According to Wikipedia, the Subservient Chicken is a viral marketing campaign by Burger King.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
site of the day
After I read this article in the Guardian today, I was intrigued by the sound of the Wikipedia and went and checked it out. It's an enormous encyclopedia that is populated by readers and linked up to other entries. I've really only dipped in yet but already through the random entry link I've learnt about George Thorogood's 50 states in 50 days tour and the guy who designed the IBM logo.
Monday, October 25, 2004
sunday lunch
Nice lunch yesterday at the Swimmer at the Grafton Arms near Holloway Rd with Lisa, Jon, Charlotte and Colin. Charlotte was brave and sampled the kangaroo and mushroom pie, which she approved of. Other food was nice and the pub has a good wine selection and an excellent selection of Czech beers (if you like that kind of thing)
Friday, October 22, 2004
Page one girl
Mum made the front page of the Timaru Herald today, talking about the abuse of the elderly in South Canterbury. Sadly the photo did not make the electronic version, but here's the article
ABUSE OF ELDERLY IN SC ON RISE
229 words
22 October 2004
Timaru Herald
English(c) 2004.
The Timaru Herald, INL
Abuse of South Canterbury's elderly is increasing, according to Presbyterian Support's annual report.
Presbyterian Support family care manager Sue Thompson said the issue was not a new one.
She said the service dealt with about 30 cases of elder abuse every year.
"It's less physical abuse and more financial or psychological -- and often involves family members."
Mrs Thompson said over the past year Presbyterian Support had been doing a lot of promotion to the community and educating staff in rest homes.
She said that also included working more in rural areas.
"It's about letting the elderly know where they can go for help," she said.
Age Concern spokesperson Ailsa Bailey said while there had been an increasing number of reports over the year there were still "a lot more cases under the surface".
"People living alone are very reluctant to talk about it to anyone. The problem is not going away and people need to be encouraged to seek help."
Mrs Bailey said many older people did not want their business to become gossip.
"Old people become very frightened and believe one person's pain is another person's gossip.
"The fact that they may be talked about by others while sitting around having a cup of tea is what they fear more than anything."
CAPTION:
Sue Thompson
ABUSE OF ELDERLY IN SC ON RISE
229 words
22 October 2004
Timaru Herald
English(c) 2004.
The Timaru Herald, INL
Abuse of South Canterbury's elderly is increasing, according to Presbyterian Support's annual report.
Presbyterian Support family care manager Sue Thompson said the issue was not a new one.
She said the service dealt with about 30 cases of elder abuse every year.
"It's less physical abuse and more financial or psychological -- and often involves family members."
Mrs Thompson said over the past year Presbyterian Support had been doing a lot of promotion to the community and educating staff in rest homes.
She said that also included working more in rural areas.
"It's about letting the elderly know where they can go for help," she said.
Age Concern spokesperson Ailsa Bailey said while there had been an increasing number of reports over the year there were still "a lot more cases under the surface".
"People living alone are very reluctant to talk about it to anyone. The problem is not going away and people need to be encouraged to seek help."
Mrs Bailey said many older people did not want their business to become gossip.
"Old people become very frightened and believe one person's pain is another person's gossip.
"The fact that they may be talked about by others while sitting around having a cup of tea is what they fear more than anything."
CAPTION:
Sue Thompson
commuting man
Congratulations to Andrew who's got a job at OAG, the flight-finding website. I'm personally going to be lobbying him to make this site free of charge again as it was a very useful tool - you could find out which airlines provided flights between any two destinations.
Unfortunately Andrew has to commute to Dunstable (near Luton) every day which is a bit of a long commute!
Unfortunately Andrew has to commute to Dunstable (near Luton) every day which is a bit of a long commute!
Monday, October 18, 2004
Croatia - the final days
An update on our last couple of days in Croatia.
We travelled out to Korcula on one of the regular ferries - it was a bit rainy when we left but, as with the trip to Cavtat, it was quite a bit stormier when we were out at sea! The ferry did quite a bit of rolling around. At one stage we looked over and the poor woman who threw up on our Cavtat trip was sitting near us, again looking a bit green and no doubt unhappy with her husband for making her go on a boat again! The weather did clear up about an hour out of Korcula and we had a lovely view of the city, which again is a walled medieval town on a prominent spit of land.
After landing, we organised some accomodation at a private house in the old town. Quite a bit cheaper than in Dubrovnik but a very basic room. It did have a TV though so we were able to watch Croatian Big Brother. Sadly we were not able to find a bar with satellite TV during our trip so couldn't watch the programme that Simon produces, MTV Wishlist.
