and was donated to the Nelson's Column restoration by Scottish company Watson Stonecraft.

The Grade I listed column was completed in 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

It was designed by William Railton and cost £47,500. The top is decorated with bronze acanthus leaves.

The square pedestal has four bronze panels, cast from captured French guns, depicting Nelson's four great victories.

We leave Nelson looking much better than he has for many years

Restorer Adrian Attwood

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the restoration, said: "Using the original stone has allowed the restorers to take an authentic approach to the conservation of a monument built 163-years ago.

"It will ensure that this unique monument can be enjoyed by Londoners and visitors to the capital for many years to come."

It has been cleaned several times but the whole monument has only undergone restoration twice previously, in 1968 and in 1986.

Adrian Attwood, from David Ball Restoration Limited, which carried out the restoration work, said: "Our philosophy at the start of the project was that we would repair Nelson as carefully as if it were a statue at ground level.

"Using the Craigleith stone and repairing Nelson's arm means that we have exceeded our own expectations. We leave Nelson looking much better than he has for many years."

For the first time a laser survey was carried out to check the dimensions of Nelson's Column which reveals it is shorter than previously thought, standing at just over 169ft (51.5m) when measured from street level to the top of the Nelson statue.

Op Anca se verjaarsdag...

2006-07-11T10:05:00.000+02:00

... het Paddington Bear na Paddington stasie toe gery. Dit was deel van die koningin se amptelike verjaarsdag die volgende dag!

Paddington visit from famous bear

Paddington Bear, one of the stars of this weekend's Royal Children's Party, made a brief visit to the station he was named after on Friday.
The duffle coat-wearing bear strode down platforms on Friday morning, greeting commuters and tucking into his favourite snack - a marmalade sandwich.
Paddington will be going to the Children's Literature Garden Party held at Buckingham Palace on Sunday.

The party is one of the celebrations marking the Queen's 80th birthday.

Library festival

Paddington shares a birthday with the Queen - and also has another birthday on Christmas Day.
Michael Bond, the man who created the marmalade-fancying bear from Peru, will attend the party.

Up to 800 libraries across the UK will be taking part in a literary long weekend to try and get children to read for fun.

The Queen will send a message of support to libraries taking part.

On Sunday the grounds of Buckingham Palace will be transformed, featuring characters from the Big Friendly Giant and Winnie The Pooh.

Anca verjaar vandag! (23 Junie)

2006-06-23T08:30:00.000+02:00

June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining.

Events
1305 - Flemish-French peace treaty signed at Athis-sur-Orge.
1314 - Start of the Battle of Bannockburn south of Stirling, Edward II of England & Robert I of Scotland met in battle. Scotland won and Edward fled the field and Scotland.
1532 - Henry VIII & François I sign secret treaty against Emperor Charles V.
1611 - The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in the Atlantic Ocean; they are never heard from again.
1661 - Marriage contract between Charles II of England & Catharina of Portugal.
1683 - William Penn signs friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.
1713 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada. [1]
1757 - Battle of Plassey - 3000 British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000 strong Indian army under Siraj Ud Daulah at Plassey.
1758 - Seven Years' War: Battle of Krefeld - British forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany.
1760 - Seven Years' War: Battle of Landshut - Austria beats Prussia.
1794 - Empress Catherine II grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev.
1810 - John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.
1812 - Napoleon begins the famous offensive on Russia, which fails horribly.
1812 - War of 1812: Great Britain had revoked the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war.
1858 - Six-year-old Edgardo Mortara is seized by Papal authorities.
1860 - The US Congress establishes the Government Printing Office.
1865 - American Civil War: At Fort Towson in Oklahoma Territory Confederate General Stand Watie surrenders the last significant rebel army.
1887 - The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada, creating that nation's first national park, Banff National Park. [2]
1888 - Frederick Douglass is the first African-American nominated for US president.
1894 - International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
1919 - Defeat of German forces at Cesis in northern Latvia during Estonian Liberation War, now celebrated annually as Estonian Victory Day.
1931 - Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to accomplish the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane. [3]
1938 - The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
1938 - Marineland opens near St. Augustine, Florida.
1940 - World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler surveys newly defeated Paris in now occupied France.
1941 - Lithuanian Activist Front initiates Lithuanian 1941 independence from the Soviet Union; it lasted only briefly as the Nazis occupied Lithuania a few weeks later.
1944 - Thomas Mann becomes a US citizen.
1947 - The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act.
1955 - In the Strahov Stadium in Prague the 1st all-national Spartakiáda begins.
1956 - Gamal Abdel Nasser elected president of Egypt.
1958 - The Dutch Reformed Church accepts women ministers.
1959 - Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany (where he resumed a scientific career).
1959 - A fire in a resort hotel in Stalheim, Norway kills 34 people.
1967 - Cold War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference.
1968 - 74 are killed and 150 injured in a soccer stampede towards a closed exit in a Buenos Aires stadium.
1969 - Warren E. Burger is sworn in as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court by retiring chief Earl Warren.
1972 - Watergate Scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House chief of staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation's investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
1985 - A Boeing 747 carrying Air India Flight 182 blew-up 31,000 feet (9500 m) above the Atlantic Ocean, South of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard.
1990 - Moldavia declares independence.
1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most popular video game characters in history, makes his debut in his self-titled video game.
1996 - The Nintendo 64, successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is released in Japan.

Births

47 BC - Pharaoh Ptolemy XV of Egypt
1433 - Francis II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1488)
1456 - Margaret of Denmark, wife of James III of Scotland (d. 1486)
1534 - Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (d. 1582)
1596 - Johan Banér, Swedish soldier (d. 1641)
1612 - André Tacquet, Belgian mathematician (d. 1660)
1668 - Giambattista Vico, Italian philosopher and historian (d. 1744)
1683 - Etienne Fourmont, French orientalist (d. 1745)
1716 - Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English politician (d. 1789)
1750 - Dolomieu, French geologist (d. 1801)
1763 - Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of France (d. 1814)
1800 - Karol Marcinkowski, Polish physician and social activist (d. 1846)
1824 - Carl Reinecke, German musician and composer (d. 1910)
1884 - Cyclone Taylor, professional ice hockey player (d. 1979)
1888 - Bronson M. Cutting, American politician
1889 - Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet (d. 1966)
1894 - Alfred Kinsey, American entomologist and sexologist (d. 1956)
1894 - King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (d. 1972)
1903 - Paul Joseph James Martin, Canadian politician (d. 1992)
1907 - James Meade, English economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
1909 - David Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
1910 - Jean Anouilh, French dramatist (d. 1987)
1910 - Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1910 - Milt Hinton, American jazz bassist (d. 2000)
1912 - Alan Turing, English mathematician (d. 1954)
1916 - Len Hutton, English cricketer (d. 1990)
1919 - Muhammad Boudiaf, Algerian political leader (d. 1992)
1927 - Bob Fosse, American choreographer (d. 1987)
1929 - June Carter Cash, American singer (d. 2003)
1935 - Maurice Ferre, former Puerto Rican mayor of Miami
1936 - Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of Greece
1937 - Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland
1940 - Adam Faith, English singer and actor (d. 2003)
1940 - Lord Irvine of Lairg, Scottish Lord Chancellor
1940 - Wilma Rudolph, American runner (d. 1994)
1940 - Stuart Sutcliffe, first bassist with The Beatles (d. 1962)
1941 - Robert Hunter, American lyricist and poet (The Grateful Dead)
1943 - James Levine, American conductor
1943 - Vint Cerf, American Internet pioneer
1946 - Ted Shackleford, American actor
1947 - Bryan Brown, Australian actor
1948 - Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
1948 - Darhyl S. Ramsey, American author and professor of music education
1955 - Glenn Danzig, American musician (The Misfits and Danzig)
1955 - Jean Tigana, French footballer
1957 - Frances McDormand, American actress
1961 - Zoran Janjetov, Serbian comic artist
1962 - Chuck Billy, American singer
1963 - Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer
1964 - Joss Whedon, American producer, director, and screenwriter
1964 - Yun Lou, Chinese gymnast
1965 - Paul Arthurs, British guitarist (Oasis)
1966 - Chico DeBarge, American musician (DeBarge)
1971 - Felix Potvin, Canadian professional hockey goaltender
1972 - Selma Blair, American actress
1972 - Zinedine Zidane, French footballer
1973 - Marie N, Latvian singer
1975 - Kevin Dyson, American football player
1976 - Anca Marks - die coolste girl in die hele UK!
1976 - Brandon Stokley, American football player
1976 - Patrick Monahan, British comedian
1976 - Patrick Vieira, French footballer
1977 - Jason Mraz, American singer and songwriter
1979 - LaDainian Tomlinson, American football player
1980 - Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyanese cricketer

Holidays and observances

Jāņi (Līgo) - Latvia
Midsummer's Eve, Christianized the eve of the feast of Saint John the Baptist, is celebrated in much of Northern Europe and the British Islands
Victory Day - Estonia
Saint Jonas Day - Lithuania
Father's Day - Poland

Lizard brightens UK politics 21/06/2006 21:09 - (SA)

2006-06-22T19:17:00.000+02:00

Dave the Chameleon, an actor dressed up and sent by Britain's governing Labour Party to trail opposition Conservative leader David Cameron. (Steve Parsons/AP)

London - Leapin' lizards! British politics is going to the reptiles.

The governing Labour Party has been sending an actor dressed as a big, blue chameleon to trail opposition Conservative leader David Cameron.

The political symbolism is obvious, but some say it could backfire - the creature may be too cute for the criticism to stick.

"We're cheered to see him because he's just so sweet," said Gabby Bertin, a Cameron spokesperson, on Wednesday.

Cameron, 39, poses the biggest threat Prime Minister Tony Blair has faced from an opposition leader since he came to power in 1997.

The Tories have got a boost in the polls since Cameron took charge in December and support for Labour has been slipping badly - although that may say more about voters' negative feelings toward the prime minister than their fondness for Cameron.

The new leader is trying to overhaul his long-sidelined party's image as out of touch with ordinary voters.

'Flip-flops' on issues

He's pulling the Tories to the centre and pushing issues like the environment, to which they previously paid little attention.

Labour accuses him of changing his views to appeal to whatever audience he happens to be addressing.

It sent "Dave the Chameleon" - who made his debut in a cartoon ad ahead of last month's local elections - to distribute leaflets outside a speech Cameron gave on Tuesday, complete with a bike helmet, a nod to the politician's fondness for cycling.

"He flip-flops from one position to another, depending on whatever he thinks you want to hear," said one Labour message.

Cameron has responded lightheartedly.

Too cute for hate figure

He said when the campaign ad appeared that the chameleon had become his young children's favourite cartoon character. He jokingly addressed a group of journalists as "my fellow reptiles".
Times columnist Ann Treneman warned that Labour's effort to skewer Cameron with humour wouldn't work.

"The main problem with the lizard is that it is too cute to become a hate figure," she wrote. "Soon people will be wanting its autograph."

Eurostar

2006-06-20T09:11:00.000+02:00

Eurostar is a train service that connects London (Waterloo station) with Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille and Brussels (Gare du Midi). Trains cross the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel, or "Chunnel". The French and Belgian sections of the route use the same high-speed rail lines as the TGV and Thalys, and in England a new line is being built to the same standard. This is a two-phase project known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project (CTRL).

The first revenue-earning Eurostar trains ran in November 1994. Eurostar has established a dominant share of the market on the routes it serves — 68% for London-Paris and 63% for London-Brussels, as of November 2004. The company points out that these passenger figures represent a saving of 393,000 carbon dioxide-producing short-haul flights.

The journey time from London to Paris is currently 2 hours 35 minutes; London to Brussels is 2 hours 20 minutes. These times will be cut by 20 minutes in 2007 when the construction of the second phase of CTRL is completed, bringing the British portion of the route up to the same standards as the French and Belgian sections. Completion of the CTRL will also allow a significant increase in the number of Eurostar trains serving London. After phase two is completed, up to eight trains per hour in each direction will be able to travel from London to the continent, as timetabling will be unaffected by peak hour restrictions at London Waterloo and conflicts between Waterloo and Fawkham Junction.

Some Eurostar services stop en route at Ashford International and at Calais-Fréthun and Lille in northern France in addition to the three destination cities. Eurostar also run services to Disneyland Paris, to Avignon in summer, and - in the skiing season - to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aime-la-Plagne and Moutiers in the French Alps.

From 2007 all Eurostar trains will be routed through the CTRL to a new London terminus at St Pancras. The company had intended to retain some services to the existing Waterloo terminal, but this was ruled out on cost grounds. Some trains will additionally serve new stations at Ebbsfleet near Dartford in northwest Kent (Ebbsfleet International station) and Stratford International station in east London (near Stratford station, or Stratford Regional station as it will be called when Stratford International station is opened)
Eurotunnel, the company that built and runs the Channel Tunnel, is a completely separate entity from Eurostar.

Somerset House

2006-06-20T08:27:00.000+02:00

Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of The Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–1796. It was extended by classical Victorian wings to north and south. A building of the same name was first built on the site more than two centuries earlier.

Somerset House takes its name from the London home of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who commissioned a riverside mansion on the site in 1547, one of a row of noblemen's houses with fronts along the Strand. The building was constructed from stone removed from some of the chantries and cloisters at St. Paul's Cathedral which were demolished at the behest of Somerset and other leading Protestant nobles as part of the ongoing Dissolution of the Monasteries.
When Somerset fell from grace in 1551 (being executed for treason the following year), the building passed to the Crown and was used by Princess Elizabeth for some years before she was crowned Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.

During the reign of King James I, the building became the London residence of his wife Anne of Denmark and was renamed "Denmark House". She commissioned a number of expensive additions and improvements, some to designs by Inigo Jones. This expansion of the building continued during Charles I's reign, including the then highly controversial addition by his wife, Henrietta Maria, of a Roman Catholic chapel (also designed by Jones – who was later to die at Somerset House, in 1652).

After the English Civil War and the Restoration, Somerset House once again became a royal residence, and was refurbished by Sir Christopher Wren in 1685. During the 18th century, however, the building ceased its royal associations. Though the view from its terraced riverfront garden, open to the public, was painted twice on his London visit by Canaletto (looking upriver and down), it was used for storage, as a residence for visiting overseas dignatories and as a barracks for troops. Suffering from neglect, demolition began in 1775.

As well as the Royal Academy, Somerset House was fitted out to house the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. These, and the Geological Society, moved to Burlington House in Piccadilly in the early 19th century.

In the late 20th century the building was reinvigorated as a centre for the visual arts. The first institution to move in was the Courtauld Institute of Art, including the Courtauld Gallery, which has an important collection of old master and impressionist paintings. In the late 1990s the main courtyard ceased to be a civil service carpark, and the main terrace overlooking the Thames was refurbished and opened to the public, these alterations being overseen by the leading conservation architects Donald Insall & Associates.

A visitor centre featuring audiovisual displays on the history of the building; the gilded Lord Mayor of London's state barge; and a shop and cafe were opened in the wing overlooking the river. The Gilbert Collection of decorative arts, and the Hermitage Rooms, which stage exhibitions of items loaned from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, moved into the same area. The Eastern wing is largely occupied by King's College London.

In the winter the central courtyard is home to an open air ice rink. At other times an array of fountains dispay vertical jets of water rising to random heights.

Somerset House was also the main location for the BBC's New Year Live television show, presented by Natasha Kaplinsky, which celebrated the arrival of the year 2006.

Camden Town

2006-06-16T18:49:00.000+02:00

Camden Town

Camden Town is a place in the London Borough of Camden. It is an inner-city district located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north north-west of Charing Cross, famous for its crowded market and as a centre for alternative lifestyles. The area is popular with students, including those from overseas. The area has a reputation for readily available drugs.

Attractions
The Regent's Canal runs through the north end of Camden Town and is a popular walk in summer. Close by is Regent's Park with the London Zoo sited in the north side. The Roundhouse is a music venue located in a converted railway roundhouse, which is currently (May 2003) being refurbished. It was originally an engine shed for the London and Birmingham Railway. Apart from the eponymous market, there is a selection of shops, bars and cafes, which are more mainstream on the High St. south of the tube station. The area has several language schools, such as Camden College of English, located at the Chalk Farm side of the market.

Camden market

Camden is well-known for Camden Market which is made up of Buck Street Market, Stables Market, Inverness Street Market, Camden Canal Market, and Camden Lock Market, and an indoor market located in the Electric Ballroom. The markets are a major tourist attraction, particularly busy at weekends, selling variety of fashion, lifestyle and bizarre goods; they (and the surrounding shops) are popular with young people, in particular those searching for "alternative" clothing. Stables Market also has growing antique and furniture trade.
Due to the high popularity of the Camden Market with visitors and tourists, some more mainstream businesses such as a Virgin Megastore and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area in recent years, diluting the "alternative" character that made the market popular. Food outlets in particular have thrived, and represent an extensive range of world cuisine.

Transport

Because of the popularity of the market it is necessary to close Camden Town tube station to outbound passengers on Sunday afternoon. To resolve the inadequacy of the station, London Underground sought to replace it with a much larger one. The proposal involved the compulsory purchase of the whole block on which the station is situated and would have required demolition of the Electric Ballroom and the reallocation of Buck Street Market. Larger shop units, office space and some flats were proposed for the new building. The radical changes gathered significant opposition from people who felt they would damage the character of the area, and they were rejected in 2004. Transport for London still wishes to enhance the station, but it is unclear when they will announce a new proposal or what it will involve.

In music

There is a song by Morrissey from his recent album You Are the Quarry called "Come Back To Camden", which was written about Camden Town; Camden Town, from Uffington Horse's debut album Enchantment, is also about the area. Camden Town is also mentioned in the Pulp song "Sorted for E's and Wizz".

In Film...

The cult film Withnail and I starts and ends in Camden Town, and features Regent's Park as well.

What a girl wants

Sleutel-seremonie

2006-06-15T09:27:00.001+02:00

Pieter en Anca het my pa na die sleutel-seremonie toe geneem! Dis baie spesiaal, want mens het 'n uitnodiging nodig!

Hier is meer info....

Probably the best known such ceremony is the one that takes place every night at the Tower of London, and has done so in some form or another since the 14th century. Just before 10pm, the Chief Warder, dressed in Tudor period uniform, meets the Escort of the Key, made up of men of the guard detachment. Together, they secure the main gates of the Tower.

Upon their return to the Bloody Tower archway, the party is halted by the sentry and challenged to identify themselves:

Sentry: Who comes there?

Chief Warder: The keys.

S: Whose keys?

CW: Queen Elizabeth's keys. (identifying the keys as being those of the British monarch as of 2006)

S: Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys. All's well.