Had some lunch at Pizzeria Amphora in the old town and went for a wander around the streets. Korcula Town has very similar architecture to Dubrovnik, but everything seemed to be shut for the afternoon siesta which was a shame as it was quite rainy! Later on the afternoon we caught some much needed sun and chatted to an American guy in a local bar. He recommended a bar called Massimo which has taken over one of the old towers in the city wall. We climbed up to the top, about three levels up included a narrow ladder, and had a beer. The waitress, Ivana, took our orders and a pulley system delivered the drinks to the top of the bar. Very nifty! We ate out at a BBQ like place called Adio Mare and met some Melbournians.
Thankfully the next day was a little sunnier. After visiting the local Konzum supermarket for breakfast items, we went to catch the 12.00 bus to Lumbarda but decided to wait for an hour as school was out for the day and it was an absolute scrum to get on the bus! We had a couple of hours sitting on the beach, watching the learner windsurfers before we came back to Korcula town.
After cocktails at Massimo again, we went to the Marco Polo restaurant for dinner. Marco Polo is allegedly originally from Korcula so he gets loads of namechecks. A fantastic last dinner!
We had to catch the 6.30 AM bus back to Dubrovnik the next morning - the bus left Korcula town and then went on a small ferry to Orebic on the mainland. It was a bit of a windy, if spectacular ride - poor Li-Ann was left feeling a little queasy!
Once we arrived in Dubrovnik again, we decided to visit the Aquarium which was OK. Sadly none of the advertised sea horses were in evidence and there were loads of slimy eels, but we did see a turtle, sadly swimming around in its tank. Had a lovely lunch at Lokanda, our favourite lunch and convinced some timid Americans to try the delicious cuttlefish risotto, the calamari and the small fish!
Hopefully I'll have a link to our photos to post up here soon.
We travelled out to Korcula on one of the regular ferries - it was a bit rainy when we left but, as with the trip to Cavtat, it was quite a bit stormier when we were out at sea! The ferry did quite a bit of rolling around. At one stage we looked over and the poor woman who threw up on our Cavtat trip was sitting near us, again looking a bit green and no doubt unhappy with her husband for making her go on a boat again! The weather did clear up about an hour out of Korcula and we had a lovely view of the city, which again is a walled medieval town on a prominent spit of land.
After landing, we organised some accomodation at a private house in the old town. Quite a bit cheaper than in Dubrovnik but a very basic room. It did have a TV though so we were able to watch Croatian Big Brother. Sadly we were not able to find a bar with satellite TV during our trip so couldn't watch the programme that Simon produces, MTV Wishlist.
Had some lunch at Pizzeria Amphora in the old town and went for a wander around the streets. Korcula Town has very similar architecture to Dubrovnik, but everything seemed to be shut for the afternoon siesta which was a shame as it was quite rainy! Later on the afternoon we caught some much needed sun and chatted to an American guy in a local bar. He recommended a bar called Massimo which has taken over one of the old towers in the city wall. We climbed up to the top, about three levels up included a narrow ladder, and had a beer. The waitress, Ivana, took our orders and a pulley system delivered the drinks to the top of the bar. Very nifty! We ate out at a BBQ like place called Adio Mare and met some Melbournians.
Thankfully the next day was a little sunnier. After visiting the local Konzum supermarket for breakfast items, we went to catch the 12.00 bus to Lumbarda but decided to wait for an hour as school was out for the day and it was an absolute scrum to get on the bus! We had a couple of hours sitting on the beach, watching the learner windsurfers before we came back to Korcula town.
After cocktails at Massimo again, we went to the Marco Polo restaurant for dinner. Marco Polo is allegedly originally from Korcula so he gets loads of namechecks. A fantastic last dinner!
We had to catch the 6.30 AM bus back to Dubrovnik the next morning - the bus left Korcula town and then went on a small ferry to Orebic on the mainland. It was a bit of a windy, if spectacular ride - poor Li-Ann was left feeling a little queasy!
Once we arrived in Dubrovnik again, we decided to visit the Aquarium which was OK. Sadly none of the advertised sea horses were in evidence and there were loads of slimy eels, but we did see a turtle, sadly swimming around in its tank. Had a lovely lunch at Lokanda, our favourite lunch and convinced some timid Americans to try the delicious cuttlefish risotto, the calamari and the small fish!
Hopefully I'll have a link to our photos to post up here soon.
swing voters
I read in the Guardian about the Clark County project, an opportunity for Guardian readers to try and influence some voters in a swing county in Ohio. The idea is that you sign up, the Guardian sends you the email address of a voter in Clark County and you send them a message urging them to vote.
Unfortunately, this hasn't gone down very well with many of the recipients of the emails - I read a few of the responses today and was a bit surprised at the vehemence of the reaction! Guess people just don't like being told what to do!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Return to Croatia
Currently on leg two of my Croatia trip. The original plan was to have two weeks here in September. However, due to Li-Ann's availability, we decided to have a week here in October, this time focusing on Dubrovnik.
We've been here since Saturday and it's been very enjoyable. The most different thing is the weather! Although a month ago it was glorious, very sunny and we were able to swim every day, this time it's about ten degrees colder and has rained nearly every day! Oh well...
We are staying in a private room right in the middle of the Old Town here in Dubrovnik. The house we're in has the only private courtyard in the old town and we have a kitchen at our disposal and TV! So it's all very handy. The decor seems to be stuck in the 70s but never mind!!
We've eaten out at lots of great places - lots of seafood to eat. At our favourite place, Lokanda, which is right by the old port, we had cuttlefish risotto, mussels and small fried fish. Fried calamari is also a favourite and we've had some nice wine and local beer.
We walked around the infamous city walls on Sunday afternoon which took us an hour or so - surprisingly our legs were still operational the next day! It was a fantastic walk, amazing views over the city and we were so impressed at the way the fortifications are still so intact.
Very little damage is still in evidence from the war in 1991 - 1992. We've seen a couple of places still with damaged roofs but that's it. Very impressive reconstruction, especially after we've seen some photos of the damage. The war isn't really mentioned though. I would imagine people are sick of talking about it.
Lots and lots of tourists here. It must be hell in July and August the peak season. Even in October it's pretty full on. Lots of people are either staying at the big hotels out of town or on the enormous cruise ships that are moored in Gruz, the new port nearby. They get bussed in during the day which does mean that the evenings are a little quieter.
Yesterday we did a day trip to Montenegro, which is the next country down the coastline from Croatia, and also a part of the former Yugoslavia. It was very different from Croatia, it seemed a lot poorer and less Westernised. Much more reminiscent of Russia. We visited a few towns and the former palace, but the real highlight was driving up the 'Serpent' road which gave great views over the bays on the coastline of Montenegro. We ended the day at Budva which is a seaside town and probably very nice during the summer! It was a bit desolate when we were there!
Today we caught a boat to the village of Cavtat, about an hour away. Because the weather was a little rainy and windy, the trip out was a bit miserable! Even though there was a cover on the boat, we still got wet and one poor woman even threw up! It got a bit brighter when we finally got there and we had a nice wander around the streets.
Tomorrow we're off to Korcula for a couple of days before we head back to Dubrovnik on saturdaz morning and fly back to London.
We've been here since Saturday and it's been very enjoyable. The most different thing is the weather! Although a month ago it was glorious, very sunny and we were able to swim every day, this time it's about ten degrees colder and has rained nearly every day! Oh well...
We are staying in a private room right in the middle of the Old Town here in Dubrovnik. The house we're in has the only private courtyard in the old town and we have a kitchen at our disposal and TV! So it's all very handy. The decor seems to be stuck in the 70s but never mind!!
We've eaten out at lots of great places - lots of seafood to eat. At our favourite place, Lokanda, which is right by the old port, we had cuttlefish risotto, mussels and small fried fish. Fried calamari is also a favourite and we've had some nice wine and local beer.
We walked around the infamous city walls on Sunday afternoon which took us an hour or so - surprisingly our legs were still operational the next day! It was a fantastic walk, amazing views over the city and we were so impressed at the way the fortifications are still so intact.
Very little damage is still in evidence from the war in 1991 - 1992. We've seen a couple of places still with damaged roofs but that's it. Very impressive reconstruction, especially after we've seen some photos of the damage. The war isn't really mentioned though. I would imagine people are sick of talking about it.
Lots and lots of tourists here. It must be hell in July and August the peak season. Even in October it's pretty full on. Lots of people are either staying at the big hotels out of town or on the enormous cruise ships that are moored in Gruz, the new port nearby. They get bussed in during the day which does mean that the evenings are a little quieter.
Yesterday we did a day trip to Montenegro, which is the next country down the coastline from Croatia, and also a part of the former Yugoslavia. It was very different from Croatia, it seemed a lot poorer and less Westernised. Much more reminiscent of Russia. We visited a few towns and the former palace, but the real highlight was driving up the 'Serpent' road which gave great views over the bays on the coastline of Montenegro. We ended the day at Budva which is a seaside town and probably very nice during the summer! It was a bit desolate when we were there!
Today we caught a boat to the village of Cavtat, about an hour away. Because the weather was a little rainy and windy, the trip out was a bit miserable! Even though there was a cover on the boat, we still got wet and one poor woman even threw up! It got a bit brighter when we finally got there and we had a nice wander around the streets.
Tomorrow we're off to Korcula for a couple of days before we head back to Dubrovnik on saturdaz morning and fly back to London.
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