Following this, the party makes its way into the fortress, where the guard presents arms, and the Chief Warder raises his hat, proclaiming:

CW: God preserve Queen Elizabeth.

S: Amen!

He then takes the keys in for safekeeping, while the Last Post is sounded.

As with many events of ceremony in the United Kingdom, it takes some significant outside influence to interrupt the Ceremony of the Keys. The one time when the ceremony was interrupted was during the Second World War, when there was an air raid on London, and a number of incendiary bombs fell on the old victorian guardroom just as the Chief Yeoman Warder and the escort were coming through the Bloody Tower archway. The shock and the noise of the bombs falling, blew over the escort and the Chief Yeoman Warder but they stood up, dusted themselves down, and carried on. The Tower holds a letter from the Officer of the Guard apologising to King George VI that the ceremony was late and a reply from the King which says that the Officer is not to be punished as it was due to enemy action that the Ceremony of The
Keys was late.

The Ceremony of The Keys was also delayed in 2003 by a young officer of the Grenadier Guards serving on a gap year commission who fell asleep at his post whilst acting as Escort of the Key.

Die Beefeaters

2006-06-15T09:27:00.000+02:00

The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right.

There are 36 Yeomen Warders. All warders are retired from the British armed forces and must have at least 22 years of service with good conduct, at the rank of, or equivalent to, Sergeant Major or above.

The Yeomen Warders are often incorrectly referred to as Yeomen of the Guard, which is actually a distinct corps of Royal Bodyguards. W. S. Gilbert shared this confusion by naming his operetta The Yeomen of the Guard when it appears to be about Yeomen Warders.

The Yeomen Warders normally wear an 'undress' uniform of dark blue with red trimmings. When the sovereign visits the tower, or the warders are on duty at a state occasion, they wear red and gold uniforms very similar to those of the Yeoman of the Guard.

The origin of the term 'Beefeater' is unclear. It may originate from the fact that early Warders were paid in beef, amongst other things. Count Cosimo, grand duke of Tuscany, visited the Tower in 1669 and commented on this "A very large ration of beef is given to them daily at court...that they might be called Beef-eaters" and earlier references can also be found. Other suggestions include that it was either a corruption of a French term buffetier, an archaic term for the guard of the king's food; or a derogatory term used when they were relatively well-fed at the side of many ordinary people who lived near them in London.

The warders themselves often comment that the "real beefeaters" at the Tower of London are the ravens, which receive a daily ration of beef. There has been an aerie of ravens kept at the Tower since before the time of Henry VIII, their purpose being to pluck the eyes from the heads of executed criminals after they are hung on display.

The term "beefeater" is also used to refer to the traditional headgear of the Yeoman Warders.
Beefeater gin is a brand of gin produced in the U.K. and depicting a Yeoman Warder on its label.

Wimbledon Stadion

2006-06-13T08:53:00.000+02:00

Pieter en Anca bly naby aan Wimbledon stadion. Daar is 'n tennis museum waar hulle selfs ons Bakers Tennis Beskuitjies het!

The Championships, Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly referred to as simply "Wimbledon", is the oldest and most prestigious event in the sport of tennis. Held every June or July, the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open. The tournament (which is the only one of the Grand Slam events played on grass courts) lasts for a fortnight, subject to extensions for rain. Separate tournaments are simultaneously held for Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Youth tournaments — Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles and Girls' Doubles — are also held. Additionally, special invitational tournaments are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 45 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 35 and over Ladies' Doubles and wheelchair doubles.

History

The Championships were first played under the control of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877 at a ground near Worple Road, Wimbledon; the only event held was Gentlemen's Singles. In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. The Championships moved to their present location, at a ground near Church Road, in 1922. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. Britons are very proud of the tournament but it is a source of national anguish and humour — no British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Events

There are five main events held at Wimbledon: Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. In addition, four events are held for juniors: Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles, and Girls' Doubles. (The Mixed Doubles event is not held at the junior level.) Finally, four invitational events are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 45 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles, and the Wheelchair Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles.
Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles competitions are best-of-five sets; matches in all other events are best-of-three sets. Most events are single-elimination tournaments; in other words, a player who loses a single match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. However, the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles and the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles are both round-robin tournaments.
Each year, the tournament begins six weeks before the first Monday in August. It is held two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships, which is considered the major warm-up for Wimbledon for male players. Another important warm-up tournament for the men is the Gerry Weber Open, which is held in Halle, Germany at about the same time as the Queen's Club Championships. Wimbledon usually lasts for two weeks; the main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are for the most part held during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday," which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday thrice in Championships history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets.

Players and seeding

A total of 128 players feature in each singles event, 64 pairs in each single-sex doubles event, and 48 pairs in Mixed Doubles. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings. The Committee of Management and the Referee evaluate all applications for entry, and determine which players may be admitted to the tournament directly. The committee may admit a player without a high enough ranking as a "wild card." Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments, or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanisevic (2001); no wild card has ever won the Ladies' Singles Title. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton.

The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events; the same-sex doubles competitions last for only one round. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. No qualifier has won either the Gentlemen's Singles or the Ladies' Singles tournaments; in 1977, John McEnroe went farther than any other qualifier in history by reaching the semifinals.

Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon the recommendations of their national tennis associations, and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events.

The Committee seeds the top players and pairs (thirty-two players in each main singles events, and sixteen pairs in each main doubles event) on the basis of their rankings. The defending champion is normally, but not always, seeded first. A majority of the entrants are unseeded.

Only two unseeded players have ever won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. No unseeded player has captured the Ladies' Singles title; the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams, who won in 2005 as the fourteenth seed. Unseeded pairs have won the doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers.

Grounds

The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the groundsThe nineteen courts used for Wimbledon are all composed purely of rye grass. The speed and the low bounce of grass courts favours serve and volley players. Serve and volleyers such as Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras have all won the Championships. However, baseliners such as Björn Borg have also performed very well, as have all-court players like Roger Federer. Among women, the serve and volley strategy is less common; one of the few female serve and volleyers, Martina Navrátilová, won Wimbledon on a record nine occasions.

The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are used only for two weeks a year, during the Championships. The remaining seventeen courts, however, are regularly used for other events hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all of the other Grand Slam events were played on grass. The French Open abandoned grass for its current red clay in 1928, while the U.S. and Australian Opens stayed with grass decades longer. The U.S. Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975, and changed again to a hard surface with its 1978 move to its current venue. The Australian Open abandoned grass for a different type of hard surface in 1988.

The main court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922 when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road. Due to possibility of rain during Wimbledon, a retractable roof is planned for the court; it is expected to be completed in 2009. The court has a capacity of almost 14,000; at its south end is the Royal Box, from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries watch matches. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players.

The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The court was constructed in 1997 to replace the old No. 1 Court, which was adjacent to Centre Court, but was demolished because its capacity for spectators was too low. The original No. 1 Court was said to have a unique, more intimate atmosphere, and was a favourite of many players. The new No. 1 Court has a capacity of approximately 11,000. The third-largest court, No. 2 Court, has been dubbed the "Graveyard of Champions" due to its reputation as the court on which many seeded players have been eliminated during the early rounds. Famous players who have lost on the Graveyard during early round play include John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Serena Williams. The court has a capacity of about 3,000.

At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast. Fans watch from an area of grass officially known as Aorangi Park, but more commonly called Henman Hill. The "hill" takes its name from local favourite Tim Henman, whom many fans hope will become the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry did so in 1936. Due to Tim Henman's early exit and British newcomer Andy Murray's relative success in the 2005 Championship, the hill may be renamed as Murray Mound, Mount Murray, or Murray Field (after the Scottish rugby stadium).

Traditions

Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Green apparel is worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys, and ball girls. The All England Club requires players to wear "predominantly white" clothing during matches. No other Grand Slam tournament has such a strict dress code for players. During matches, female players are always referred to with the title "Miss" or "Mrs". (Formerly, married female players were referred to by their husband's names: for example, Chris Evert-Lloyd appeared on scoreboards as "Mrs. J. M. Lloyd" during her marriage to John M. Lloyd. However, this custom has been abandoned.) On the other hand, the title "Mr" is never used for male players.Previously, players bowed or curtsied to members of the Royal Family seated in the Royal Box upon entering or leaving Centre Court. In 2003, however, the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, decided to discontinue the tradition. Now, players are required to bow or curtsy only if the Queen or the Prince of Wales is present.For the spectators, strawberries and cream is the traditional snack at Wimbledon. Approximately 28,000 kilograms of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream are sold each year during the Championships.Since 1992 Radio Wimbledon has broadcast commentary, speech and music from 7am to 10pm daily throughout the championship. It can be heard within a four-mile radius on 87.7 FM and also online.

Trophies and prize money

The Gentlemen's Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup 18.5 inches (about 47 cm) in height and 7.5 inches (about 19 cm) in diameter. The trophy has been awarded since 1887. It bears the inscription "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World." The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish," or simply the "Rosewater Dish."

The salver, which is 18.75 inches (about 48 cm) in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology. The winners of the Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The runner-up in each event receives an inscribed silver plate. The trophies are usually presented by the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, and by his wife, HRH The Duchess of Kent. At Wimbledon, more prize money is awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events. This is justified by the rules that men must win 3 out of 5 sets to win a match, where as women only need to win 2 out of 3. The French Open also offers higher prize money for men, but the Australian Open and the U.S. Open provide parity.

The sums awarded to the winners of each of the main events in 2005 are as follows (the amounts shown for the doubles events are per pair):

Gentlemen's Singles: £630,000

Ladies' Singles: £600,000

Gentlemen's Doubles: £218,500

Ladies' Doubles: £203,250

Terwyl dit by ons koud is...

2006-06-08T09:01:00.000+02:00

Ice Skating - Medieval Style!

The capital's ice rinks are nothing new - Londoners have been skating since the 12th Century on rather unusual skates...

Somerset House is just one of many amazing ice rinks to be found in London this year but ice skating in the capital is nothing new. A new exhibition, Medieval London, includes a pair of ice skates dating back to the Medieval times.

The skates, made from cattle bones, have been found around the Moorfields area of the city. They would have been strapped to the feet as Londoners took to the frozen marshes using a special stick to glide across the ice.

Skaters either lost their skates or threw them away at the end of the season where they have since been discovered. The marshy earth helps to preserve the bone for so long .
William FitzStephen, one of Thomas Becket's clerks, described in the 1170s how Londoners would go out to the frozen marshes of Moorfields in the winter. They 'fit to their feet the shinbones of cattle and push themselves across the ice using a stick with an iron spike on the end'

'When the great marsh that washes the Northern walls of the City is frozen, dense throngs of youths go forth to disport themselves upon the ice. Some gathering speed by a run, glide sidelong, with feet set well apart, over a vast space of ice. Others make themselves seats of ice like millstones and are dragged along by a number who run before them holding hands. Sometimes they slip owing to the greatness of their speed and fall, everyone of them, upon their faces'.

So how far back do teenage yobs and binge drinking go? What did Londoners feel about the worst epidemic the city has ever known? Where did London go for 200 years? And who bought all those hot sheep’s feet? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the Museum of London’s new Medieval London gallery opening on 25 November.The gallery tells the story of London from the end of Roman rule in AD410 to the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, a period when London survived near extinction to become England’s capital and one of the most prosperous cities in Europe.

Demolition work begins on eyesore

2006-06-07T09:30:00.000+02:00

Six-year-old Harrison Richards launched the demolition workOne of London's most hated eyesores is being razed to the ground to make way for a £300m luxury hotel.

The vast concrete County Hall Island Block apartments on the South Bank next to Waterloo station belonged to the now-defunct Greater London Council.

Having stood empty for 20 years, the block, built in 1970, is to be demolished over the next four months.

By 2010, Westminster Bridge Park Plaza will rise 14 storeys high to overlook Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

I am absolutely devastated - I consider that it was a distinguished building
John Bancroft, architect

The job of setting the bulldozers in motion fell to six-year-old Harrison Richards, from Oakley Green in Berkshire.

He lives with Wilms Tumour, a cancer of the kidney, and was granted his wish by the charity, Make-a-Wish Foundation UK.

Last year, the six-floor block was named as the 11th ugliest building in Britain by a poll for Channel 4 programme Demolition, coming two places behind London's highest entry, the Tower in Colliers Wood in south-west London.

But despite its lack of popularity, it seems not everyone will be happy to see No 1 Westminster Bridge Road go.

Architect John Bancroft, who formerly worked for the Greater London Council, said the block should have been listed. "I am absolutely devastated," he said. "I consider that it was a distinguished building and it was an early open plan office building, when open plan was not all that common.

"I always thought it should have received a listing in with County Hall."

Storie en foto's van BBC

Welkom terug, Pieter & Anca!

2006-06-05T09:24:00.000+02:00

Nog is dit (Diana se) einde niet!

2006-06-05T08:31:00.000+02:00

Di-ondersoek ’n slag vir Al-FayedJun 04 2006 09:33:12:240PM - (SA)

Mandy Rossouw

Londen. – Prinses Diana van Wallis was nóg swanger nóg verloof aan Dodi al-Fayed ten tyde van haar dood in Parys in 1997.

Lord John Stevens, die voormalige polisiehoof wat aangestel is om die besonderhede van Diana se dood in ’n motorongeluk in ’n Paryse tonnel te ondersoek, sê glo in sy verslag geen bewys bestaan dat die prinses swanger was nie.

Hy het bygevoeg die juwelier wat glo aan Dodi en Diana haar verloofring verkoop het, is weer ondervra en hy het erken die verloofring van £2 miljoen (sowat R25 miljoen teen die huidige wisselkoers) het nooit bestaan nie.

Stevens se verslag word eers later vanjaar bekend gestel, maar het aan die Mail on Sunday en News of the World uitgelek.

Die onthullings plaas mnr. Mohamed al-Fayed, eienaar van die luukse winkel Harrods en pa van Dodi, in ’n verleentheid nadat hy sedert die ongeluk volgehou het die voorval is die werk van sinistere magte.

Al-Fayed sr. meen die ongeluk is beplan deur Britse intelligensiemagte soos MI5 en MI6.
Hy sê Diana was swanger met Dodi se kind en die Britse koningsgesin wou nie ’n baba in hul midde hê wat “half-Moslem” is nie. Hy het prins Philip, koningin Elizabeth II se man, die skuld vir die ongeluk gegee en gesê die prins sou enigiets doen om te keer dat prins William ’n halfbroer het wat ’n Moslem is.

Volgens Al-Fayed is die ongeluk beplan en die paparazzi wat Diana en Dodi die aand van die ongeluk agtervolg het, was spioene.

Volgens Stevens se ondersoek dui niks op die betrokkenheid van MI5 en MI6 nie.

Dodi en Diana sou luidens sy verslag waarskynlik die ongeluk oorleef het indien hulle veiligheidsgordels gedra het.

Die ondersoek het bevestig dat mnr. Henri Paul, die bestuurder van die Mercedes-Benz waarin hulle gery het, dronk én te vinnig gery het en beheer oor die motor verloor het. Hy was nie, soos Al-Fayed beweer, ’n spioen wat met die intelligensiedienste saamgewerk het nie.

Philip, the Duke of Hazard

2006-05-31T08:03:00.000+02:00

Philip, the Duke of Hazard 30/05/2006 09:19 - (SA)

David Stringer

London - Britain's Prince Philip had not caused offence when he claimed he intends to do "as little as possible" during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, event organisers said on Monday.
The comments came days before publication of a book, which catalogues the prince's history of making verbal gaffes.

The husband of Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 85 on June 10, said he finds Olympic opening and
closing ceremonies "absolute bloody nuisances," in comments attributed to him in an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Asked if he intended to perform duties during the 2012 Olympics, by which time he will be 91, the prince told the newspaper he hoped to do "as little as possible".

Ceremonies 'absolute bloody nuisances'

A spokesperson for the Queen's Buckingham Palace residence said the prince had granted the interview before his birthday and confirmed she had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the comments.

"I am truly fed up with the opening and closing ceremonies. They are a pain in the neck," Prince Philip told the newspaper, in an interview first published in Saturday editions.

"Opening and closing ceremonies ought to be banned. Absolute bloody nuisances. I have been to one that was absolutely, appallingly awful," he told the newspaper.

Jackie Rock-Doyle, London 2012 chief spokesperson, said the comments were a "good thing" and would only serve to raise public interest, according to a statement.

"The great thing about the Olympic and Paralympic Games is that pretty much everyone has a view - from the Royal Family down," she said.

Collection of gaffes

The prince's latest barb came before the publication on Wednesday of The Duke of Hazard: The
Wit and Wisdom of Prince Philip, a book that celebrates six decades of his blunt - and often politically incorrect -comments during engagements across the world.

The 100-page book includes details of an infamous gaffe in Beijing, China in 1986, when the prince told British students "if you stay here much longer you'll all be slitty-eyed".

It also recounts an occasion in Cardiff, Wales, when he addressed young members of the British Deaf Association who were standing close to a band playing steel drums. "Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf," the prince told them.

In Hungary, the prince is said to have told a British man he must have only arrived recently as he hadn't "got a pot belly" and in Scotland, asked a driving instructor how he managed to "keep the natives off the booze long enough" to pass their driving test.

Authors Phil Dampier and Ashley Walton and the book's publisher Book Guild Limited were not immediately available for comment.

"We are aware of the book, but it is matter for the authors," said the Buckingham Palace spokesperson, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

New York

2006-05-30T09:06:00.000+02:00

Pieter verjaar vandag in New York. Anca het vir hulle 'n helikoptertrippie na (en om) Manhattan bespreek... lekker bederf ;-)

Geniet jou verjaarsdag, Boeta!

New York City

New York, the ‘city that never sleeps’, is one of the world’s great metropolises, offering visitors everything from the ethnic flavors of Chinatown and Little Italy, to the galleries of SoHo, the cafes of Greenwich Village, the glitz of the Theater District, the shopping on Fifth Avenue and the affluence of Park Lane and the Upper West Side.

New York City is made up of five boroughs and is laid out on a grid of avenues and streets. Most tourist sights are found on Manhattan Island, the city’s entertainment and business center. The remaining four boroughs are primarily residential – the Bronx to the north, Queens to the east, Brooklyn to the southeast and Staten Island to the southwest. Each has wealthy and salubrious districts alongside working-class neighborhoods – demonstrating New York’s varied social mix. The total area of all five boroughs is 780 sq km (301 sq miles).

New York’s location at the mouth of the Hudson River on the Atlantic Ocean is reflected in the city’s importance as a port, and as the point of disembarkation for millions of immigrants to the USA. Vibrating with the energy of over 7 million inhabitants, New York is a constantly evolving, growing and changing organism.

The sheer volume of things to do – theater, ballet, opera, museums – is astonishing. Many of the city’s 18,000-plus restaurants are reporting boom times, while several new hotels have emerged over the past few years. Renovations of historic theaters in the area – such as the Victory, the Lyric or the Academy/Apollo – have been followed by a flood of restaurateurs and prospective retail tenants signing up for space on or near Times Square.

The terrorist attacks on Manhattan’s famous Twin Towers on 11 September 2001 has had a detrimental effect on the city’s tourism. However, New York’s JFK airport still enjoys its status as the USA’s busiest airport for international arrivals, with over 15 million international tourists (many of them from the UK) using the airport in 2002. On the whole, however, numbers are down, with Newark International and La Guardia reporting a 4 per cent and 6 per cent decrease in international arrivals respectively. Crime, on the other hand, is plummeting, following the introduction of ‘zero tolerance’ policing; according to FBI crime statistics, the city is the safest large city in the USA.

The New York City Police Museum, at 100 Old Slip at South Street, shows just how this is done. Visitors with disabilities will now find wheelchair access to 99 per cent of New York City buses and 40 per cent of subway stations. Public telephones for the deaf are also widespread. Two brochures for disabled people are available from New York City Transit (see contact number above).

Manhattan

The Manhattan skyline is an instantly recognizable sight, immortalized in countless films and television programs. One of the best views of it can be obtained from the Staten Island Ferry (see below).

Following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the famous landmark of the World Trade Center with its twin towers was completely destroyed, forever altering both the skyline and the history of America. The decision has recently been made to build a memorial at the ‘Ground Zero’ site. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced in January 2004 that Michael Arad and Peter Walker’s design for a grove of trees above two reflecting pools, named ‘Reflecting Absence’, would be chosen to immortalise that infamous event. The design was chosen over 5000 submitted ideas. Also in the planning is the ambitious Freedom Tower skyscraper, designed by David M Childs, which could have a unique turbine tower as a feature, creating one-fifth of the energy used by the building and doubling as somewhat unorthodox Buddhist prayer wheels.

The first European settlement on Manhattan was by the Dutch in the 1620s, who named the city New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British took over and renamed it New York, and settlement continued from south to north along the island. Skyscrapers, such as the art-deco Empire State Building, offer spectacular views of the city by day or night. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: New York’s most famous image is the 46.5m- (151ft-) high Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island, which may be reached by boat from Battery Park on Manhattan’s southern tip. A lift and staircase inside the Statue take visitors up to an observation platform.

The Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry departs from the historic Castle Clinton at Battery Park every 30 minutes and also stops at Ellis Island, the gateway for the massive numbers of immigrants arriving in New York between 1892 and 1954. On the island, the Wall of Honor, the world’s longest wall of names, commemorates over 600,000 immigrants, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum offers an interesting insight into the lives of New York’s early immigrants.

In Battery Park City, the new Skyscraper Museum celebrates the architectural style so intrinsic to the city’s history and psyche. Lower Manhattan: The oldest part of the city is at the southern end of Manhattan. East of Battery Park is the Financial District, containing the famous Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, where visitors have access to a public gallery to catch a glimpse of the frenetic trading action. The historic South Street Seaport, located at the end of Wall Street, offers great views of New York Harbor. The seaport is a thriving waterfront community with a world-class maritime museum and more than 100 shops, cafés and restaurants.

To the northeast of the seaport is the famous Brooklyn Bridge, leading to Brooklyn. Chinatown, Manhattan’s most thriving ethnic neighborhood extends from Canal Street into Little Italy and east into the Lower East Side. This labyrinth of narrow streets, crammed with Chinese stores and restaurants, is home to over 100,000 residents.

While Chinatown has expanded in recent years, neighboring Little Italy has dwindled somewhat, and few of the original Italian immigrants remain, though Little Italy’s restaurants, delis and bakeries remain as tempting as ever.

East of Little Italy, the Lower East Side has traditionally been New York’s Jewish area, owing to a flow of Jewish immigrants to the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The recently revamped Museum of Jewish Heritage is located here. In addition to its other two Manhattan venues, the Guggenheim Foundation is adding a new waterfront museum on the East River. The area is also known for its Orchard Street Market, an open-air bazaar, and its numerous delis.

To the northwest, Greenwich Village has been a melting pot for art, literature and music for decades, though its legendary bohemian feel has partly been replaced by upmarket beatnik chic. South of Greenwich Village is SoHo (South of Houston), which has become synonymous with art since the 1960s, and retains its arty, avant-garde character, with plenty of galleries, cafes, boutiques and loft spaces fronted by interesting cast-iron façades.

Still further south is TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street), once a deserted warehouse district, and now a growing residential area. Midtown Manhattan: The heart of the city is located between 34th Street south and 59th Street north and contains several of New York’s landmark buildings, including the 102-story Empire State Building (completed in 1931).

Worth visiting here are Bryant Park and the beautiful New York Public Library nearby; the 1930s art-deco Chrysler Building (New York’s first skyscraper); the United Nations Building (the organization’s world headquarters); Grand Central Station, which has been completely restored, with special attention paid to its magnificent constellation ceiling; Fifth Avenue, the city’s most glamorous thoroughfare, filled with luxury shops and department stores; the Chelsea neighborhood, home of the landmark Chelsea Hotel and also center for New York’s gay community as well as a new magnet for art galleries and commercial developers; the Rockefeller Center, famous for its (winter-only) ice skating rink and also the home of NBC Studios, which can be visited (the Center reopened its observation deck in 2005, website: http://www.www.rockefellercenter.com/) and the new American Folk Art Museum.

A few blocks away, the highly celebrated Museum of Modern Art underwent a massive US$650 million expansion, which was completed in spring 2004. The Carnegie Hall now also includes the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall. At the heart of Midtown is the Broadway theater district near the recently revamped, once seedy but now ‘family-friendly’ Times Square, with its recently reopened Biltmore Theater, and the world’s largest toy store, home to a 60ft Ferris wheel and life-size Barbie house. Uptown Manhattan: Uptown Manhattan covers the area north of 59th Street and is split roughly in the middle by Central Park (see below).

To the northwest of the park is Columbia University and the Cathedral of St John the Divine, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, which is still under construction (begun in 1812); the cathedral was recently designated a landmark by the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission. The new US$115 million Jazz at Lincoln Center opened in autumn 2004; the venue is part of the new AOL Time Warner Center, which contains luxury retail outlets, restaurants, office space, condominiums and a 249-room hotel. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater also opened its new facility in autumn 2004. The Joan Weill Center for Dance will be the largest facility dedicated exclusively to dance in the USA. Further north, Harlem is noted for its rich African-American community. Good examples of classic New York brownstones can be seen in Harlem’s Sugar Hill. Several decayed and crime-ridden areas in Harlem are now being redeveloped.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is best reached via Brooklyn Bridge, which is particularly striking at night, and usually bustling with people during the day. Having crossed the bridge, visitors arrive in Brooklyn Heights, a good area to walk around.

The Jewish Children’s Museum is a new attraction to the area. Further southeast lie Prospect Park and the adjacent Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; the Brooklyn Academy of Music, home to the interesting Next Wave Festival; and the historic Park Slope district, notable for its old brownstones. Downtown Brooklyn is home to the recently renovated New York Transit Museum, located in a decommissioned subway station, with over 200 trolleys on display.

Coney Island and Brighton Beach, the latter full of Russian shops and restaurants, are at the south/southeastern end of the borough.

The Bronx

Major attractions include the world-famous Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden; Yankee Stadium, home to the Yankees baseball team; Poe Cottage, former home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe; and Woodlawn Cemetery, where several famous musicians, including Miles Davis, are buried. This area of New York is currently good at breaking records.

The 19,200-seat Randall’s Island Pavilion opened in May 2003 and was the first major new live stage venue to be built in the city in 30 years, while the Ferry Point Park Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, will open later this year as the first golf course to be built in the city for 35 years.

Queens

Major attractions in the borough include the Astoria Movie Studios with the (attached) American Museum of the Moving Image, close to La Guardia airport; and Shea Stadium (home to the New York Mets Major League Baseball team), with the nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

The southern half of Queens includes a portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area which, despite its location next to JFK International Airport, provides a refuge to hundreds of bird species.Staten IslandVisitors to the island often do so mainly to enjoy the view of the classic New York skyline from the Staten Island Ferry, which operates from Battery Park (downtown) past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to Staten Island.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island with Brooklyn.Parks & BeachesNew York’s most famous park, Central Park, was created in 1856, when officials set aside 341 hectares (843 acres) of land between Fifth and Eighth Avenues and 59th and 110th Streets. John Lennon fans may pay their respects at Strawberry Fields, the area of the park dedicated to his memory. Also within the park is the Central Park Wildlife Center, a small but interesting zoo.

During summer, the park hosts afternoon and evening concerts. Additions to the park include the Dana Discovery Center and fishing pond (with free poles and bait). Visitors should note that it is not advisable to visit Central Park after dark. The recently restored Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, has been a great success with businesspeople and visitors on lunch, especially as it offers free outdoor concerts and comedy shows.

Reminiscent of Paris, with gravel pathways, green folding chairs and a manicured lawn, it’s a great place for sunbathing, reading or enjoying a sandwich or salad bought from kiosks in the park. The fountain at the western end is a good place for a romantic rendez-vous.

Other parks include the world-famous New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, which has 100 hectares (250 acres) of woods, waterways and gardens and whose centerpiece is the newly restored Enid A Haupt Conservatory. Riverside Park, running alongside the Hudson River; Battery and Washington Square parks in Lower Manhattan; the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Marine Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn; and Cunningham, Flushing Meadows/Corona, Jacob Riis and Kissina parks in Queens. Clove Lake Park and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island boast impressive views of New York harbor.

There are several fine beaches to the east of New York City. Nearest to Manhattan are Brighton Beach, Coney Island and Manhattan Beach. Other beaches include Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park, South Beach and Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island.

Special Events

The following is a selection of special events occurring in New York City in 2005; for further events, contact NYC & Company CVB (see General Info section): Mar 17 St Patrick’s Day Parade, Manhattan. Jun-Aug Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival, Brooklyn. Jul 4 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, near East River. Aug Harlem Week, citywide. Aug 29-Sep 11 US Open Tennis Tournament, Flushing. Nov 6 New York City Marathon. Nov 24 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Manhattan. Dec 31 New Year’s Eve at Times Square.

Pieter verjaar (in die stad wat nooit slaap nie)!

2006-05-30T08:39:00.000+02:00

Highlights in history on this date:

1431 - After being handed over by the church, who judged her a heretic, Saint Joan of Arc is burned at the stake in Rouen, France, by the English and their French collaborators.

1539 - Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto lands in Florida.

1588 - Spanish Armada under Duke of Medina sails from Lisbon for England.

1593 - Playwright Christopher Marlowe is killed in a lodging house brawl outside London.

1606 - Sikh Guru Arjun is tortured to death in Lahore - now part of Pakistan - on the orders of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, becoming Sikhism's first martyr.

1808 - France's Napoleon Bonaparte annexes Tuscany in Italy.

1814 - First Treaty of Paris is signed between European countries and France, ending Napoleonic wars until the return of Napoleon from exile on Elba.

1904 - Japanese forces occupy Dalmy (Darien) in Russia.

1911 - Ray Harroun wins the first long-distance auto race in Indianapolis.

1913 - Turkey loses almost all of its European holdings to the Balkan states in a treaty signed in London, ending the First Balkan War.

1925 - British police kill 13 demonstrators in Shanghai, provoking months of demonstrations and boycotts against British goods in China. The incident greatly bolsters the tiny Communist party.

1942 - British convoy reaches Murmansk, Soviet Union, despite heavy air attacks in World War II; Britain's Royal Air Force stages massive raid on Cologne, Germany.

1943 - American forces secure the Aleutian island of Attu from the Japanese during World War 2.

1957 - Britain relaxes its restrictions on trade with China.

1958 - Unidentified US soldiers killed in World War 2 and the Korean conflict are buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

1961 - Rafael Trujillo, dictator of Dominican Republic, is assassinated by machine-gun fire while driving.

1963 - Official death toll in windstorm that struck East Pakistan is put at 10 000.

1967 - Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Jordan's King Hussein sign a mutual defence treaty, prompting Israel to strike pre-emptively a week later, starting the Six-Day War.

1973 - West Germany and Czechoslovakia agree to establish normal relations after 32 years.

1976 - Pieter Grobbelaar is born in Kimberley, South Africa

1982 - Spain becomes Nato's 16th member, the first country to enter the Western alliance since West Germany in 1955.

1984 - Iraq reports new attacks on naval target near Iran's Kharg Island oil port.

1987 - Mob of militant low-caste villagers massacre at least 42 members of upper-caste landlord families in India's impoverished eastern state of Bihar.

1989 - Student demonstrators at Tiananmen Square in Beijing erect a 10m statue they called the "Goddess of Democracy".
1990 - Israeli soldiers kill four Palestinian guerrillas and capture 12 as they speed toward the coastline, apparently to launch attacks coinciding with Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

1991 - Car bomb explodes near Civil Guard barracks in Vic, Spain, killing at least nine people and injuring 50.

1992 - The UN Security Council imposes trade sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro.
1993 - Heavy machine gun and artillery fire booms in Kabul, Afghanistan, as rival Muslim guerrilla factions shatter a weeklong truce.

1994 - Israel releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of its autonomy agreement with the PLO.

1995 - Russia formalises a broad relationship with Nato but warns anew that the alliance's plans for an eastward expansion could divide Europe.

1996 - Venezuela's Supreme Court convicts former president Carlos Andres Perez of misusing public funds.

1997 - US Marines evacuate 900 civilians from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, wracked by looting and violence after a military coup; child molester Jesse K. Timmendequas is convicted and sentenced to death in Trenton, New Jersey, for raping and strangling a 7-year-old neighbour, Megan Kanka. The 1994 murder inspired "Megan's Law," requiring that communities be notified when sex offenders move into the neighbourhood.

1998 - A powerful earthquake rocks northern Afghanistan, burying entire villages and killing thousands of people.

1999 - Fifty-two teen-agers are trampled to death as they try to escape a sudden hailstorm that interrupted an outdoor rock concert in Minsk, Belarus.

2000 - Moving to end Fiji's leadership crisis, the country's army commander imposes martial law and begins to isolate the rebels who have been holding the prime minister and other government officials hostage.

2001 - In one of Germany's last trials surrounding World War 2, a court sentences to life in prison Anton Malloth, an 89-year-old former Nazi SS guard, for beating and kicking a Jewish inmate to death.

2002 - New York City commemorates the completion of a 37-week cleanup effort at the site of the World Trade Centre, destroyed in the terrorist attacks, signalling the beginning of the rebuilding process.

2003 - The UN Security Council votes unanimously to send a peacekeeping force to Congo's northeastern Ituri province. The European Union approves the force to restore order and security in a region plagued by violence among ethnic militias.

2004 - Israel's nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu says in an interview that the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 influenced his decision to tell the world about his country's secret nuclear military programme.

Today's Birthdays:

Mikhail Bakunin, Russian anarchist (1814-1876); Howard Hawks, US film director (1896-1977); Hannes Alfven, Swedish astrophysicist/Nobel Prize laureate (1908-1995); Mel Blanc, US entertainer (1908-1989); Benny Goodman, US musician (1909-1986); Clint Walker, actor (1927--); Wynonna, US country singer (1964--), Pieter Grobbelaar (1976-)

Thought For Today:

To write or to speak is almost inevitably to lie a little. It is an attempt to clothe an intangible in a tangible form; to compress an immeasurable into a mold. And in the act of compression, how truth is mangled and torn! - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American writer.

Die London Stone word (tydelik) verskuif

2006-05-28T13:28:00.000+02:00

London Stone Relic Moves to Museum From Sport Shop, BBC Reports2006-05-22 10:21 (New York)

By Sarah Das May 22 (Bloomberg) -- A legendary stone, reported to have thepower to protect London, will be relocated from a sports shop inthe city's financial district when the building is demolished laterthis year, the British Broadcasting Company reported.

The stone of Brutus, whose origins are unknown, is said tokeep London safe so long as it survives, the broadcaster said.

It was displayed on the side of St. Swithin church until thebuilding was destroyed in World War II bombing. It was then stuckin a cage on the wall of the building that replaced it, a sportsshop in Cannon Street. The best view of the stone is from thecricket department, the BBC said. The limestone block will be stored in the Museum of Londonwhile the site is renovated and back on display outside the newbuilding, the BBC reported.

(BBC Online 05-22)

To contact the reporter on this story:Sarah Das in London at (44) (20) 7673-2638 or sdas4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Chris Collins in London at (44) (20) 7330-7902 orcollinsc@bloomberg.net

Die Britse Ryk krimp (en nee, dis nie omdat Pieter en Anca in NY is nie)

2006-05-28T13:25:00.000+02:00

British Empire Shrinks by Two Soccer Fields With Bangkok Sale2006-05-16 02:15 (New York)
By Lee J. Miller May 16 (Bloomberg)

-- The British Empire shrank by theequivalent of two soccer fields this week, with Thailand'sbiggest retail developer buying a chunk of embassy land in theheart of Bangkok for more than 3 billion baht ($78 million).

The 12.75-acre compound ``was larger than needed,'' theBritish embassy said in a statement. A 3.55-acre section ofgardens was sold to a unit of the closely held Central Group,which will develop the site.

A war memorial and statue of Queen Victoria will be movedoff the plot bought by Central, which already owns a seven-storydepartment store 100 meters down the road and is developingThailand's largest retail, office and convention center a half amile farther down the street -- Bangkok's shopping heartland. ``This is the largest-ever property sale by the ForeignOffice,'' the embassy said. Money not spent on refurbishment andnew staff housing will ``pay for vital investment elsewhere.'' Neither Central nor the embassy would disclose the price,citing a confidentiality clause. Local newspapers including theBangkok Post and The Nation said the price was between 3 billionand 3.5 billion baht. Britain's Telegraph said it was 50 millionpounds ($94 million). The embassy did say that 11 million poundswould be used for refurbishment. Britain bought the property in 1922. At the time, it was inthe outskirts of the Thai capital, which has since sprawled intoa metropolis with more than 10 million people.

`Most Polluted Part'

``The land sold was the most polluted and noisiest part ofthe compound, next to a six-lane arterial road,'' the embassysaid. Central Retail Corp. spokeswoman Wanna Thamromdee wasn'tavailable to confirm the price or provide details of how theproperty would be developed. The price per acre was probably a record for Thailand,according to Colin Wong, associate director at Knight FrankChartered (Thailand) Co. Land & Houses Pcl, Thailand's largesthome builder, was the other bidder.

``There is a limited amount of prime commercial sites inBangkok, so one of the main reasons is just a lack of supply,''Wong said in an interview today. ``Central will probably havebetter return calculations than other people, and it complementstheir existing store next door.''

Never Colonized

CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) Co. handled the sale, saidNgamjai Jearrajarat, the company's spokeswoman. Thailand was never part of the British Empire, and mostgovernment-written profiles point out that the nation, known asSiam until 1939, is the only one in Southeast Asia that wasn'tcolonized. Malaysia to the south and Burma, which forms most ofThailand's western border, were both part of the British Empire. Central is owned by the Chirathivat family, one ofThailand's wealthiest. The investment was through its TiangChirathivat Real Estate Co. Ltd., not the family's main listedunit, Central Pattana Pcl. Tiang Chirathivat is the name of Central Group's founder,who started the multibillion-dollar empire in 1947 when heopened a general merchandise store importing luxury goods fromoverseas. His sons and grandchildren manage the group withassets including the KFC fast food franchise, Central PlazaHotel Pcl, a stake in retailer Big C Supercenter Pcl, and amajor share of the Bangkok Post, Thailand's biggest circulationEnglish-language newspaper.

To contact the reporter on this story:Lee J. Miller in Bangkok at (66) (2) 654-7306 orlmiller@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Beth Jinks in Bangkok at (66) (2) 654-7314 orbjinks1@bloomberg.net

Barking mad?

2006-05-28T13:23:00.000+02:00

U.K. Council to Teach Pet Owners to Speak `Dog,' Telegraph Says2006-05-17 04:23 (New York)

By Toby Anderson May 17 (Bloomberg) -- A U.K. local authority is offeringpet owners free lessons to talk ``dog'' as it seeks to fightagainst nuisance barking, the Daily Telegraph reported, citingofficials. Peterborough City Council will, with the help of theDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, teach dogowners to understand the meaning of their pets' barking, thenewspaper said.

Owners will be taught to distinguish betweenbarking that signifies, for example, territoriality andattention seeking, frustration and wanting to play.

About 15 percent of the 1,4000 complaints that the city'snoise pollution team receives on average each year involve dogsbarking, according to the report. Across the U.K. that figure is even higher, with about one quarter of complaints involving dognoise.

The lessons will include advice from a dog behaviorist, avet, and a head nurse who will explain why dogs bark and whatthey are saying, the Telegraph reported.

(Daily Telegraph 5-17 p3)
For the Daily Telegraph's Web site, click {TGRF }

To contact the reporter on this story:Toby Anderson in London at (44) (20) 7673 2695 ortanderson7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Chris Collins at (44) (20) 7330 7902 orcollinsc@bloomberg.net.

Pieter en Anca is in die Groot Appel

2006-05-28T08:00:00.000+02:00

Net betyds vir ... Memorial Day!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ncdhtml/hasmhome.html> ). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
<http://www.usmemorialday.org/images/logan4a40426r.jpg>

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11 <http://www.usmemorialday.org/order11.html> , and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 ( P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," <http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html#1> Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy program <http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.levelc&cid=127> was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp <http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html#2> with her likeness on it.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program <http://www.nps.gov/frsp/luminari.htm> ). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance<http://www.usmemorialday.org/speeches/president/may0200.txt> " resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ' Taps <http://www.usmemorialday.org/taps.html> ."

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate <http://www.usmemorialday.org/act.html#bill> which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House ( H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.
Sign the Petition <http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/994208286>
in support of bill S 189

To date, there has been no further developments on the bill. Please write your Representative <http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html> and your Senators <http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm> , urging them to support these bills. You can also contact Mr. Inouye <http://www.senate.gov/~inouye/webform.html> and Mr. Gibbons <http://wwwc.house.gov/gibbons/contact_feedback.asp> to let them know of your support.

Die Ierse familie

2006-05-26T09:06:00.000+02:00

Danksy ons Ierse oupa, kan ons ook Iere word. Hier is Benoit (ons nefie) saam met Jessy (die Ierse tannie).

Denis O'Leary (die Ierse oupa) sou Sondag verjaar het.

Jacob Zuma was ook amper Amerika toe...

2006-05-26T07:50:00.000+02:00

...volgens Madam & Eve!

In die spore van Mbeki ;-)

2006-05-26T07:46:00.000+02:00

Nou wag Lady Liberty...

2006-05-24T11:42:00.000+02:00

...anderkant die aarde! Pieter en Anca vlieg Saterdag, maar spook nog tussendeur met werk, huisreparasies en eksamens!

Pieter se eerste bestemming buite London... Dover!

2006-05-23T09:43:00.000+02:00

Dover

Dover is ‘n belangrike kanaal-hawe in Kent. Dover is bekend vir haar wit kranse, wat uit kalk bestaan. Hierdie kranse het Brittanje die bynaam Albion besorg, dit beteken "wit". Die dorp se naam kom van die Brutoonse woord Dubrās ("die water"). Die Franse noem dit Douvres, uitgespreek [duv].

Die feit dat dit so naby aan Europa is – dis maar 34 kilometer van die Franse hawe, Calais – maak Dover een van die Verenigde Koninkryk se besigste kanaal-hawens. Ongeveer 18 miljoen passasiers gaan jaarliks deur die dorp. Daar is gereelde ferries tussen Dover en Calais en Dunkerque. Daar is ook ‘n catamaran diens na Boulogne.

Geskiedenis
Dover is al vir millennia ‘n belangrike hawe.

Brons-tydperk

In 1992 is ‘n boot wat uit die bronstydperk dateer op ‘n diepte van 6 meter ontdek. Dis een van die oudste seevaartuie wat ooit ontdek is. Die boot dateer (volgens koolstof-analises) uit ongeveer 1550 voor Christus.

Die Langdon Bay hoard, wat in 1974 aan die kus by Dover ontdek is, het brons akse van Franse oorsprong aan boord gehad. Dit sou daarop kon dui dat die handeldrywery oor die kanaal terugdateer tot in die bronstydperk. Die bote kan word uitgestal in die Dover Museum op die Markplein.

Romeinse tydperk

In die Romeinse tye het die dorp ‘n gefortifiseerde hawe, Portus Dubris, geword. Dover was die beginpunt van die Watling Straat Romeinse pad.

Ongeveer AD 50 het die Romeine twee ligtorings gebou, een aan elke kant van die destyse rivier. Een staan nog steeds binne die gronde van die Dover Kasteel, dis een van die oudste geboue in Brittanje. Die "Painted House" is a Roman vesting uit ongeveer AD 200 en een van die bes bewaarde Romeinse huise in Brittanje.

Anglo-Sakse

In die Anglo-Saksiese tye is ‘n fort gebou. Dit was die eerste deel van wat later Dover Kasteel sou word. In 1216, is Dover deur die Franse aangeval en suksesvol verdedig deur Hubert de Burgh.

20ste Eeu

Die Duitsers het Dover gereeld aangeval tydens die Eerste Wêreldoorlog.

The Simpsons as philosophy

2006-05-22T10:07:00.000+02:00

Pieter se gunsteling comic? Die Simpsons... en nou het dit blykbaar intellektuele waarde ;-)

The Simpsons is more than a funny cartoon, it reveals truths about human nature that rival the observations of great philosophers from Plato to Kant... while Homer sets his house on fire, says philosopher Julian Baggini.

With the likes of Douglas Coupland, George Walden and Stephen Hawking as fans, taking the Simpsons seriously is no longer outre but de rigeur.

It is, quite simply, one of the greatest cultural artefacts of our age. So great, in fact, that it not only reflects and plays with philosophical ideas, it actually does real philosophy, and does it well.
How can a comic cartoon do this? Precisely because it is a comic cartoon, the form best suited to illuminate our age.

To speak truthfully and insightfully today you must have a sense of the absurdity of human life and endeavour. Past attempts to construct grand and noble theories about human history and destiny have collapsed.

We now know we're just a bunch of naked apes trying to get on as best we can, usually messing things up, but somehow finding life can be sweet all the same. All delusions of a significance that we do not really have need to be stripped away, and nothing can do this better that the great deflater: comedy.

The satirical cartoon world is essentially a philosophical one because it reflects reality by abstracting it, distilling it and presenting it back to us, illuminating it more brightly than realist fiction can The Simpsons does this brilliantly, especially when it comes to religion. It's not that the Simpsons is atheist propaganda; its main target is not belief in God or the supernatural, but the arrogance of particular organised religions that they, amazingly, know the will of the creator.
For example, in the episode Homer the Heretic, Homer gives up church and decides to follow God in his own way: by watching the TV, slobbing about and dancing in his underpants.
Throughout the episode he justifies himself in a number of ways.

"What's the big deal about going to some building every Sunday, I mean, isn't God everywhere?"

"Don't you think the almighty has better things to worry about than where one little guy spends one measly hour of his week?"

"And what if we've picked the wrong religion? Every week we're just making God madder and madder?"

Homer's protests do not merely allude to much subtler arguments that proper philosophers make. The basic points really are that simple, which is why they can be stated simply.

Philosophy's First Family

Of course, there is more that can and should be said about them, but when we make decisions about whether or not to follow one particular religion, the reasons that really matter to us are closer to the simple truths of the Simpsons than the complex mental machinations of academic philosophers of religion.

And that's true even for the philosophers, whose high-level arguments are virtuosi feats of reasoning, but are not the things that win hearts and minds. They are merely the lengthy guitar solos to Homer's crushing, compelling riffs.

However, being simple is not the same as being simplistic, which is one of the greatest crimes in the Simpsons' universe.

We can see this when Homer's house catches fire, in what could be seen as divine retribution for his apostasy.

But what actually led to the fire was not God's wrath but Homer's hubris and arrogance. Sitting on his sofa thinking smugly, "Boy, everyone is stupid except me," he falls asleep, dropping his cigar.

What really caused the fire was thus a slippage from the simple into the simplistic. Homer's mistake was to think that because the key points which inform his heresy are simple, that the debate is closed and he has nothing left to learn from others. But this is being simplistic, not keeping things simple.

Small dots, big picture

Revealing simple truths about simplistic falsehoods is not just a minor philosophical task, like doing the washing up at Descartes' Diner while the real geniuses cook up the main courses.
For when it comes to the relevance of philosophy to real life, all the commitments we make on the big issues are determined by considerations which are ultimately quite straightforward.

Pointillist paintings, such as this by Seurat, use thousands of tiny dotsA rich philosophical worldview is in this sense like a pointillist picture - one of those pieces of art in which a big image is made up of thousands of tiny dots (see Seurat image, right). Its building blocks are no more than simple dots, but the overall picture which builds up from this is much more complicated.
Yet we need reminding that the dots are just dots, and that errors are made more often not by those who fail to examine the dots carefully enough, but those who become fixated by the brilliance or defects of one or two and who fail to see how they fit into the big picture.
And the Simpsons certainly plays out on a broad canvas.

Any individual or group is shown to be ridiculous when only their pathetic and partial view of the world is taken to be everything. That's why no one escapes satire in programme, which is vital for its ultimately uplifting message: we're an absurd species but together we make for a wonderful world.

The Simpsons, like Monty Python, is an Anglo-Saxon comedic take on the existentialism which in France takes on a more tragic hue. Albert Camus' absurd is defied not by will, but mocking laughter.

Abstract themes
Another reason why cartoons are the best form in which to do philosophy is that they are non-realistic in the same way that philosophy is.

True heir to Plato, Simpsons creator Matt GroeningPhilosophy needs to be real in the sense that it has to make sense of the world as it is, not as we imagine or want it to be. But philosophy deals with issues on a general level. It is concerned with a whole series of grand abstract nouns: truth, justice, the good, identity, consciousness, mind, meaning and so on.

Cartoons abstract from real life in much the same way philosophers do. Homer is not realistic in the way a film or novel character is, but he is recognisable as a kind of American Everyman. His reality is the reality of an abstraction from real life that captures its essence, not as a real particular human who we see ourselves reflected in.

The satirical cartoon world is essentially a philosophical one because to work it needs to reflect reality accurately by abstracting it, distilling it and then presenting it back to us, illuminating it more brightly than realist fiction can.

That's why it is no coincidence that the most insightful and philosophical cultural product of our time is a comic cartoon, and why its creator, Matt Groening, is the true heir of Plato, Aristotle and Kant.

Van Dover na New York

2006-05-22T07:46:00.000+02:00

Hier is Pieter op sy eerste trippie uit London uit. Hy het met die bus gery tot in Dover en van daar met die ferry na Frankryk. Die trippies is ook bekend as 'booze cruises', want die belasting net oor die kanaal op alkohol, sigarette en sjokolade is baie laag en dan gaan koop die Britte so.

Hierdie naweek (27/5/2006) vlieg hy en Anca New York toe. Daar was darem 'n paar trippies tussnin waarvan ek later meer sal vertel.

Toe Pieter London toe is...

2006-05-18T09:53:00.000+02:00

... het dit (vir my) gevoel of die hele land agter hom aan is. Hy het Chris Barnard ontmoet in Harrods. Chris Barnard het Pieter se kopie van sy boek geteken.

Ons president was ook daar! Hier is die Madam en Eve strokies van 5 jaar gelede...

Airbus A380 makes first UK visit

2006-05-18T08:11:00.000+02:00

The A380 made its first flight in April 2005Aviation history will be made in London as the world's biggest passenger jet touches down at the world's biggest international airport.

The 555-seat Airbus A380 will fly from Berlin to Heathrow for its first UK visit, after taking a minor detour.

The 240ft long plane will dip its wings as it flies over the Airbus sites that designed and made them, at Broughton in North Wales and Filton, near Bristol.

It will undergo compatibility tests at Heathrow before flying out on Friday.

Aviation milestone

Heathrow operator BAA is spending £450m so that it is ready to handle the A380 when it starts making commercial flights later this year.

It's an efficient and clean and environmentally friendly aircraft, and it has lower fuel consumption per seat, and produces less noise and emissions than older aircraft.

The aircraft will be met at the airport's new £105m pier 6 at Heathrow's Terminal 3, and money has also been spent resurfacing runways, upgrading lighting and building new taxiways.
Developed by the European Airbus consortium for about £6bn, the A380 has been heralded as a major milestone in aviation history.

The jet maker has taken 159 firm orders for the plane from 16 carriers, including Singapore Airlines, which will make the inaugural commercial flight on its route between Sydney, Singapore and London later this year.

Airports Council International represents the world's airport operators and its spokesman, David Gamper, told BBC Radio Five Live: "It's an efficient and clean and environmentally friendly aircraft, and it has lower fuel consumption per seat, and produces less noise and emissions than older aircraft, and for airports it should increase their ability to handle passengers."

Uit en tuis...

2006-05-18T07:54:00.000+02:00

Ek het ongelukkig (of dalk gelukkig?) nie foto's van al die plekke waar Pieter gebly het nie. Hy het in Youth Hostels gebly en later in huise saam met hordes ander Suid-Afrikaners.

Die voordeel van die 'Afrikaanse huise' was dat hulle vir mekaar pakkies saamgeneem het. Die nadele... ja, wel.

Pieter het saam met Richard en Jenny in hierdie huis gebly. As ek reg onthou was Jenny 'n verpleegster en Richard het vir een van die MP's gewerk. Hulle was albei Britte en ek het die idee gekry dat Pieter dit geniet om hulle te treiter.

Hy het een keer vir Richard biltong gekoop en dit (met instruksies) oorhandig. Die arme Brit moes (voete in die lug) 'n bier in een hand hou terwyl hy rugby kyk en dan moes hy die gedroogde rou vleis eet.

Dink nie Pieter mis hulle baie nie ;-)

Daar is nie UFO's in London nie ;-)

2006-05-16T09:01:00.000+02:00

British skies 'UFO free' 15/05/2006 22:57 - (SA)

London - None of the numerous UFOs reported over Britain in the last 30 years was a flying saucer, the government said on Monday as it released previously secret defence files probing mysterious aerial sightings.

The declassified study - Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) in the UK Air Defence Region - concluded that such UAP do exist and are "usually described as coloured lights and sometimes as shapes".

"Very occasionally they are reported with sound and even with smell," it added.
But it noted that "reports occur because they comprise unfamiliar and unexpected lights, shapes and patterns, in the context in which the observer sees them. The phenomena occur on a daily, worldwide basis".

Man-made objects, such as airplanes, are also often mis-seen or are actually meteors re-entering the Earth's atmosphere causing "buoyant plasmas".

Rare weather, atmospheric conditions or other "barely understood" natural events could also be causes.

"There is no evidence that any UAP seen in the UKADR are incursions by objects of any intelligent (extra-terrestrial or foreign) origin, or that they represent any hostile intent," the unnamed author of the report said.

"There is no evidence that 'solid' objects exist which could cause a collision hazard."
The study, which aimed to assess whether Britain was threatened by UAPs and "should the opportunity arise, to identify any potential military technologies of interest", concluded there was "nothing of defence intelligence value".

But it warned air force pilots, who are most likely to encounter such phenomena, not to try to intercept UAPs because of the threat of collision.

The report, marked "Secret. For UK Eyes Only", was made public following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Oeps!

2006-05-16T07:57:00.000+02:00

BBC had the wrong Guy15/05/2006 22:57 - (SA)

Beatles bite dust in Apple suit
London - The BBC interviewed the wrong Guy.

The network has apologised to its viewers for a studio mix up that resulted in a mystery man appearing on live television as Guy Kewney - an expert on internet music downloads.

In fact the mystery man was Guy Goma, a Congolese man applying for a technology-related job with the BBC, who followed an employee to the studio after a mistake at a reception desk, the corporation said late on Monday.

"We interviewed the wrong person," a spokesperson said on Monday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with company policy.

"We apologise to viewers for any confusion."

The case of mistaken identity occurred on May 8 - the day Britain's high court awarded Apple Computer a victory in a lawsuit against Apple Corps, The Beatles' commercial arm.

In a reaction piece following the verdict, the BBC News 24 consumer affairs correspondent Karen Bowerman ostensibly welcomed computer expert Kewney.

Panic

After she introduced the apparent expert, there was a moment when Goma winced as he was introduced as someone else.

He scrunched his face in panic and tried to open his mouth as if to explain.
"Were you surprised by this verdict today?" Bowerman asked.

"I'm very surprised to see the verdict come on me because I was not expecting that," he said in a heavy French accent, blinking in the studio lights.

"When I came, they told me something else."

Nonplussed, he pressed on, growing more confident in his punditry as the interview progressed.
He gamely delivered his opinion on the future of music downloads and cyber cafes following the landmark verdict.

Meanwhile, the real Kewney, who was waiting to be taken to the studio, looked up on a monitor and found another man ensconced in the interviewee's chair.

Reputation

"What would you feel, if while you were sitting in that rather chilly reception area, you suddenly saw yourself not sitting in reception, but live, on TV?

"A bit surprised?" Kewney wrote on his web log.

Kewney, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, said on his blog that he was amused at first - but then considered that viewers would think he did not know his subject, hurting his reputation.

Kewney and other media outlets originally reported that Goma was a cab driver - though the BBC later said the reports were inaccurate.

'Bit rushed'

Producers apparently realised by the end of the interview that something had gone wrong - and, after they had gone off the air, asked their "expert" if there was a problem.

"He said it was OK, but that 'I was a bit rushed'," Kewney wrote on his blog.

Goma told the BBC his interview was stressful, but added he was prepared to return to the airwaves.

He said he was "happy to speak about any situation", the BBC reported.

Pieter, die Ier ;-)

2006-05-15T09:07:00.000+02:00

Hier is Pieter by die Ierse ambassade in London.

Hy was die eerste Ier in ons gesin. Ester het intussen ook aansoek gedoen vir haar Ierse burgerskap en ek is besig met myne.

Eleanor

2006-05-15T08:05:00.000+02:00

Eleanor werk by Nampak in Johannesburg. Sy was oor Paasnaweek in London en het Pieter en Anca ontmoet. Sy het hierdie foto's geneem (en laat neem).

Sy het vir hulle iets saamgeneem en my (baie belangrike) Ierse dokumente saam gebring. Dankie BLommetjie ;-)

Pieter se eerste poskaart uit London...

2006-05-15T07:55:00.000+02:00

Die kommunikasie met Pieter in sy eerste paar weke in London was nogal ingewikkeld. Hy was afhanklik van internet-kafees en het nog nie 'n mobile gehad nie. Hy het email gestuur, af en toe 'n poskaart op briefie met foto's...

Dis darem nou baie makliker! Landlyne, mobiles, email by die huis en werk en Skype!

Pieter se eerste werk in London...

2006-05-11T11:21:00.000+02:00

...was by die Chelsea Flower Show.

Die foto is van Suid-Afrika se uitstalling in 2001. Pieter het selfs 'n radio-onderhoud gehad te danke aan sy aksent op daardie stadium ;-)

Die Flower Show is 'n jaarlikse skou. Hierdie jaar s'n is van 22-25 Mei.

Dis lente in London!

2006-05-11T11:17:00.000+02:00

Ek het hierdie foto van kersiebloeisels op die BBC se webwerf gekry. Hulle nooi die Britte om hulle lente-foto's in te stuur. Mooi, ne?

Die getye, kruisings en trivia oor die Teems

2006-05-10T09:10:00.000+02:00

Getye in die rivier

Omtrent 90 kilometer van die see af, by Teddington, begin die rivier om gety-aktiwiteit te toon. London is (volgens oorlewering) in AD 43 die hoofstad van die Britse Rome gemaak op die plek waar die gety op sy hoogste was. Daar is nog daagliks hoog- en laagwater in London.

Daar is verskeie brûe oor die Teems en ook tonnels onder deur, onder hulle tel:

Dartford Crossing
Thames Barrier
Blackwall Tunnel
Rotherhithe Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
Tower Bridge
London Bridge
Millennium Bridge
Hungerford Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Marlow Bridge

Daar is ook ‘n hele paar eilande in die Teems, onder hulle tel:

Isle of Sheppey
Canvey Island
Isle of Grain
Eel Pie Island, Twickenham
Magna Carta Island, Runnymede
Fry's Island, Reading (De Montfort Island)

Kyk gerus Islands in the River Thames (Wikipedia) vir ‘n volledige lys.

Letterkunde:

Die rivier word genoem (in meer en minder detail in):

Three Men in a Boat deur Jerome K. Jerome , Connie Willis se To Say Nothing of the Dog. Die Liddells roei op die rivier aan die begin van Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Dit word genoem in The Wind in the Willows en in Toad of Toad Hall. Daar is ook Sherlock Holmes se soektog na ‘n boot in The Sign of Four. In Oliver Twist, vermoor Bill Sikes Nancy naby die rivier.

In Dickens se Our Mutual Friend word ‘n dooie man uit die rivier gehaal:

In these times of ours, though concerning the exact year there is no need to be precise, a boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark bridge which is of iron, and London Bridge which is of stone, as an autumn evening was closing in.

Die rivier is ook sentraal in die Engelse sportkalender met die Universiteits Bootresies tussen die Universiteit van Oxford en die Universiteit van Cambridge tussen Putney en Mortlake. Die Henley Royal Regatta is ‘n ander roeikompetisie by Henley-on-Thames; dis ook belangrik op die sosiale kalender.

Trivia

Die Sex Pistols het hulle konsert gehou op die Queen Elizabeth Riverboat gehou op die koningin se silwer jubilee op 7 Junie 1977 terwyl hulle op die rivier gevaar het.

Op 20 Januarie 2006, is ‘n 5 meter lange bottelneus walvis in die rivier opgemerk. Dit was baie ongewoon aangesien die soort walvis eintlik net in die diepsee voorkom. ‘n Reddingspan het probeer om die walvis te red, maar die outjie is uiteindelik dood.

Kliek hier vir al die feite: River Thames whale.

Godsdiens

Wanneer ‘n Rooms Katoliek oorgaan na die Anglikaanse kerk, word gesê: "that person swum the Thames". Die teenoorgestelde is "swimming the Tiber".

En daarmee... voorlopig selah oor die rivier ;-)

Die Teems

2006-05-10T08:23:00.000+02:00

Die Teems (Thames) (uitgespreek temz) vloei deur die suide van Engeland en verbind London met die see.

Die geskiedenis van die rivier word terug getrek na die ystydperk. Ek gaan nie die hele storie hier vertel nie, maar kyk gerus na Wikipedia vir meer info.

In die sestiende en sewentiende eeu was die rivier ‘n belangrike vervoermiddel tussen London en Westminster (julle sal onthou dat dit toe aparte stede was).

In die sewentiende en agtiende eeue het die rivier gereeld gevries. Dit was die periode wat nou bekend staan as Little Ice Age. Dit het gelei tot die eerste Frost Fair in 1607, ‘n hele tentstad is opgerig met verskeie vermaaklikhede soos ysbouls. Sedert 1814 het die rivier nog nie weer heeltemal gevries nie. Die nuwe London Bridge (wat in 1825 gebou is), mag iets daarmee te doen hê – dit het minder pilare en laat die rivier toe om vryer te vloei.

Teen die agtiende eeu was die Teems een van die wêreld se besigste waterweë. In hierdie bloeitydperk het een van die ergste waterrampe in Engeland plaasgevind. Die plesierboot,Princess Alice het gebots met die Bywell Castle en meer as 640 mense is dood.

Tydens die 'Great Stink' in 1858, was die besoedeling so erg dat die House of Commons in Westminster hulle sittings gestaak het. ‘n Projek om die rivier skoon te maak is van stapel gestuur onder leiding van die ingenieur Joseph Bazalgette. Die rivier is vandag amptelik die skoonste een wat deur ‘n wêreldstad vloei.

Met die koms van spoor- en padvervoer en die verkleining van die Ryk na 1914 het die rivier minder belangrik geword. London tel nie regtig meer as hawestad nie.

In die 1980’s is ‘n vloedbeheermeganisme, die Thames Barrier, geopen. Dit word dikwels toegemaak om te verhinder dat laer liggende dele oorstroom word.

Die rivier is 346 km lank en ontspring sowat ‘n myl noord van Kemble, naby Cirenceste. Dit vloei onder andere deur Lechlade, Oxford (waar dit bekend is as River Isis, ‘n ander weergawe van Tamesis, die Latynse naam), Abingdon, Wallingford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Maidenhead, Windsor, Eton, Staines and Weybridge, die Greater London area. Van Greater London af vloei dit deur Syon House, Hampton Court, Kingston, Richmond en Kew en dan sentrale London. sentrale London, is die rivier ‘n lewensaar, van die Palace of Westminster (Parlement) na die Tower of London. Na dit deur sentrale London is, vloei dit deur Greenwich and Dartford voor die die see bereik by Southend-on-Sea.

Ek vertel in die volgende blog meer oor getye, eilande en herwinning.

Die Saatchi Gallery

2006-05-09T11:51:00.000+02:00

Introduction to The Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery has always aimed to provide an innovative forum for contemporary art, presenting work by largely unseen young artists or by established international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK.

The audience for exhibitions of contemporary art has increased widely during the last ten years as general awareness and interest in contemporary art has developed in Britain.

When The Saatchi Gallery first opened twenty years ago it was only those people who had a dedicated interest in contemporary art who sought out the gallery to see work by new artists. The audience, however, built steadily over the years and the gallery now receives over 600,000 visitors a year, and over 1,000 schools have organised student visits.

The Saatchi Gallery has worked with media sponsors on a number of shows including The Observer, The Sunday Times, Evening Standard, The Independent on Sunday and Time Out.

Many artists showing at The Saatchi Gallery are unknown when first exhibited, not only to the general public but also to the commercial art world. Many of these artists are subsequently offered shows by galleries and museums internationally. In this effect, the gallery also operates as a springboard for young artists to launch their careers.

I won't go on and on - Blair

2006-05-09T07:25:00.000+02:00

I won't go on and on - Blair08/05/2006 14:47 - (SA)

Related stories:

Brown unaware of Blair's plans
Iran swipes at Blair
Embattled Blair faces revolt
Blair 'is a fighter'
Blair fires top ministers
Blair suffers big poll defeat
Blair: Cons will be deported
Blair braces for poll pounding

London - Prime Minister Tony Blair, under pressure within his party to set a date for retirement after a poor showing in local elections, said on Monday he has no intention "to go on and on and on" but again refused to set a timetable for standing down.

Blair said he still intended, as he said before the 2005 national election, to stand aside before the next national vote.

"To state a timetable would simply paralyse the proper working of government, put at risk the necessary changes we are making for Britain and therefore damage the country. It wouldn't end this distraction but merely take it to a new level," Blair said at his monthly news conference.
Senior allies of the prime minister urged party members to be calm following Labour's third-place showing in English local elections last week and a wide-ranging shake-up of Blair's Cabinet.
Will be a new leader

Some Labour lawmakers were circulating a draft letter calling for Blair to set a date for stepping down, a legislator from the party told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Blair said he believed some of his critics were simply concerned to insure that there was a smooth transition to a new leader, widely expected to be Treasury chief Gordon Brown.
"There are also those whose desire is to change radically the direction of policy and not to renew New Labour but to reverse it," Blair said of his persistent critics on the left of the party.
"That way lies not a fourth term victory, but defeat and a return to opposition, and I will fight that all the way.

"I have said that there will be a stable and orderly transition to a new leader. I will see that this is done, because it is in the interests of this country. But it is also in the interests of this country that we get on with the business of governing."

The prime minister's reference to "going on and on and on" recalled the words of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was eventually forced out of office after 11 years.

Rapport se reaksie op die sultan en sy olifant

2006-05-08T07:39:00.000+02:00

06/05/2006 20:10 - (SA) Sultan se olifant stel koningin se koets in skadu
PIETER MALAN

Londen Prag, praal en seremonie is niks snaaks in Londen nie - die stad is immers die tuiste van 'n koningin wat gereeld in 'n goue koets deur die strate ry.

Maar voortaan sal alle verskynings van koningin Elizabeth II gemeet word aan die prag, praal en wonder van die dag toe die sultan Londen besoek het met sy drie verdieping hoë olifant.
Waar die sultan vandaan kom, weet niemand nie. 'n Eksotiese, ouwêreldse Midde-Oosterse koninkryk miskien?

Die sultan en sy olifant is die werk van 'n Franse teatergroep, Royal de Luxe.
Vergeet van silwerstandbeelde op Leicester Square wat beweeg elke keer as jy 'n pennie in hul hoed gooi. Hierdie is straatteater op nywerheidskaal met marionette groter as busse wat met hyskrane opgetel moet word.

Die sultan se olifant is 'n reusagtige meganiese gedierte wat 40 ton weeg. Sy logge bewegings, swaaiende slurp en wapperende ore herinner so baie aan sy regte Afrikabroers dat dit kindertjies in trane laat uitbars.

As hy water oor die skare spuit of sy olifantasem oor hulle blaas, ril die mense van plesier.
Dit kos 'n peloton van minstens twaalf poppemeesters om hom aan die beweeg te hou. Op sy rug ry die sultan en sy gevolg - op soek na die meisietjie van sy drome.

Hy het haar Vrydag gekry op Horse Guard's Parade naby St. James's Park. Hy kon haar nie mis nie, want sy is bitter ver van "klein" af. Sy is 'n reuse-marionet wat 6 meter in haar sokkies staan.

Sy het vroeër die dag, met behulp van 'n reuse-hyskraan, uit 'n vuurpyl geklim wat gedurende die nag in Waterloo Place geland het. Nadat die olifant haar koel geblaas en haar voete met sy slurp afgespuit het, het sy op 'n skopfiets geklim om die strate van Londen te verken.

Hoe die fantasmagoriese skouspel gaan eindig, weet ons nie. Die laaste bedryf speel eers Sondag in Londen se strate af. Maar intussen geniet die sultan veel meer aandag in die koningin se stad as die koningin self.

Ek word sommer groen, kyk wat is die naweek (gratis) in London!

2006-05-05T09:39:00.000+02:00

The Sultan's Elephant (BBC)

The Sultan's ElephantYour questions answered about London's largest free theatre spectacular... We've heard it's big and supposed to be breathtaking, but what is it exactly?

Are you ready for a 42-ton elephant? It's a fairy-tale event for children and adults alike, set on the streets of London over the course of the coming weekend (4 - 7 May) and featuring a vast, 42-ton mechanical elephant, a time-travelling Sultan and his retinue - and a few surprises as well.

Such as? We've been sworn to secrecy but there are large-scale puppets and moving figures involved, a Grand Parade, and a hefty dose of illusion and magic. The main idea is that the event will unfold and evolve in surprising ways as the weekend progresses.

Where's it happening?

"We wanted to reassert the importance of monumental live performance in the life of a city's culture..."
Helen Marriage of Artichoke, producers of the event

In central London - in the streets of Westminster, taking in Horse Guards Parade, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and St James' Park. You'll also be able to catch the event as it proceeds along various locations such as Parliament Square, Knightsbridge, Kensington High Street, Park Lane, Oxford Street, Clerkenwell Road, Ludgate Circus and Holborn Viaduct.

A nightmare for traffic then?

The Sultan's Elephant will unavoidably bring traffic to a standstill and close roads wherever it goes. A rolling programme of road closures will come into force for strictly limited periods only. There will be some disruption but remember too, that some parts of the route are regularly given over to political demonstrations, ceremonial events and sporting triumphs like the London Marathon.

Who's behind the event?

France's leading street arts company, Royal de Luxe. They're not well known over here, but they've been going for 30 years and have performed all over the world, specialising in shows involving gigantic, moving figures up to forty feet high such as The Giant who fell out of the sky, which has been seen in Calais and Barcelona. The Sultan's Elephant has been four years in the planning and is said to be inspired by the stories of Jules 'Around the World in 80 Days' Verne.
And who's paying - it's not coming out of our Council Tax is it?

In a word, no. The event is being funded mainly by Arts Council England and the London Development Agency, with support from private funders and the co-operation of Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Parks and Transport for London.
What's the best way to experience the show?

First, it isn't necessary to watch the show for all four days. In fact, the spectacle proper really begins on Friday (5 May) and it doesn't matter if you dip in and out over the course of the weekend. Do be prepared to walk and follow the event on foot to get the most out of it. And it's probably best to travel into central London this weekend by public transport.

And the best places to see and catch a flavour of the whole thing?

We don't want to spoil the magic, but we won't be giving too much away in detailing these set-pieces: there's a major surprise in store at Horse Guards Parade on Friday from 2pm and again in the same place from 10am on Saturday (6 May). Mayor Ken will be greeting the Sultan and his Elephant in Trafalgar Square later on Saturday at 1pm before the Parade begins, and you really should get to the finalé in Horse Guards Parade on Sunday (7 May) at 5.30pm. One more thing: bring your camera or mobile. We want your pictures of the event across the weekend wherever you can catch it - and there's a terrific prize for the best photo!

RELATED LINKS:

Route Map >
Jam Cams >
The Show Begins >
Royal de Luxe Photos >
Sultan's Elephant website >

Ons weet wat met Humpty Dumpty gebeur het, maar...

2006-05-05T09:27:00.000+02:00

...kan jy London weer heelmaak? Kyk na die oulike slider games by http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/games/sliders/slider1.shtml.

Klap vir die monarg?

2006-05-05T08:44:00.000+02:00

Tussauds snubs Charles (News 24)

Shanghai - Britain's Prince Charles, who caused a stir by describing Chinese officials as "appalling old waxworks", has failed to make the cut at Shanghai's new Madame Tussauds Museum.

Charles's late wife, Princess Diana, and their elder son, Prince William, are on display, while soccer star David Beckham and his pop singer wife, Victoria, rub shoulders with celebrity Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Charles's unflattering reference was contained in a diary he kept during a visit to Hong Kong in 1997 for the handover of the former British colony to China. A British newspaper published the diaries last November.

The Shanghai museum, which opened on Monday, is the sixth Madame Tussauds. The others are in London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York and Hong Kong.

The China Daily said the most popular of the 70-plus figures on opening day was that of the late Hong Kong singer and movie star Leslie Cheung.

En soms...

2006-05-03T09:09:00.000+02:00

...gaan hulle weg uit London! Hulle was in Griekeland, België, Praag, Frankryk, Holland, 'n paar plekke in die UK en aan die einde van Mei gaan hulle New York toe!

Verlede jaar het hulle gaan kyk toe die Bokke gewen het in Wallis!

16 - 33

2006-05-03T07:57:00.000+02:00

Onthou julle toe die bokke gewen het? Verlede jaar (2005)? In Wallis? Pieter en Anca was daar!

Die kommentaar van SA Rugby (http://www.sarfu.org.za/)

It might not have been as emphatic on the field as it was on the scoreboard, but the Springboks would have been well pleased with the 33-16 win over Wales as an ideal confidence builder for next week’s clash with France in Paris.

Click here for our live text commentary.

After the All Blacks ran all over Wales a few weeks back, many were expecting something similar from the world’s best team. But the simple reality was that on the day the Welsh played a great deal better than they had against the All Blacks, and John Smit’s team did well to survive the pressure and win with something to spare.

The Boks were always ahead, and they scored four tries to one. Although they were only 11-6 ahead at halftime, they could have been a lot further ahead had they nailed down the several opportunities that were wasted, and Percy Montgomery’s off-day with his goal-kicking boot kept the Boks from drawing clear.

Two of the Bok tries came from wing Bryan Habana, who proved that maybe a talking to from the coach can bring the desired results. Jake White told Habana to pull up his socks after the Argentina test in Buenos Aires, and Habana responded in kind with a busy performance which was impressive for much more than his two tries.

Both Habana’s tries were regulation efforts on a day when the Bok inside backs created more space and opportunities out wide than has generally been the case this year. His most impressive try would have been the one that he was prevented from scoring by what looked like a bit of obstruction from the Welsh backs.

Habana’s body language was very different from Argentina, and he looked to have back all the zip, flair and unpredictability which has seen him entered as one of the finalists in the IRB World Player of the Year competition.

But Habana was not the only Bok to end the game with reputation enhanced. Juan Smith had a mighty game as a ball carrier, every bit as outstanding as his performance in Buenos Aires, and for my money he was a shade better on the day than Bakkies Botha, who won the television Man of the Match award.

The Bok lineout forwards were outstanding, and it was off this phase that they created their forward platform. The scrumming, by contrast, was not as good as it had been in Argentina, and the Boks were pushed off their ball at an attacking scrum in the first half, prompting White to send Os du Randt onto the field as a replacement for Lawrence Sephaka.

The driving off the lineouts was also far more accurate and efficient in Argentina than it was in Cardiff, and there were again periods, particularly in the first half, when the Boks were too sloppy.

As in the first 40 against Argentina, there were elementary errors such as dropped passes and kicks which flew directly into touch. Michael Claassens, making his first start for his country at scrumhalf, was responsible for his fair share of these, and will look back on his first full outing in the green and gold with mixed feelings.

In amongst his mistakes Claassens also did some good things, and he successfully negated the Welsh attempts to place pressure on himself and new flyhalf Meyer Bosman.

The last mentioned name was probably the best reason for White to end this game feeling chuffed. He took a lot of flak in the build-up for his decision to field Meyer, a rookie who has made just eight provincial appearances, most of them as a replacement and very few of those at flyhalf.

But Meyer came through his baptism with flying colours, particularly considering that the service from his scrumhalf was not always great. His pick up from his ankles off one misdirected pass in the second half enabled him to free the backs outside him and put Conrad Jantjes in for his try.

If that was the moment in the match that proved Bosman’s class, there were several others where he showed he has the temperament to do well at top level. His kicking out of hand was mostly faultless, and while his distribution wasn’t always as accurate or polished as it should be, it was good enough.

He also did extremely well when he ended up having to cover two positions later in the game when fullback Percy Montgomery was sent from the field after two challenges which were hardly deserving of the action taken against him.

When Montgomery was off, Bosman did well in dropping back to field kicks and clear the Bok lines, particularly as this was a period when the Bok defence was scrambling a bit in the face of a late onslaught from a Welsh team that is always dangerous when it gets a chance to play with width.

Bosman weighed in with two goal kicks, one of them a difficult one from the touchline, something which suggests that he might go one better than the man he is compared so often to, Henry Honiball, by also offering possibilities as a points machine.

It is early days in Bosman’s career, and he was helped in Cardiff by the protection offered by the forwards, but certainly it was easy to see from the stands at Millennium Stadium what it is that makes White such a big Bosman fan. He is a big player, he is physical, and he is also skilled to boot. Let’s just say that after his first outing, there is a lot of potential.

Alongside Bosman was Jean de Villiers, who also had a much better match than he had in Buenos Aires. There was more emphasis on creative thrust from the inside centre/flyhalf channel than there has been at other times this year, and the two first half tries scored by Habana were both well executed efforts.

Certainly there is more than enough for White to be positive about ahead of the clash with France. Having said that, there are also points of concern, such as Montgomery’s goal kicking and the at times inconsistent scrimmaging.

There again, maybe we should give the Welsh pack more credit when it comes to the latter aspect of the game.

The Welsh, although denuded by injury, are the Six Nations champions, and they contributed to what was at times a quite edifying spectacle, particularly in the second half when they ran the ball at the Boks.

A 17-point defeat sounds like a big margin, but the hosts also have something to build on ahead of next week’s game against Australia. Slowly but surely their wide game is starting to come together again, the attacks are starting to become co-ordinated again, while the Welsh pack never allowed itself to be bowed by the physicality of the Boks.

Scores
South Africa – Tries: Bryan Habana 2, Conrad Jantjes and Danie Rossouw (replacement).Conversions: Meyer Bosman 2. Penalties: Percy Montgomery 3.
Wales – Try: Ceri Sweeney. Conversion: Stephen Jones. Penalties: Stephen Jones 3.

Pieter het al gesien hoe hulle op Twickenham en in Skotland verloor het. Dalk moes Anca lankal saam gegaan het...

Loop Blair dieselfde paadjie as die Ystervrou?

2006-05-02T09:21:00.000+02:00

Blair braces for poll pounding02/05/2006 08:15 - (SA)

Related stories:

Heads may roll in UK crisis
Blair backs top minister
Scandals could cost Blair job
Blair faces vital election test
Blair deputy 'had sex in office'
Blair government 'sleazy'
Sex, crime rocks Blair cabinet
British no 2 admits to adultery

London - British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government was still struggling to shake off accusations of incompetence and sleaze on Tuesday, just two days ahead of local elections.
British newspapers said Labour Party chiefs were preparing for heavy losses in Thursday's polls. The deputy and interior ministers are facing calls to quit in separate sex and prisoner scandals.
"Blair is braced for a bloodbath," wrote George Pascoe-Watson, political editor of The Sun, Britain's biggest-selling tabloid.

Blair is expected to reshuffle his embattled cabinet after the elections in a bid to regain public confidence.

Blair's own job also looks increasingly vulnerable. The recent wave of political crises battered support for his government and increased calls for Blair to fulfil a pledge to step down.
His deputy prime minister, John Prescott, 67, owned up to a two-year affair with his diary secretary, 43, last week. The admission prompted calls for him to resign.

A second woman has since claimed he seduced her and a third has accused the married father-of-two of sexual harassment.

Clarke is likely to face the chop

There was more bad news for the heavyweight Prescott in The Sun on Tuesday, which quoted an air hostess who accused him of being a "sex pest" who made bawdy remarks when she offered him some fruit on a trans-Atlantic flight.

British home secretary Charles Clarke's job is also on the line after his ministry failed to consider more than 1 000 foreign criminals for deportation after they were released from jail.
Political commentators see this scandal as much more serious than Prescott's sexual transgressions, and Clarke is considered most likely to face the chop.

Blair has turned down the home secretary's resignation offer twice. Clarke is adamant he will stay on to sort out the mess.

The Times newspaper said the home office was suffering "systematic management failure".
Clarke knew for more than three weeks

A Times editorial read: "Clarke would like to believe that he will remain at the helm, though his prime minister knows that one seriously embarrassing incident involving a putative deportee will be the end of him."

The newspaper speculated on who could replace Clarke should he resign or be pushed aside in a cabinet reshuffle. British Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton was the favourite, but "best placed to do the deed" said The Times, is Alan Johnson, the trade and industry secretary and a potential prime minister.

Officials confirmed on Monday that Clarke knew for more than three weeks - before telling Blair - that prisoners convicted of serious crimes were among the 1 023 foreign offenders mistakenly released.

Conservative home affairs spokesperson, David Davis, said he wanted Clarke to update MPs on the situation in the country's parliament on Tuesday.

UK pays heirs of Nazi-era (News 24)

2006-05-02T09:16:00.000+02:00

Related articles
Germany to open Holocaust files
Church applied Nazi race laws
War criminal too frail for jail
Rumsfeld: US needs to be in Iraq
Swastikas fly for Hitler comedy
London mayor suspended

London - British authorities agreed on Thursday to compensate the heirs of a Czech doctor whose Old Master drawings were looted by the Nazis and later acquired by the British Museum.
The government would pay 175 000 pounds ($312 000) to the heirs of Arthur Feldmann, an art collector whose property was stolen after the Nazis invaded then-Czechoslovakia.
Feldmann's grandson, Uri Peled, and the British Museum, had jointly proposed the compensation arrangement, which would allow the works to remain at the London institution.
Peled said: "On behalf of Dr Feldmann's heirs, I would like to express our delight that these drawings are remaining in the British Museum.

"We are sure that this is what our grandfather would have wanted, for them to be available to the public and for future research."

Spoliation Advisory Panel

The Gestapo seized the works from Feldmann's home in Brno. He was tortured and killed by the Nazis, and his wife, Gisela, died at Auschwitz.

The case was originally brought before Spoliation Advisory Panel - which resolved claims arising from looted Nazi-era property - now held in collections in the United Kingdom.

But, it was withdrawn after a high court judge ruled last year that the British Museum could not return the four drawings.

Under British law, museums must maintain the integrity of their collections - a case seen as a setback for all people who lost art to Nazi-era looters.

After the court case, the museum and Peled returned to the panel with a compensation request.
Peled said: "We felt strongly that the drawings ought to remain in the British Museum, whatever the British courts or parliament may decide about the powers of (British) museums and galleries to return art looted by the Nazis."

The drawings were "St Dorothy with the Christ Child", 1508, by a follower of Martin Schongauer, a German engraver; "Virgin and Child Adored by St Elizabeth and the Infant St John" by Martin Johann Schmidt, from the 18th century; "An Allegory on Poetic Inspiration with Mercury and Apollo" by the 18th-century English artist Nicholas Blakey, and "The Holy Family" by Niccolo dell'Abbate, the 16th-century Bolognese.

Bank Holidays

2006-04-28T10:48:00.000+02:00

Vandag is seker een van die onproduktiefste dae in SA. Hoekom? Gister was 'n vakansiedag en ek dink daar is net 10 van ons wat vandag werk in Johannesburg. Die ander hou lang naweek.

Die UK het soortgelyke probleme gehad tot hulle Bank Holidays ingestel het. Dit val op Vrydae of Maandae. Problem solved ;-)

Hulle vakansiedae is op:

1 January
2 January
17 March
St Patrick's Day (also Republic of Ireland)
The Friday before Easter Sunday
Good Friday
The day after Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
First Monday in May¹
Last Monday in May²
First Monday In June
12 July
Battle of the Boyne - Orangemen's Day
First Monday in August
Last Monday in August
Summer Bank Holiday
Last Monday in October
25 December
Christmas Day
26 December or 27 December ³
Boxing Day (St Stephen's Day in the Republic of Ireland)

Dus... geen probleme met dae tussen vakansiedae en naweke nie, want hulle vakansiedae maak dit reeds lang naweke.

Die naam Bank Holiday

The term started out referring to days when banks (in the U.K.) were closed so that bank employees could have a holiday. Before 1834, banks observed 33 days a year as bank holidays, and these were mostly saints' days and the typical church holidays like Christmas and Easter. In 1834, however, bank workers had most of those taken away such that the only holidays left were Good Friday, May 1st, November 1st, and Christmas Day. Yet, someone felt for the poor bank workers, so that in 1871, Sir John Lubbock's Act was passed, naming the following as bank holidays in England and Ireland: Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August, and Boxing Day (December 26). In Scotland they got New Year's Day, May Day, the first Monday in August, and Christmas Day. These holidays came to be appropriated by non-bank workers, but the term had already stuck. So, no matter for whom one works, one gets bank holidays. (www.takeourword.com).

Wat maak Harry nou?

2006-04-28T07:41:00.000+02:00

Prins Harry tydens 'n opvolgbesoek Maandag aan die Mants'ase-kinderhuis in Lintle, Lesotho. Hy het sy liefdadigheidsorganisasie Sentabale ("vergeet my nie" in Sotho, ter nagedagtenis aan sy ma, prinses Diana) van stapel gestuur.

Foto: John Stillwell, AP

Swart sambrele...

2006-04-26T09:17:00.000+02:00

... is 'n moet in London! Ek was 'n jaar gelede in London en Pieter en Anca het vir my my eie swart sambreel gegee. Toe dit later die dag gereën het, het ek mooi verstaan... al die sambrele daar is swart!

Hier is my pa met sy swart sambreel.

So van skepe gepraat...

2006-04-26T08:53:00.000+02:00

...'n rukkie gelede het 'n Amerikaner 5 boodskappe in bottels van Long Island af gestuur. Hy was baie opgewonde toe hy 'n antwoord kry, maar die ontvanger (ja, 'n Brit) was nie opgewonde nie.

Hier is die storie...

Message at sea 'litter'

Napeague - A boat captain who sent a message out to sea in a bottle says he received a reply from Britain - accusing him of littering.

"I kind of felt like no good deed goes unpunished," Harvey Bennett, 55, told the East Hampton Star.

The plastic bottle was one of five that Bennett placed in the ocean off New York's Long Island in August.

Last week, he excitedly opened a letter from England, and was stunned by the reply:
"I recently found your bottle while taking a scenic walk on the beach by Poole Harbour. While you may consider this some profound experiment on the path and speed" of "oceanic currents, I have another name for it, litter".

"You Americans don't seem to be happy unless you are mucking about somewhere," says the letter, signed by Henry Biggelsworth of Bournemouth, in Dorset county.

Bennett, who has a picture of the queen of England in his tackle shop, says that Poole Harbour is just a short distance from the place from which his ancestors embarked for America in 1644.
The New York Post carried the report on Friday, giving attribution to the East Hampton Star.
Bennett did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Friday.

Cutty Sark

2006-04-25T10:12:00.000+02:00

Die Cutty Sark was, in 1869, een van die laaste clippers wat gebou is en sy is die enigste klassieke clipper wat behoue gebly het. Sy lê nou in droogdokke in Greenwich (baie naby aan die National Maritime Museum en Greenwich tydlyn).

Die skip is vernoem na ‘n kort rompie wat beskryf word in die gedig Tam o' Shanter van Robert Burns. Sy is ontwerp deur Hercules Linton en in 1869 in Dumbarton, Skotland, gebou vir kaptein John Willis.

Die skip was bestem vir die Chinese teehandel, in daardie jare ‘n baie kompeterende resies om die aarde van China na London met reuse winste vir die skip met die eerste tee van die jaar. Sy het egter nie goed gevaar nie. In 1872 het sy en die Thermopylae saam uit Shanghai vertrek op 18 Junie, maar sy het haar roer verloor en eers ‘n week na die Thermopylae in London aangekom. Wat was so besonders aan die resies? Haar kaptein het met ‘n geimproviseerde roer aangegaan in plaas daarvan om in ‘n hawe vir ‘n nuwe een te wag en hulle is ten spyte hiervan met net ‘n week geklop!

Clippers is vervang deur stoomskepe in die teehandel en die Cutty Sark is toe gebruik vir die Australiaanse wolhandel. Sy kon van Australië tot in London vaar in net 67 dae. Sy was toe die vinnigste skip van haar grootte.

In 1895 het Willis haar aan die Portugese firma van Ferreira verkoop en sy is herdoop na die maatskappy. Sy was toe in Kaapstad gestasioneer. In 1922 het kaptein Wilfred Dowman haar gekoop en herstel tot haar oorspronklike voorkoms. In 1954 is sy droogdokke toe.

Die Cutty Sark word in Hart Crane se lang gedig "The Bridge" (gepubliseer in 1930) genoem.

Vandag is sy ‘n museumskip en prominente landmerk op die London marathon. Die publiek kan (teen ‘n fooi) aan boord gaan en rondkyk.

Die grootste toeriste-aantreklikheid... die huis van Windsor!

2006-04-25T07:49:00.000+02:00

Dis 'n feit! Mense regoor die wêreld is gefassineerd met die koningsgesin en lees oor hulle, praat oor hulle, koop tydskrifte waarin hulle verskyn en memorabilia met hulle foto's in die Verenigde Koninkryk.

Ons bly 'n halfpad om die aarde van hulle af, maar hulle is nog elke dag in ons koerante. Die koningin se verjaarsdag, haar jubilee, Charles en Camilla, William, Diana, Andrew, Fergie en hulle kinders... en wie is die prins van die oomblik? Harry! Harry wil Irak toe gaan... hier is die nuutste storie van News 24 oor die rooikop.

Harry 'shielded' from war

Related articles
Harry determined to fight
Harry could fight in Iraq
Strip and stripes for Harry

London - Britain's Prince Harry, an army officer and third in line to the throne, may be shielded from the frontline if his unit is sent to war, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday.
Harry's deployment or continuing presence in a conflict zone might be brought into question if the prince, who graduated as an army officer this month, were to become a specific target, the ministry said.

There is a tradition of British royals serving in the armed forces. Harry's uncle, the Duke of York, flew a helicopter in the Falkland's War in 1982 and his great-grandfather King George VI saw action in World War One.

Harry, 21, who is in the infantry and is training to command 11 men and four light tanks in an armed reconnaissance unit, has insisted he wants a frontline role.

However, a ministry spokesperson said his role would have to be carefully monitored.

Dangers involved

"The intention is that Prince Harry will undertake the fullest range of deployments, both operational and training," a ministry spokesperson said.

"But on occasions there may be some circumstances where his overt presence might attract additional attention that could increase the potential risk to those he commands or himself," she said.

Harry, whose mother Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash when he was 12, is a Second Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry. The regiment is due to go to Iraq next year and British soldiers are also deployed in Afghanistan.

Harry, once dubbed a wild child for underage drink and drug antics, made it clear in an interview to mark his 21st birthday this year that he would not shy away from action and the ministry stressed that he joined to become an "operational soldier".

"There is no way I am going to put myself through Sandhurst (military academy) and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," he said.

Harry is the younger son of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne.

Die London marathon

2006-04-21T10:15:00.000+02:00

Sondag, op St George's Day, word die London marathon gehardloop.

Dit sal die 26ste marathon wees. Die marathon se webtuiste vertel die storie soos volg:

In 1979, hours after having run the New York Marathon, the former Olympic champion Chris Brasher wrote an article for The Observer which began: "To believe this story you must believe that the human race be one joyous family, working together, laughing together, achieving the impossible. Last Sunday, in one of the most trouble-stricken cities in the world, 11,532 men and women from 40 countries in the world, assisted by over a million black, white and yellow people, laughed, cheered and suffered during the greatest folk festival the world has seen." Enchanted with the sight of people coming together for such an occasion, he concluded questioning "..whether London could stage such a festival?"

Within months the London Marathon was born, with Brasher making trips to America to study the race organisation and finance of big city marathons such as New York and Boston, the oldest in the world. He secured a contract with Gillette of £50,000, established the organisation's charitable status, and set down six main aims for the event, which he not only hoped would echo the scenes he had witnessed in New York, but also put Britain firmly on the map as a country capable of organising major events.

His vision was realised on March 29th 1981, with the inaugural London Marathon proving an instant success. More than 20,000 people applied to run: 7,747 were accepted and 6,255 crossed the finish line on Constitution Hill as cheering crowds lined the route. Now at capacity, a total of 46,500 were accepted from a record 80,500 applicants, with 32,563 finishing on the day. Since this time the event has continued to grow in size, stature and popularity with a capacity 46,500 accepted entrants each year. In all, a total of 572,174 have completed the race since its inception with a record 32,899 crossing the line in 2002.

If anything, interest has been even greater for 2005 with a record 98,500 UK ballot applicants seeking places, a 20 percent increase over the previous highest figure.

Daar sal webcams wees wat dit afneem, jy kan daarna kyk by http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/04/20/marathon_webcams.shtml.

As jou vingers fikser as jy is, kan jy ook virtueel saamdraf by http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/sport/marathon/marathon_virtual_tour_feature.shtml. Die hele 26.2 myl is nou daar te sien!

En Pieter en Anca? Hardloop nie die marathon nie... erger, hulle trek!

Die Union Jack

2006-04-20T09:09:00.000+02:00

Ek het die foto en inligting van Monarchy Today af gekry.

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the emblems of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).

The term Union Jack possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (reigned 1702-14), but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers; or from the name of James I who originated the first union in 1603, in either its Latin or French form Jacobus or Jacques; or, as 'jack' once meant small, the name may be derived from a royal proclamation issued by Charles II that the Union Flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit.

The flag consists of three heraldic crosses.The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground. After James I succeeded to the throne, it was combined with the cross of St. Andrew in 1606. The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground.

The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground. This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on 1 January 1801, to create the Union Flag that has been flown ever since.

The Welsh dragon does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was already united with England and was no longer a separate principality.

The Union Flag was originally a Royal flag (when the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere).

It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham when The Queen is not in residence. The Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) is flown at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral when The Queen is not in residence. On news of a Royal death, the Union Flag (or the Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) where appropriate) will be flown at half-mast. The Royal Standard is never flown at half mast, as the Sovereign never dies (the new Monarch immediately succeeds his or her predecessor).

The flying of the Union Flag on public buildings is decided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at The Queen's command. The Union Flag is flown on government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament; it is also flown on St David's Day (Wales), St George's Day (England), St Andrew's Day (Scotland), and St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland).

Although the Union Flag originated as a Royal flag, it is now also flown by many people and organisations elsewhere in the United Kingdom by long established custom. Its use as an emblem has extended beyond the form of a flag and the Union Jack is frequently depicted on other objects.

The Union Flag has particular significance to the Armed Forces. Flags of contrasting colours have been used to show the position of commanders in the field and their armies from early times. The heavy defensive armour of medieval times made recognition symbols essential, and flags or colours were necessary as rallying points for the horse and foot soldiers. One example of the historic importance of colours as the focus of loyalty to the Crown (and to the regiment) is the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade on the Sovereign's official birthday, when The Queen as Colonel-in-Chief of each of the five regiments of Foot Guards takes the salute. As an emblem of 'Her Majesty's Service', the Union Flag is the flag of the Army, which unlike the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, does not have its own ensign.

The Union Flag as the King's/Queen's Colour was therefore carried into battle, along with their own Regimental Colours, by a number of Army regiments (artillery did not need them, as their rallying point was the right-hand gun; rifle regiments do not carry colours as their original role was as scouts, which required stealth and concealment).British Regimental Colours were carried into battle for the last time in January 1881, when the 58th Foot (now part of the Royal Anglia Regiment) took their Colours into action against the Boers in the Transvaal, South Africa. Today, Infantry battalions have two colours or flags: the Queen's Colour (a Union Flag with the title and number of the battalion at the centre surmounted by St Edward's Crown, with First and Second World War battle honours on both sides), and the Regimental Colour (featuring the regimental badge and battle honours awarded for campaigns other than the two World Wars). Nowadays, the Union Flag is also carried in smaller form on the sides of Army vehicles and worn on uniforms as a distinguishing national emblem.

In the Royal Navy, flags and ensigns assumed the same importance as standards and colours in the Army. Until 1864, fleets were organised into White, Red and Blue squadrons, but in that year Queen Victoria ordered that the White Ensign - the red cross of St George with the Union Flag in the top left-hand corner - should be carried by all ships of the Royal Navy. The Naval Reserves and the Mercantile Marine were to fly the Blue and Red Ensigns respectively. There are also Queen's Colours for the Royal Navy in each of the present-day naval commands, based on the White Ensign, which are carried on suitable ceremonial occasions by naval colour parties.
King's or Queen's Colours have also been presented to the other Services. Colours were presented to the Royal Marines (formed as the Admiral's Regiment in 1664) by the Duke of Clarence (the future William IV) in 1827; today there are Queen's and regimental colours for each Royal Marine Commando. In 1947, George VI approved the award of King's Colours to the Royal Air Force for carrying on ceremonial occasions; King's or Queen's Colours have subsequently been presented, amongst others, to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom in 1951 and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1989.

UK slaps passport 'ban' on SA 19/04/2006 23:02 - (SA)

2006-04-20T08:57:00.000+02:00

Related stories:

Men had 'fake' SA passports
High-level talks on passports
Passport problems for SA
Al-Qaeda getting SA passports

Mandy Rossouw, Beeld

London - The British government has not accepted any South Africans who want to enter Britain with temporary passports since Wednesday, said British immigration minister Tom McNulty on Wednesday.

McNulty said South Africans travelling to Britain on temporary passports would not be allowed into the country because of "concern about the efficiency of the process of issuing South African passports".

A period of grace will be given to South Africans who already have made travel arrangements.
They can travel to Britain until June 1 2006 and their temporary passports still will be accepted.
McNulty said that people with South African passports that had not been obtained through the right channels, were arrested regularly at airports.

The passports were found on people of different nationalities.

"It's our opinion that temporary passports do not sufficiently determine the identity and nationality or they do not comply with internationally accepted practice.

Visa regulations
"As a result, intelligence sources argue that these passports are easy targets for people of other nationalities who want to enter Britain illegally."

McNulty emphasised that South Africans were still welcome in Britain, but not without a full, valid passport.

According to the prevailing immigration rules, South Africans may come to Britain without a visa and stay for six months. But, they can't do any work while they are in Britain.
If South Africans want to work in Britain, they have to get a work permit or a working-holiday visa before leaving South Africa.

This is the first time a full moratorium has been placed on the acceptance of passports in this way, said a British home office spokesperson.

He said temporary South African passports were misused mainly by people from other African countries, specifically South Africa's neighbouring states such as Zimbabwe.

"It has come to light that specifically South African passports are regularly misused.
"A while ago, the department identified a problem with these passports and, when we began looking more closely at them, we realised the problem was much greater than we'd thought."
Other people with temporary passports also can enter Britain until June 1 if they have obtained a valid visa from the British consulate before beginning their trip.

SA home affairs 'not aware' of ban

South African home affairs spokesperson Cleo Mosana said the department was not aware of the new arrangement. "The British government has the right to decide what control measures are necessary in the interests of their safety. "But the department of home affairs sees, as a priority, the integrity of the documents it issues and works unceasingly to achieve this goal," she said.

Twins lunch with the Queen 20/04/2006 07:54 - (SA)

2006-04-20T08:38:00.000+02:00

London - Queen Elizabeth invited 99 "twins" to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for a slap-up lunch in the ballroom to mark the 80th birthday they all share.

The Queen, who turns 80 on Friday, was clearly moved by the by the celebrations, telling her guests "Thank you for coming today and I hope all those of you who are my exact twins will make the most of our special day on Friday."

"I doubt whether any of us would say the last 80 years have been plain sailing, but we can give thanks for our health and happiness, the support we receive from our families and friends, some wonderful memories and the excitement that each new day brings," she said.

The guests, who all share their birthdays on April 21 1926, were picked for the palace lunch by ballot in January.

Reflecting on lives that began in the year of the General Strike and saw World War Two as well as Britain's transformation into a prosperous modern society, she said "I believe we can and should count our blessings."

As three days of celebration began for the queen, Prime Minister Tony Blair led 80th birthday tributes in parliament, calling her one of the most "respected people of our time."

"Throughout, as part of the Royal Family and as the Queen, she has been a reassuring and unifying presence for her people," Blair told the House of Commons.

"Her Majesty shows no sign of slowing down. She has just undertaken what is her 14th tour of Australia, including the official opening of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she attends literally hundreds of public engagements every year and is an active patron of over 600 charities and organisations."

Elizabeth has been on the throne for nearly 53 years and any suggestion that she might contemplate abdication was firmly squashed on Wednesday by her cousin who said she believed the monarch would never retire.

Margaret Rhodes said she did not believe abdication was an option.

"I'm perfectly certain she will never retire as such because it's not like a normal job," she told the BBC.

"It's a job for life and to the Queen the vows that she made on Coronation Day are something so deep and so special that she wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfil those vows until she dies," she added.

The Queen's actual birthday falls on Friday and she will mark the occasion with a walkabout outside Windsor Castle. Her eldest son and heir Prince Charles is hosting a private family dinner for her.

St George's Day - 23 April

2006-04-20T08:13:00.000+02:00

St George's Day word op 23 April gevier in Engeland. Dit is baie kontroversieel en klaarblyklik weet 25% van die Engelse nie eens waaroor dit gaan nie.

Hierdie stukkie propaganda som eintlik die meeste daarvan op:

"Scotland has St Andrew,Wales has St David,Ireland has St Patrickand England has St George. But how many people wear a red rose on St George's Day?How many even know the date of St Georges Day or that he has been England's Patron Saint since the 14th century
when he was so designated by Edward III? Is it not surprising that England,
claiming to be a Christian country, pays so little heed to her patron saint? To the extent that a Suffolk landlord applyingfor an extension of licensing hours for the celebration of St Patrick's and St George's Dayswas granted the former but refused the latter!There are indeed dragons still to be slain, and perhaps the dragon of indifference is the hardest to overcome. So let the red rose of Englandtake its place with the Thistle, the Daffodil and the Shamrock."

Kortliks:

St George is is die heilige van Engeland. Hy het in 303 gesterf vir sy geloof en daar is baie mites oor hom. Hy sou onder andere 'n draak verslaan het.

Sy vlag (hierbo) is aangneem deur Richard the Lionheart en vorm deel van die Engelse vlag.

Hoe word St George's dag gevier? Dra 'n rooi roos (Engeland se nasionale blom) in jou knoopsgat! Maklik genoeg...

Marble Arch

2006-04-19T10:22:00.000+02:00

Marble Arch is ‘n wit Carrara marmer monument naby Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.

Dis ontwerp deur John Nash in 1828, gebaseer op die sogenaamde triumphal arch van Konstantyn in Rome. Dit was oorspronklik bedoel as hek na Buckingham en is op die Pall Mall gebou. Dit was te nou vir die koets en is in 1851 verskuif na die huidige posisie.

Die drie kamertjies binne is gebruik as polisiestasie tot in 1950.

Net die koninklike familie en paleiswag mag daardeur gaan.

Lord Nelson word afgestof ;-)

2006-04-18T11:26:00.000+02:00

Die Nelson's Column loop, soos alles anders op en naby Trafalgar Square erg onder die duiwe deur.

Skoonmaakwerk aan Lord Nelson het verlede week begin.

Die laaste week in London...

2006-04-18T10:33:00.000+02:00

... was baie interessant!

Die duurste broodjie ter wêreld is bekend gestel. Dit kos GBP 85!

Elvis leef nog (op die eiland)!

2006-04-18T08:02:00.000+02:00

Jessica (O'Leary, ons tannie) het viool gespeel in 'n Elvis show... verlede jaar ;-) Hulle het van die oorspronklike orkeslede gebruik en dan aangevul met mense soos Jessy. Die orkes was op die verhoog met drie skerms bo hulle - Elvis in die middel en wisselende beelde van die orkes aan die sykante. Op hierdie foto speel Jessy.

Daar is 'n horde teaters in London, meestal in die Wes Einde, maar ook in ander dele van die stad. Daar is 'n BAIE GROOT verskeidenheid van shows. Selfs die koning sing nog...

Pall Mall

2006-04-12T09:32:00.000+02:00

Pall Mall is ‘n straat in Westminster. Dit het bekend geword vir al die sogenaamde ‘gentemen’s clubs’ in die 19de eeu. Onder hulle was daar die Athenaeum, Travellers Club, Reform Club, United Services Club, Oxford & Cambridge Club and Royal Automobile Club.

Die straatnaam is afgelei van ‘n speletjie wat in die 17de eeu daar gespeel is.
Pall mall (uitgespreek pel mel) is ‘n balspeletjie.

Die straat is rooier as die ander strate in London. Hoekom? Want die koninklikes ry daarop tydens seremoniële parades…. ‘n lekker laaaaang rooi mat ;-)

Dis ook die roete waarlangs die wagte marsjeer wanneer hulle ruil.

Die Paleis van Westminster

2006-04-11T09:24:00.000+02:00

…is ook bekend as die Houses of Parliament. Dis waar die twee huise van die parlement (die House of Lords en die House of Commons) sit.

Die oudste deel van die paleis wat steeds bestaan, dateer uit 1097. Die paleis was oorspronklik ‘n koninklike woning, maar geen monarg het sedert die 16de eeu daarin gewoon nie. Die grootste deel van die struktuur dateer uit die 19de eeu toe die paleis herbou is nadat dit amper in 1834 in ‘n brand uitgewis is. Die argitekte was Sir Charles Barry en Augustus Welby Pugin. Big Ben is een van die torings in die paleis.

Die paleis was in die middeleeue strategies geplaas langs die Teemsrivier. Die tereein was in die middeleeue bekend as Thorney Island en was moontlik die woonplek van Canute die Grote wat van 1016 tot 1035 regeer het. Dit het later bekend geword as Westminster (West Monastery).

Daar is meer as 1 000 vertrekke in die paleis waarvan die belangrikste sekerlik die huise van die parlement is. Daar is ook raadsale, biblioteke, eetkamers, kroeë en gimnasiums. Die parlementêre kantore spil ook oor na nabygeleë geboue soos Portcullis House. Daar is meer as 100 stelle trappe en 5 kilometer se gange!

Die stene wat gebruik is vir die geboue was oorspronklik Anstone, ‘n sandkleurige steen wat in Anston in Yorkshire ontgin is. In 1910 was dit duidelik dat die stene vervang moes word en daar uiteindelik in 1928 besluit op Clipsham Stone, ‘n heuningkleurige leisteen uit Rutland. Die projek het in die 1930’s begin, maar is vertraag deur die tweede wêreldoorlog. Dis uiteindelik aan die begin van die 1950’s voltooi. Teen die 1960’s was daar weer probleme as gevolg van besoedeling. ‘n Steen-restorasie projek is van stapel gestuur in 1981 en in 1994 voltooi.

Daar is verskeie torings in die geboue. Die hoogste is die Victoria Toring (98 meter). Dis by die House of Lords se rekordkantoor (wat eintlik albei huise van die parlement se rekords het).

In die middel is Central Tower (91 meter). Die beroemdste van die torings is sekerlik Big Ben! Ek het ‘n hele Post daaroor geskryf, loer gerus ;-)

Daar is ‘n paar tuine op die terrein. Die Victoria Tower Gardens is ‘n publieke park langs die rivier, suid van die paleis. Daar is ook Black Rod's Garden (vernoem na die Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod), hierdie is ‘n private tuin. Die sogenaamde Old Palace Yard, voor die paleis, is nou geplavei. Cromwell Green en Speaker's Green is ook nie toeganklik vir die publiek nie.

Die House of Lords is in die suidelike deel van die paleis. Die vertrek is 14 by 24 meter groot en het rooi stoele. Daar is loodglas-vensters en 6 allegoriese fresco’s wat Godsdiens, ridderlikheid en die wet verteenwoordig. Die boonste deel of viewing gallery het ‘n gordyntjie om. Dis in die 1920’s gehang om die enkels en bene van vroue te bedek, want dit was onvanpas dat die here dit sou sien.

Aan die punt van die vertrek, is daar die troon waarop die koning/ koningin teoreties mag sit gedurende enige parlementsitting, maar hulle woon al jare lank net die opening van die parlement by. Ander lede van die koninklike familie wat die opening bywoon, sit op ‘chairs of state’ langs die troon. Voor die troon is die sogenaamde Woolsack, ‘n ruglose en armlose rooi kussing met wol gestop wat die historiese belang van wolhandel verteenwoordig.

Die House of Commons is aan die noordekant van die paleis. Dit is 14 by 21 meter groot. Hulle stoele is groen. Aan die een kant is die speaker se stoel, ‘n geskenk van Australië. Net 427 van die meer as 800 lede van die parlement kan geakkomodeer word.

Die laaste monarg wat in die House of Commons ingegaan het, was Koning Charles I (in 1642); hy het 5 lede op klag van hoogverraad gaan soek. Toe hy die Speaker, William Lenthall, gevra het waar hy die individue kan kry, het die geantwoord: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here."

Westminster Saal

Westminster Saal is die oudste deel in die paleis en is in 1097 opgerig. Histories het dit verskeie funksies gehad, maar is hoofsaaklik vir regspraak gebruik. Drie van die belagrikste howe is daar gehuisves: die Court of King's Bench, die Court of Common Pleas, en die Court of Chancery. In 1873 het die howe saamgesmelt om die High Court of Justice te vorm.

Van die twaalfde tot die negentiende eeu af is inhuldigingsplegtighede daar gehou. Die laaste banket van die aard is gehou vir Koning George IV (1821); sy opvolger, William IV, het gesê dat dit te duur was.

Staatsleiers het ook daar in staatsie gelê. Onder hulle was Sir Winston Churchill (1965) en onlangs HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002.

Die United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) klassifiseer die Paleis van Westminster as ‘n World Heritage Site. Dis ook ‘n Graad I gelyste gebou.

Jy kan nie sommer net ingaan nie, maar daar is tog maniere:

Britte mag na die publieke debatte kyk van die gallery af. Hulle moet vooraf deur hulle MP kaartjies bekom.
Die Britte mag ‘n toer versoek van hulle MP’s wanneer die parlement in sitting is.
In die somer is daar toere vir Britte en toeriste, maar jy moet vooraf bespreek.

Die foto kom van die Live Webcam Site af.

Die National Maritime Museum

2006-04-11T08:11:00.000+02:00

Die National Maritime Museum is by Greenwich en mag gratis besoek word. Ek het so bietjie meer daarvan vertel toe ek oor Greenwich geskryf het.

Die coolste ding in die museum? 'n Masjien waarmee jy golwe kan maak! Ek verstaan uiteindelik ook hoe dit werk ;-)

Hier is meer detail:

History of the National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum (NMM) was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1934 and opened to the public by King George VI on 27 April 1937. It includes the 17th-century Queen's House and, from the 1950s, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

There is also a small museum at Cotehele Quay on the Tamar, Cornwall, with the NMM/National Trust sailing barge Shamrock, and the 'Valhalla' ships' figurehead collection on Tresco, Isles of Scilly.

The collections comprise about 2.48 million items, many on loan to museums elsewhere in Britain. The public galleries at Greenwich display a thematically arranged selection and the remainder are accessible for public interest and research in various ways. The majority of the NMM's small-boat collection is on display at the new National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, at Falmouth.

Find out more about the Museum's collections.

The Museum is funded by Government with additional income derived from trading activity and sponsorship. Entry to all Museum sites at Greenwich is free but charges are made for some special exhibitions. The Museum's objectives and targets are outlined in its current Funding Agreement.

Greenwich began to develop as a cultural visitor destination with Sir James Thornhill's completion of the Painted Hall (1707–26) in what is now the Old Royal Naval College (founded in 1694 as the Royal Hospital for Seamen). From 1823 a 'National Gallery of Naval Art', eventually including 300 portraits, paintings and artefacts, was created in the Hall, the first of its kind. A separate Naval Museum was also established in the Hospital buildings when it became the Royal Naval College - the 'Navy's university', 1873–1998.

After its foundation in 1910, the Society for Nautical Research (SNR) independently developed the aim of founding a 'national naval and nautical museum'. In 1927–28, following a public appeal organised by the Society, one of its wealthy members Sir James Caird (1864–1954) purchased the A.G.H. Macpherson Collection of maritime prints - over 11,000 items - with this in view. He also purchased the ship models from the training ship Mercury, with many other items being bought by him or otherwise donated.

All were vested in a temporary Trustee board, 1927–34, replaced by permanent NMM Trustees on passing of the 1934 Act. The contents of the Naval Museum in the College and other official material were also transferred to the care of the NMM Trustees under the 1934 Act, the Greenwich Hospital Collection from the Painted Hall being added by separate agreement in 1936.

The Museum's first Director from 1934 to his death was Professor (Sir) Geoffrey Callender (1875–1946), formerly Professor of History at the Royal Naval College, who was also both Secretary and Treasurer of the SNR and the main intellectual and organizational force behind the Museum's creation.

In 1933 the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich moved to Suffolk, vacating the Queen's House and related buildings which it had occupied since 1806, originally as the separate Royal Naval Asylum but combining with the 18th-century Greenwich Hospital School from 1821. The House was restored by the Ministry of Works and the flanking wings - added for the School between 1807–76, began a long period of museum conversion, largely at Sir James Caird's expense: this was only completed in 1951.

All the Museum buildings have subsequently been upgraded at various times and a full modern redevelopment of the main galleries, centring on what is now the Neptune Court, was completed 1999.

The Museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory), and in many other categories.
You can see many items from the Museum's holdings on the Collections Online website. The Maritime Art Greenwich website is a searchable database of selected paintings plus in-depth content on some of the major themes of maritime art.

Its British portraits collection is only exceeded in size by the National Portrait Gallery and its holdings related to Nelson and Cook, among many other individuals, are unrivalled. It has the world's largest maritime historical reference library (100,000 volumes) including books dating back to the 15th century.

The Museum is also unique in the architectural importance of its main buildings, the Queen's House in particular being the keystone of the historic park-and-palace landscape of 'Maritime Greenwich’, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Flamsteed House (1675–76), the original part of the Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. Take a virtual tour of Flamsteed House.
© NMM London

Mrs Doubtfire is toe nie Amerikaans nie ;-)

2006-04-06T11:37:00.000+02:00

'Mrs. Doubtfire' fools couple for 5 years2006-03-24 10:07

LONDON, March 24 (UPI) -- A real-life "Mrs. Doubtfire" fooled a British couplefor five years into thinking he was a she and a suitable nanny for their kids.

But, time ran out for Erica (Edward) Sadowski, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force,when he disappeared with the children and was arrested after a former collegefriend spotted him.

The two little girls, 1 and 5 years old, were unharmed, the London Mirror said.Sadowski's double life was similar to the 1993 film in which Robin Williamsplayed a dad who posed as a nanny to see more of his kids.

Oxford Straat

2006-04-05T09:39:00.000+02:00

Oxford Street is ‘n groot ‘shopping’ straat in London. Dit strek van die Marble Arch en gaan deur Oxford Circus tot by St Giles' Circus.

Die straat volg die ou Romeinse roete wat Hampshire en Colchester verbind het. Tussen die 12de eeu en 1752 was dit bekend as Tyburn Street (die Tyburn rivier vloei onder die straat). Dit het berug geword as die roete waarmee gevangenes van Newgate Prison na die galg geneem is.

In die laat 18de eeu is baie van die omliggende grond deur die Earl van Oxford gekoop. Die moderne naam is aan hom te danke.

Van die groot winkels in die straat, sluit in:
Virgin Megastore,
Disney Store

Die Kersliggies in Oxford Straat is ‘n jaarlikse instelling en bekendes kom skakel dit gewoonlik aan. Die laaste paar jaar is die liggies aangeskakel deur…

2005 — Westlife
2004 — Steve Redgrave, Emma Watson
2003 — Enrique Iglesias
2002 — Blue
2001 — S Club 7
2000 — Charlotte Church
1999 — Ronan Keating
1998 — Zoe Ball
1997 — Peter Andre
1996 — Spice Girls
1995 — Coronation Street Cast
1994 — Lenny Henry
1993 — Richard Branson
1992 — Linford Christie
1991 — Westminster Children's Hospital
1990 — Cliff Richard
1989 — Gorden Kaye
1988 — Terry Wogan
1987 — Derek Jameson
1986 — Den and Angie Watts
1985 — Bob Geldof
1984 — Esther Rantzen
1983 — Pat Phoenix
1982 — Daley Thompson
1981 — Pilin Leon (Miss World, Venezuela)

Westminster Abbey

2006-04-05T09:19:00.000+02:00

Die hoof van Westminster Abbey het hierdie geskiedenis geskryf en ek het nie gedink ek kan daarop verbeter nie ;-)

An architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British history – the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a “Royal Peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign.

Westminster Abbey, a work of architectural genius, a place of daily worship, deploying the resources of high musical expertise, a burial place of kings, statesmen, poets, scientists, warriors and musicians, is the result of a process of development across the centuries, which represents the response of a monastery and later a post-Reformation church to the stimulus and challenge of its environment.

In the 1040s King Edward (later St Edward the Confessor), last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, established his royal palace by the banks of the river Thames on land known as Thorney Island. Close by was a small Benedictine monastery founded under the patronage of King Edgar and St Dunstan around 960 AD. This monastery Edward chose to re-endow and greatly enlarge, building a large stone church in honour of St Peter the Apostle. This church became known as the “west minster” to distinguish it from St Paul’s Cathedral (the east minster) in the City of London. Unfortunately, when the new church was consecrated on 28 December 1065 the King was too ill to attend and died a few days later. His mortal remains were entombed in front of the High Altar.

The only traces of this Norman monastery are to be found in the round arches and massive supporting columns of the Undercroft in the Cloisters. This now houses the Abbey Museum but was originally part of the domestic quarters of the monks. Among the most significant ceremonies that occurred in the Norman Abbey were the coronation of William the Conqueror on Christmas day 1066, and the “translation” or moving of King Edward’s body to a new tomb a few years after his canonisation in 1161.

Edward’s Abbey survived for two centuries until the middle of the 13th century when King Henry III decided to rebuild it in the new Gothic style of architecture. It was a great age for cathedrals: in France it saw the construction of Amiens, Evreux and Chartres and in England Canterbury, Winchester and Salisbury, to mention a few. Under the decree of the King of England, Westminster Abbey was designed to be not only a great monastery and place of worship, but also a place for the coronation and burial of monarchs.

Every monarch since William the Conqueror, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII who were never crowned, has been crowned in the Abbey. It was natural that Henry III should wish to translate the body of the saintly Edward the Confessor into a more magnificent tomb behind the High Altar. This shrine survives and around it are buried a cluster of medieval kings and their consorts including Henry III, Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, Richard II and Anne of Bohemia and Henry V. The Abbey contains some 600 monuments and wall tablets – the most important collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the country - and over three thousand people are buried here. Notable among these is the Unknown Warrior, whose grave, close to the west door, has become a place of pilgrimage.
A remarkable new addition to the Abbey was the glorious Lady chapel built by King Henry VII, first of the Tudor monarchs, which now bears his name. The chapel has a spectacular fan-vaulted roof and the craftsmanship of Italian sculptor Torrigiano can be seen in Henry’s fine tomb. The banners of the Knights of the Order of the Bath, which surround the walls, together with the Battle of Britain window by Hugh Easton at the east end, give colour to this chapel.
Two centuries later a further addition was made to the Abbey when the western towers (left unfinished from medieval times) were completed, to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor. Little remains of the original medieval stained glass, once one of the Abbey’s chief glories. The great west window and the rose window in the north transept date from the early 18th century but the remainder of the glass dates from the 19th century onwards.

History did not cease with the passing of the medieval monastery in 1540. Queen Elizabeth I, buried in one of the aisles of Henry VII’s chapel, refounded the Abbey in 1560 as a Collegiate Church, a Royal Peculiar exempt from the jurisdiction of bishops and with the Sovereign as its Visitor. In place of the monastic community a collegiate body of a dean and prebendaries, minor canons and a lay staff was established and charged with the task of continuing the tradition of daily worship (for which a musical foundation of choristers, singing men and organist was provided) and with the education of forty Scholars who formed the nucleus of what is now Westminster School (one of the country’s leading independent schools). In addition the Dean and Chapter were responsible for much of the civil government of Westminster, a role which was only fully relinquished in the early 20th century. Thus the Abbey was reshaped and newly patterned to discharge a distinctive yet worshipful role in a modern age.

Still today, a daily pattern of worship is offered to the Glory of God. Special services, representative of a wide spread of interest and social concern, are held regularly. In 1965-66 the Abbey celebrated its 900th anniversary, taking as its theme ‘One People’. Such a theme seemed to be fitting for a church which, through a long history of involvement with the developing life of the British people, has become known throughout the world.
©Dean and Chapter of Westminster 2005.

Blommetjie...

2006-04-05T09:04:00.000+02:00

....leer uit my foute! Slaap op die vliegtuig wanneer jy London toe gaan ;-)

London Bridge

2006-04-04T10:58:00.000+02:00

London Bridge is nog ‘n brug oor die Teems. Dis tussen die Cannon Street Railway Bridge en Tower Bridge.

Die brug bestaan al byna 2 000 jaar op min of meer dieselfde plek. Die eerste brug op die plek is deur die Romeine met hout gebou in 46 nC.

Die brug is ‘n paar keer afgebrand of afgebreek om te verbeter.

William Wallace se kop is op die London Bridge vertoon na sy teregstelling. Na hom is ook die koppe van Jack Cade in 1450; Sir Thomas More in 1535; Biskop John Fisher, in 1535; en Thomas Cromwell in 1540 ook daar vertoon. ‘n Duitse besoeker het in 1598 30 koppe tegelyk daar getel.

In die 19de eeu moes die brug (toe al amper 600 jaar oud) weer vervang word. Die brug is vervang deur ‘n klassieke ontwerp van John Rennie.

Op 18 April 1968 is die brug aan die Amerikaanse entrepeneur Robert P. McCulloch vir $2,460,000 verkoop. Hy was klaarblyklik onder die indruk dat hy Tower Bridge gekoop het. Die brug is herbou in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Die huidige brug is gebou tussen 1967 en 1972 en op 17 Maart 1973 deur Koningin Elizabeth geopen.

Hung, drawn and quartered…

2006-04-04T10:48:00.000+02:00

Verraad? In die ou Engeland sou jy twee keer gedink het! Die straf vir verraad (wat ernstiger as moord gesien is) was baie wreed. Mans is gehang, hulle ingewande uitgeryg en is dan opgesny. Vroue is tot in 1790 op brandstapels verbrand.

Dit het so gewerk…

…tot in 1870 is verraaiers:

Deur Traitors Gate in die Tower of London ingeneem (van die Teems af)
Gehang, maar afgehaal voor hulle dood is.
Hulle genitalië en ingewande is voor hulle oë uitgehaal en verbrand. Die hart is laaste verwyder en ook aan die skuldige gewys.
Hulle is onthoof en die liggaam is in vier dele opgesny.

Die koppe is op Tower Bridge vasgemaak waar die voëls dit gepik het… en die liggaamsdele? Na die uithoeke van die land gestuur!

Koning Edward I ('Longshanks') het die straf eerste gebruik. Die eerste slagoffer (in 1283) was die Walliese prins, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, en toe Sir William Wallace (van Braveheart – twee dekades later).

London Eye

2006-04-03T11:05:00.000+02:00

Die British Airways London Eye is ook bekend as die Millennium Wheel. Dis die eerste en grootste observasiewiel ooit.

Dis 135 meter hoog en neem ongeveer ‘n halfuur om ‘n vol sirkel te voltooi. Dis ontwerp deur die argitekte David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton, en Nic Bailey.

Daar is 32 passasierskapsules. Dit stop nie sodat mense in en uit kan klim nie, maar beweeg so stadig dat jy dit gemaklik in die ry kan doen.

Tony Blair het die Eye op 31 Desember 1999 geopen, maar dit was eers in Maart 2000 oop vir die publiek.

Die Eye is te sien (of te hoor ;-)) in ‘n paar films:

· Dit is (as subtiele grap) te hoor in A Knight's Tale wat in die middeleeue afspeel.
· Dis te sien in Bride and Prejudice (2004)
· Dis ‘n sentrale element in die 2005 reeks van Doctor Who.
· In 2005, was dit in The Amazing Race, waar spanne bakens moes soek met ‘n verkyker.
· In Thunderbirds, vlieg Thunderbird 2 deur London en land reg langs die Eye.
· In The Simpsons, ry Homer en Marge Simpson saam met hulle kinders daarin in The Regina Monologues episode.

April Fools Day

2006-04-03T10:40:00.000+02:00

Die Britte kan darem nie skuld kry vir alles nie, maar het tog 'n deel gehad aan die oorsprong van April Fools Day...

Die algemene teorie is dat dit ontstaan het uit die lighartigheid net na die somertyd begin en lente in die lug is!

Die heel eerste April Fools joke wat gedokumenteer is, kom inderdaad van die stiff upper lip Britte!

The very first April Fools Day joke that we have a written record of is the so-called washing of the lions at the tower of London. Supposedly visitors to London were told that there was going to be a washing of the lions at the tower and they were invited to attend this. Of course there are no lions at the tower of London so they would show up to see this and the joke would be on them, Ha, Ha April Fools. (Alex Boese)

Monument to the Great Fire of London

2006-03-31T10:02:00.000+02:00

Die Monument to the Great Fire of London, ook bekend as The Monument is ‘n 61 meter hoë Romeinse (doriese) Kolom in die hartjie van London. Dit is ook 61 meter van waar die groot brand uitgebreek het in 1666. Die Groot Vuur van London het ‘n baie groot del van die stad verwoes.

Op die Doriese kolom is ‘n vergulde urn met vuur in. Die monument is ontwerp deur Christopher Wren en Robert Hooke. Aan die westekant van die basis is ‘n emblematiese werk van Caius Gabriel Cibber, in alto en bas relief, van die verwoesting van die stad. Die hoogte merk die 61 meter na Thomas Farynor se bakkery in Pudding Lane waar die brand uitgebreek het. Toe konstruksie begin is in 1671 was die die hoogste vrystaande struktuur ter wêreld.

Jy kan tot bo-op die monument klim met 313 trappe. Dis toegemaak nadat 6 mense tussen 1788 en 1842 daar sselfmoord gepleeg het.

Jy kan, soos by Greenwich, ‘n sertifikaat kry om te bewys dat jy regtig bo was ;-)

Covent Garden

2006-03-31T09:23:00.000+02:00

Covent Garden is ‘n distrik in sentrale London. Die area word oorheers deur winkels en ontspanninsgeriewe en het ‘n ingang na die Royal Opera House, wat dikwels ook net "Covent Garden" genoem word.

Romeinse tye tot die 1500’s

In die Romeinse Londinium was hier ‘n klein nedersettinkie bekend as "Convent Garden", dit het later net Covent Garden geword. Koning John (1199-1256) het die plekkie sy naam gegee.

1600’s tot 1800’s

Die moderne Covent Garden is in die sewentiende eeu herontwikkel deur Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford. Die area is ontwerp deur Inigo Jones, die eerste en belangrikste van die Britse Renaissance argitekte.Hy het sy inspirasie gekry van die piazzas in Rome en ander Italiaanse stede en het dus ‘n groot oop plein in die middel van Covent Garen gebou.

Na die Groot Vuur van London het dit amper oornag ‘n basis vir markhandelaars geword. Ingevoerde items is met die Teems langs vervoer en dan in Covent Garden verkoop.

Die eerste Punch and Judy show in Brittanje is opgeteken deur Samuel Pepys, wat dit in Mei 1662 in Covent Garden gesien het.

In 1830 is ‘n groot gebou, wat nogal herinner aan die Romeinse bad by Bath gebou om die handelaars te huisves.
En nou?
Teen die einde van 1960 was daar oneindige verkeersprobleme en dit het gelyk of die hele area weer herontwerp sou moes word. In 1973 is ‘n klomp van die geboue egter gelys wat impliseer dat dit nie gestroop mag word nie! Die mark het in 1974 na die New Covent Garden Market verskuif waar vragmotors makliker kon beweeg.

Die mark verkoop vandag snuisterye en het ‘n toeriste-aantreklikheid geword.

Sedert 2005 is Covent Garden ook die tuiste van die Avenue of Stars, London se antwoord op die Amerikaanse Walk of Fame. Dit is voor St Paul’s wat ook as die "Actors' Church" bekend staan.

Daar is ‘n paar oulike restaurante en teaters…

By my op die foto is Jessica O’Leary, my tannie wat ek verlede jaar eers (in Covent Garden) ontmoet het. Sy is ‘n violis in die UK.